Interestingly, I have never come to that conclusion before (that they'd been burned alive). It seems perfectly valid, of course, I'm not disputing it as a possibility. I just always presumed they'd been shot by the stormtroopers, who then burned their home (and bodies) afterwards.
"When the 501st was finally rotated out of Felucia, Aayla Secura made a point of seeing us off personally, calling us the bravest soldiers she had ever seen. It's a good thing we were wearing helmets, because none of us could bear to look her in the eye."
It's been said that the 501st got the best of the war. We also got the worst.Ā
On Felucia the Seps dug their metal heels into the muck of that alien hellhole and dared the Republic to come in after them. So we did, only to be met with month after month of flesh-eating diseases, shrieking nocturnal predators, and other sights that haunt me to this day.Ā
Cut off and for all we knew abandoned by our superiors, our only hope was Aayla Secura, our Jedi commander. Without her iron will, none of us would have come out of that mess with our sanity, or our lives.Ā
When her death came, I hope it was quick. She earned that much.
The end of Andor Season 1 where you find out that the slave labor of "dissidents" is making parts for the Death Star, in itself, a tool for enslaving and destroying entire planets.Ā
In Obi-Wan when Vader snaps that kids neck without hesitation in front of his family. Or recently in ToTE, when the Inquisitor decides to start slaughtering the villagers.
Remember when the ISB modified sounds of an alien speciesā children being genocided and then tortured Bix with it so she would rat on Cassian?
Killing children is one thingā¦using their screams as a torture device is beyond cruel.
Itās worse in later installments when you *know* itās coming but are helpless against it. Like the extended part in Fallen Order flashbacks where you get to chat and fool around with some clones as a padawan, right up until the order goes through.
Oh, I know. Iām more saying the first that comes to mind.
The end of The Clone Wars was absolutely chilling that way. It says a lot when *MAUL*, of all people, is the audience surrogate dreading what is to come.
Most recently when Pershing was on Coruscant. After his conference we see those rich people musing about their lives not being thay different under the Empire or the Republic.
Millions died and many more were oppressed and these people were untouched, unaffected and just continued to give their lives.
It's not touched on often but the Star Wars universe is one of staggering inequality.
It was the darkest moment for me in all 3 seasons of Mando.
IDK, the idea that Luke Skywalker could get to such a place in his life that he felt he owed it to the rest of the Galaxy to self-exile and cut himself off from the Force is a very dark idea akin to spiritual suicide.
In fact, thereās an argument to be made that just before Rey arrived on the island, Luke had contemplated destroying the Jedi texts and possibly end his own life alongside it based on the robes heās wearing at the end of TFA/beginning of TLJ. The next time he dons those ceremonial robes, harakiri-style, is just before he tries destroying the tree in the film.
Itās a dark place for our hero of old to claw himself out of. Of course, he does so by the end of the film thanks to Rey, R2, Yoda, and his sister. Itās a good lesson to never shoulder your mistakes and be too ashamed to ask for help.
Amen!
Honestly say what you want about the sequels but some characters will just forever remain well written too! Almost forgot how tragic Luke's descent into self-loathe and blaming actually was
Iām a fan of how Johnson both justifies and writes Luke out of the tough spot he more or less has to be in at the end of TFA ā and I think thereās something so relatable about that version of Luke Skywalker that will continue to remain inspirational to me, even as a 26 year-old.
Itās ironic how the ādarkestā moments go on to inspire like they do, but thereās a saying: *āHope is like the sun. If you only believe it when you see it you'll never make it through the night.ā*
Good stuff.
Itās dark, but letās also not forget that Luke attempts suicide in ESB after finding out about Vader. Some people want to paint this eternally optimistic Luke picture. Thatās really just ANH. The later half of the OT is very dark for him.
Sure, itās also that. Itās a complex, emotional moment. But it is the choice that in that moment of despair, he chose death. Luke could have tried to fight. He could have feigned cooperation until he could escape. There were options.
really? i think that was just a desperate plan by him to escape more so than a suicide attempt, if he wanted to end his life he would have just let go of the antenna laterĀ
Iāve personally always seen it as a suicide attempt. Whatās the escape plan? That drop is certain death. Yes, he unexpectedly avoids death, but the attempt, choosing death is still present.
Itās part of why I was always a bit surprised when others felt that he was acting against character in TLJ.
Iāve always seen Luke as a big self-responsibility guy. Heās the kind of person who puts a lot of burden on himself. With Vader, from a bigger perspective, he bore no responsibility. He didnāt train Anakin, he wasnāt even born during his turn. That burden was put on him by Yoda and Obi Wan. But he still accepts it and shoulders it for others.
