Published: June 25, 2025
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Rated: T
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Stefano Raffele
Colour Artist: Nolan Woodard
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover: Derrick Chew
The synopsis;
TARGET: NABOO!
• KYLO REN and the FIRST ORDER begin the assaultof NABOO!
• But what strange game is the young tyrant playing with the fates of the people there?
• What lesson has Kylo learned from DARTH VADER’S past?
The review;
Observing a holomap of the First Order forces, Kylo Ren stands poised to conquer Naboo while General Hux gives him some bombastic side-eye. Chew’s direct cover for Legacy of Vader #5 captures their rivalry perfectly and it’s great to see the characters sharing space in one of the most unique covers for the series yet. Meanwhile the young Supreme Leader has his lightsaber drawn and crackling with unstable power in a defensive stance in Aka’s variant, with a striking mixture of cool blues and warm red highlights. And Stott’s Pride variant focuses on Sabé which perfectly combines with this story set on Naboo.
After searching the ruins of his family’s legacy on Naboo, Kylo Ren learns that the people had thrived under the corruption of the Empire, but with no monarchy to lead them now, their society has broken into chaotic greediness. Unimpressed by how the Naboo cling to the past, Ren decides to help them evolve. So, he brings the First Order to conquer and declares himself king. Yet the invasion is hindered by a mysterious resistance leader…
What is Kylo Ren doing? That’s the question everyone is asking in Legacy of Vader #5 and no one has an answer. It feels more like a character exploration and that Soule just let the young Supreme Leader wreak havoc, focusing on his internal monologue rather than the overarching storyline. It’s a pause in the series and a necessary one. It’s a closer look into what Kylo Ren is thinking at this point in the timeline and highlights how he’s lost.
Although Ren has declared himself king and orders General Hux to begin the invasion of Naboo, he’s not actually there leading his forces. In fact, no one knows where he is – much to Hux’s exasperation. Naboo might not have any military to fight back, but the General believes that the Supreme Leader should still be present. Their working relationship is terrible – neither has any respect for the other – and you can practically feel Hux rolling his eyes every time Ren goes off to do his own thing.
But the First Order are met with unexpected resistance. The Naboo are fighting back and they seem to have an uncanny ability to predict the weak points in the First Order forces. And that’s because Kylo Ren has decided to secretly ingratiate himself with the populace. No one recognises him under a set of goggles, and he uses both the techniques of the Rebellion and the fighting strategy of the First Order to sabotage his own invasion. But why would he do such a thing? Why would he sabotage his own plan?
And this is where Soule really explores Ren’s inner monologue. He has everything. Power. Prestige. Influence. Yet none of it means anything. Ren doesn’t care about everything that he has achieved and the power he now wields. He wants to destroy his past but that is an impossible mission. He can’t forget about his family, nor a certain scavenger. So, everything he does within the First Order is aimless and purposeless.
Which brings us to him sabotaging his own invasion. It’s because Ren has nothing to do. Naboo is such an easy target that he’s deliberately making it more difficult to try to give him a challenge. To give him a distraction so he cannot linger on the past. So, the only way he can fight himself – is to fight the First Order. It’s counterintuitive but there is nothing else that can challenge Kylo Ren but his own power (except Rey but she’s parsecs away).
It’s an interesting juxtaposition because Ren has never taken that much interest in running the First Order. He’s Supreme Leader and truly doesn’t care about what the position entails. So, it would be easy to assume that Ren has little knowledge about how the First Order functions. In previous issues he’s begrudgingly collaborated with Hux to approve military movements and day-to-day operations. Yet Legacy of Vader #5 shows just how much he knows – Ren can pinpoint a weakness in every tactic and vessel used by the First Order. It doubles down on this concept that he’s lost. He clearly has a ton of knowledge and power, yet no direction to aim it in.
However, this is also important for another reason. Sowing the seeds that lead to Hux feeding information to the Resistance. When Ren orders the General to move out of Naboo and cease the invasion, he couldn’t be more frustrated about the situation. Ren doesn’t care about wasting First Order resources and time, but Hux does mind. These two have always had a rivalry for power and with Ren abusing his position, not listening to high command and what would help the First Order achieve galactic dominance, it pushes Hux closer to betraying the Knight of Ren.
It also translates into some hilarious panels by Raffaele as Hux gets closer, and closer to losing his cool with each order Ren gives him. His frustration is palpable on the page and the interplay between the First Order Star Destroyer bridge scenes and Ren’s rebellion on Naboo feel like a tug-of-war between Hux and the Supreme Leader. It also lets Raffaele compose some incredible city scenes as the First Order invade and the sweeping vistas filled with TIE Fighters are so brilliantly detailed.
With Ren giving up on the idea of ruling Naboo, the young Supreme Leader must set his sights on a different target. Soule might have taken a slower, more character driven approach with this issue, but it explores some key areas for both Kylo Ren and General Hux’s character arcs. So how can Kylo Ren find some sense of direction? Next issue will see him begin the hunt for a Jedi who survived Order 66.
Availability;
Star Wars: Legacy of Vader is an ongoing series published by Marvel Comics. This issue retails at $4.99 and is available online from Amazon (comiXology) and your local comic book store.
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