Before he set his sinister sights on Luke Skywalker, the Emperor identified another “worthy successor” toDarth Vader, prompting his apprentice to swiftly respond, in one ofVader’s most hardcore moments in comic history. The story came from the originalStar Warscanon, nowcollected under the “Legends” banner, but it still perfectly encapsulates the Sidious/Vader dynamic.
Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison#5, written by W. Haden Blackman, with art by Agustin Alessio, is the climactic issue of a classic story, featuring an attempted overthrow of Palpatine by some ambitious Imperial underlings.
Among the loyalists who fought to preserve Palpatine’s rule wasLaurita Tohm, who earned himself a promotion to Admiral, and a brutal execution at Vader’s hands.
Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison#5 (Of 5), Written By W. Haden Blackman; Art By Agustin Alessio; Available Now From Dark Horse Comics
Released in 2012,prior to the Disney reboot ofStar Warscontinuity,Darth Vader and the Ghost Prisonfeatures Darth Vader at his most uncompromising and cruel.There are few, if any, shades of grey to the Sith Lord inGhost Prison, and that is best exemplified by his attitude toward, and eventually, his disposal of Laurita Tohm.
Introduced in the first issue of the miniseries, and dispatched in its final chapter,Tohm played a brief but pivotal role inStar Warslore.Despite being barely out of the Imperial academy, Tohm helped thwart a coup d’etat against Palpatine and Vader that could have been successful otherwise, proving his ability and his loyalty in the process.
Though Darth Vader is ostensibly the main character ofGhost Prison, Laurita Tohm is arguably the story’s true protagonist. Over the course of five issues, he becomes battle-tested, and following the coup, finds himself elevated to the upper echelons of Imperial power by the Emperor himself. Ultimately, but perhaps not shockingly,this proves fatal to Tohm.
Laurita Tohm’s Life Was Spent In Service Of The Emperor; His Death Proved How Brutal Darth Vader Truly Was
An All-Time Unforgiving Vader Moment
What signs Laurita Tohm’s death warrant isn’t his promotion to Admiral, but instead, it is the moment in whichEmperor Palpatine slyly tells Vader, “should you ever fall,the young Admiral could prove a worthy successor.“Vader seems to passively accept this at the time, but later, after telling Tohm he has one final lesson to learn, Vader brutally murders him.
Tohm was useful, but ultimately just another pawn to be used and sacrificed. Yet if he’d outmaneuvered the Sith apprentice, Palpatine would have thought the same of Vader.
“Never suffer rivals,” Darth Vader says, as Tohm fruitlessly begs for his life, before tossing the loyal, but inexperienced, young Imperial from a Coruscant high rise, watching coldly as the “rival” plummets to his death. It is a scene with few rivals in the way it embodies Vader’s potential as Sith.
Knowing Palpatine, it is very likely this was one of countless testsof Vader’s ruthlessness and ambition; Tohm was useful, but ultimately just another pawn to be used and sacrificed. Yet if he’d outmaneuvered the Sith apprentice, Palpatine would have thought the same of Vader. Ultimately, this iswhat makes Laurita Tohm so important toDarth Vader’shistory, andStar Warslore.
Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison#5is available now from Dark Horse Comics.
