Darth Vader (2020) 26

Darth Vader 26 is the twenty-sixth issue of the 2020 canon comic book series Star Wars: Darth Vader. The issue was written by Greg Pak, illustrated by Raffaele Ienco and Alex Sinclair, and published by Marvel Comics on August 24, 2022.
==Publisher's summary==
INTO THE SAND! We all know about Anakin Skywalker's aversion to finely ground particulate matter. But what does sand mean to the Dark Lord of the Sith? When Sabé, Vader's unlikely new ally, goes missing, Vader must confront his own dark heart in the maelstrom of a terrible sandstorm – while tapping into one of his earliest skills in a wildly unexpected way!
==Plot summary==
===Riding into the storm===
Darth Vader experiences flashbacks of his previous life as the Jedi Anakin Skywalker. On Naboo, he tells Padmé Amidala that he dislikes sand but appreciates the softness and lushness of the planet. In the present, ZED-6-7 tells Lord Vader that the sandstorm is disrupting comm signals, preventing him from tracing Sabé or the other villagers. Vader dismisses ZED, telling the droid that he will call upon his assistance when he requires it. Based on the storm's current velocity, ZED predicts that the storm will hit them in four minutes and three seconds. He recommends that everyone except Lord Vader evacuate.
Speaking in Rodese, Wald believes that Lord Vader is doomed, saying that only Skywalker would be able to drive the machine through such a storm. He adds that even its builder Kitster Banai had trouble managing it. While firing up Kitster's podracer, Vader experiences flashbacks of his childhood on Tatooine building his podracer while his friends and mother Shmi Skywalker Lars watch. Vader races Kitster's podracer through the forest amidst the storm. Amidst the sandstorm, he experiences a flashback of him and his mother walking through a sandstorm through the deserts of Tatooine. He tells his mother that he is not leaving her.
In another flashback, Skywalker speaks with his mother Skywalker Lars before leaving with Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. His mother tells him that her place is on Tatooine and that it is his time to go. Skywalker doesn't want things to change but Shmi replies that change is like the twin suns setting. She tells him to be brave and not to look back. The flashback then moves forward to Skywalker's meeting with the Jedi High Council where he confides that he misses his mother. Master Yoda warns that fear is the path to the dark side, leading to anger, hate and suffering. 
The flashback then flashes to Skywalker slaughtering Tusken Raiders for murdering his mother. Vader then experiences a flashback of Amidala falling out of their LAAT/infantry gunship during the Battle of Geonosis. He argues with Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, who urges him to put his Jedi duties above Amidala's well-being and safety.
===The rescue===
Returning to the present, Vader finds Kitster, who is surprised to see Vader riding his podracer. He tells Vader that Sabé's speeder was hit by the tank. He believes that she is trapped underneath the tank. Using the Force, Vader throws the tank aside, freeing Sabé. The three of them are then caught in the middle of an orbital bombardment wave. 
Above, Admiral Firmus Piett receives Vader's orders to use the Super Star Destroyer Executor ventral turbolasers to bombard their coordinates. Piett is alarmed that would incinerate everyone in the area including Vader. However, Vader uses the Force to Force choke Piett into submission. Piett complies and unleashes the turbolaser on Governor Tauntaza's giant tank. Vader along with Kitster and Sabé take shelter and survive the bombardment. He carries the unconscious Sabé. Meanwhile on Coruscant, Emperor Palpatine mocks Lord Vader for failing to save his mother, Amidala and for believing he can save Sabé.
==Development==
Kitster's podracer went undescribed in the issue script. Artist Raffaele Ienco came up with its look as a, in Ienco's words, "souped up pod motor-cycle."
==Media==
===Cover gallery===
File:DarthVader2020-26-cover.jpg|Final cover by Rahzzah
File:DarthVader2020-26-solicit-cover.jpg|Solicit cover by Rahzzah
File:DarthVader2020-26-Textless.jpg|Cover art
File:DarthVader2020-26-variant-Maleev.jpg|Variant cover by Alex Maleev
File:DV2020-26-TextlessMaleevVariant.jpg|Textless variant by Alex Maleev
File:DarthVader2020-26-variant-Sprouse.jpg|Choose Your Destiny variant cover by Chris Sprouse
==Appearances==
==Collections==
*Star Wars: Darth Vader Vol. 5 — The Shadow's Shadow
==Sources==
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*Darth Vader (2020) 43
==Notes and references==
==External links==
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