CINEMATIC PROTOTYPES DEPARTMENT
Just for fun...
Episode III has ended. Anakin is now Darth Vader. He journeys with Dark Lord Sidious on an Imperial Cruiser to the construction site of the Death Star.
The Death Star is being constructed by blasting the rock off a small moon to reveal its metallic core. The metallic core is being recarved into the superstation that the galaxy will come to fear.
Vader is still haunted by the death of Padme. He confronts Sidious on his promise to save Padme’s life. Sidious tells Vader that in order to save her, he must first give up all thoughts of her.
Vader, sounding like Anakin again, says “it’s not fair” to Sidious. Sidious asks how the Jedi responded to his insolence, and Vader says “they scolded me, but couldn’t do anything about it.” Sidious blasts Vader with lightning bolts and says that the Sith have even harsher penalties for disobedience.
Sidious tells Vader that he still has much to learn, and that he must journey to the training temple of the Sith on the dark planet Abysson, and learn from the masters there.
Vader makes the journey in his well-known tie-fighter, accompanied by two copilots. On the way, Vader is attacked by Rebel assassins in X-Wing Fighters.
Vader destroys the X-Wings and completes his journey. Abysson is a cold, frozen world far from any sun. The planet exists exists in near darkness, illuminated only by frequent explosions of blue lightning, lightning from which the Sith take their inspiration.
Vader is met by Praxum, a red, devil-like version of Yoda. Praxum immediately kills the two copilots that accompanied Vader.
Vader asks why Praxum killed the pilots. Praxum tells Vader that Abysson must remain secret to all but the most highly selected. Praxum explains, “the Jedi trust one another, but the Sith trust no one.”
“What about the Emperor, do you not trust him?”
Praxum laughs. “Trust him, no. Obey him, yes.”
Praxum also explains, “Sith measure all things by their use potential. Planets, people, even ideas. We assign no intrinsic value to things like the Jedi would have you do. Down that path lies madness. You will find that when you value things only by their practical purpose – not their beauty, not their feelings, not some abstract notion of right and wrong – that the universe does have a natural order. An order that the Jedi betray. That, my pupil, is why this frozen rock is worth more than the lives of those two clones.”
“What then is the ultimate goal of the Sith?"
“The ultimate goal of the Sith is the same as all life forms. To live forever.”
Praxum introduces Vader to the Order of the Infernum, a group of evil creatures from all corners of the galaxy. Together, this college of demons will instruct Vader on the ways of the Dark Side.
Before Vader goes to learn, Praxum reminds him of his lesson. “I will warn you now, Vader. The Order is filled with jealousy and infighting. They will sabotage your learning at the same time as they teach you. So remember the lesson I taught you this morning: trust no one, but learn from them what you may.”
"Evil Yoda" image adapted from image found on Rabittooth.com.
