The Sith Eternal is one of Palpatine’s projects designed to replace Darth Vader if anything were to happen to him.
However, when Darth Vader discovered the Sith Eternal, his reaction was unbelievable.
Follow me as I guide you through how Darth Vader uncovered the Sith Eternal during his exile by his Sith master, Palpatine.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Darth Vader’s Failure to Turn Luke to the Dark Side and Palpatine’s Exiled Punishment
The story, as depicted in the Star Wars: Darth Vader 2020 comics, begins with Emperor Palpatine sending Darth Vader on a mission to bring back his son, Luke Skywalker.
Following the events of Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, where Vader confronted Luke on Cloud City in Bespin, but Luke managed to escape.
Now, Vader must find Luke and turn him to the dark side of the Force. Vader, however, is driven by a personal obsession to find his son, ignoring Palpatine’s orders.
During his search, he visits various places where Luke might be hiding, from Tatooine to Naboo. On Naboo, Vader makes a poignant visit to Padmé’s grave.
Inside her coffin, he finds a traceable device containing the coordinates of a Rebel base. Believing Luke might be there, Vader quickly sets course for the Rebellion’s secret location.
Upon arriving at the Rebel base, Vader discovers it is abandoned. This base, located on Polis Massa, was also where Padmé gave birth to her twin children, Luke and Leia.
As he searches the empty base, Vader finds a recording of Padmé’s final words to Obi-Wan: “Obi-Wan… There’s good in him. I know…I know…there’s…still…”
After watching the recording, Vader feels a deep conflict and decides to abandon his mission to find Luke. He returns to Emperor Palpatine, who senses something is wrong.
Palpatine realizes that Vader’s hatred, the source of his strength as a Sith, is diminishing.
Recognizing that Vader is growing weaker, Palpatine confronts him. “You have just wallowed in grief. You need to start all over again,” Palpatine declares.
With those words, Palpatine unleashes Force Lightning on Vader.
With the help of the Royal Guards, Palpatine removes Vader’s robotic limbs and throws him onto Mustafar, reminding him of the day he transformed Anakin into Darth Vader.
Darth Vader’s Journey to Exegol
After losing all his robotic limbs, Darth Vader found himself in an abandoned Separatist stronghold.
Determined to survive, he scavenged the area for parts and crafted new limbs. However, his exile was far from peaceful.
Palpatine sent a Sith assassin named Ochi of Bestoon to kill him.
Vader survived the attack and, sensing something was wrong, interrogated Ochi to learn about Palpatine’s plans. He discovered that Palpatine was building something beyond his understanding.
To find out more, Vader went deeper into Mustafar, fighting through monsters until he met the Eye of Webbish Bog, a spider-like creature sensitive to the Force.
The Eye gave Vader a wayfinder device, which contained the coordinates to Exegol.
Determined to uncover Palpatine’s secrets, Vader set off for Exegol to discover what his master was hiding.
Vader Exposes Palpatine’s Secret Project
Stepping onto Exegol, Vader first confronts a gigantic monster named Summa-verminoth, which guards the planet. Using the Force, Vader easily tames the beast.
The creature then leads Vader to Palpatine, who has been waiting for his arrival.
Vader and Palpatine engage in battle, but Palpatine overpowers Vader and reveals the true secret of Exegol. Inside the hidden depths of the planet, Vader discovers numerous clones of Palpatine still in the process of being created.
Palpatine then unveils the Sith Eternal army, a group of dark side wielder individuals who believe they can replace Vader as Palpatine’s new apprentice.
However, with a single use of his Force power, Vader eliminates all of the Sith Eternal.
Afterward, Palpatine shows Vader his true plan: mining a gigantic red kyber crystal. As they watch the crystal being mined, Palpatine explains that the true power of the Sith comes from pain, fear, and anger—all emotions that lead to immense strength.
Finally, Vader realizes that Palpatine wants him to return as his apprentice, not to become weaker, but to harness even greater power.