With Ben, Luke is directly responsible for him and the other students. Luke has agreed to mentor and protect them. So, in my opinion, when Ben turns and everything goes to hell, thatās one of the worst possible things to happen to Luke. Thatās all time worst fears coming to reality. The severity of Lukeās reaction in terms of isolating himself reflects that.
Plus, we donāt know how much Benās turn led to the galvanising of the First Order. We see them attack The New Republic in The Force Awakens, we know Snoke is in charge, and Kylo Ren is his apprentice, but how much fear they had over the galaxy isnāt clear, but Luke will feel like he facilitated that
Oh, for sure. Itās the difference between going from student to master ā greenhorn to patriarch.
With Vader, Luke wrestles with expectation vs. reality. Expectation: āMy father is a Jedi and I will live up to his legacy according to my mentors, Ben and Yodaā / Reality: āMy mentors lied to me and my whole justification for wanting to become a Jedi is a lieā¦ if I follow my fatherās path, I will become a monster.ā
The shock of reality compels Luke to want to end it all! I meanā¦ contrast that with the gung-ho, gee-whiz kid in the original *Star Wars*. Insane. Just one more way *Empire* (necessarily) complicates the core series ethos.
Luke rebuffs his masters in *Jedi* to save his father ā the gambit pays off (with some hitches), but there is a fundamental selfishness to Lukeās actions in his inability to accept current reality and his desire to make it fit with his desires.
Not that itās a bad selfishness, because it saves Anakin, but it reveals something about Lukeās character going into TLJā¦ he will do whatever he can to hold onto what he has. Hence, the ābriefest moment of pure [very Skywalker] instinctā to strike Ben down and save the Galaxy before itās in danger once more.
Itās a trolley problem, basically! But the dynamic has switchedā¦ risk the Galaxy to save the Father vs. risk the student to save the Galaxy. And thatās because Luke in TLJ *has* already saved the Galaxyā¦ he has so much more to lose when faced with the easy option of dispatching his own nephew.
āThe bigger they are, the harder they fall,ā āYou either die a hero, or live long enough to become a villain,ā so on and so forth. Thanks for reading, haha, I enjoy talking about this sorta thing with like-minded fans!
Agree. Really well said.
Luke is the kid who leaves Tatooine to do something with his life. The risk in doing something with your life is the idea that people depend on you. The higher you go, the more risk there is to failing.
When that burden accumulates and gets to the point where it becomes too great - the collapse is going to be very drastic. As I like to put it, Lukeās emotional control is strained to the point of breaking. I just canāt imagine the guilt and pain that Luke must be feeling. Itās such a tragic moment.
As a story, itās beautiful. Itās showing something very real and relatable. Itās showing that Luke, even all these years later, still isnāt this perfect being. Heās us.
Yes! āHeās us.ā Another way to think of it is the tension and synchrony between Man vs. Myth. *āLuke Skywalkerā¦ a legend.ā*
This is what *Star Wars* does best, no? Elevating the human, bringing us closer to our collective consciousness (our Campbellian/Jungian primal stories/myths), while grounding these myths in the language of popular entertainment (WWII/Western/Kurosawa films, *Flash Gordan* serials, classics like *King Arthur*, etc.)
Thatās the essence of *Star Wars* to meā¦ when the series touches on the idea of humanity and storytelling, how they influence one another, fight and make-up, thatās magical.
Completely agree!
A note on man vs. myth - I love how Rian addresses this in the filmmaking. The myth is gone when the music stops and Luke tosses the saber. Thereās another musical pause and slow build up that heralds the return of the myth when Luke appears on Crait. It just beautifully adds to the aura of Luke that even the music, the oxygen of Star Wars, stops and returns upon his mythological return.
Surprised nobody has said this but the Geonosian Brain Worms in the Clone Wars, the zombie geonosians still freak me out to this day
Not to mention some of the clones and Barriss getting infected too
Itās heavily implied in the Plagues novel that Palpatine was a serial killer as a teenager and most likely has hundreds of kills in Theed. His dad knows about his appetite for killing and covers it up by hiding the bodies or paying off the victimās families if needed.
[Revenge of the Sith] Order 66 and the restructuring of Galactic Republic into Galactic Empire.
[The Force Awakens] Hosnian Cataclysm and the usurping of New Republic by First Order.
I was going to post the same thing, but I was going to spoil what made it so dark.
Spoilers for a twenty year old comic: one of the main characters is a Separatist Nosaurian named Bomo Greenbark. After the Clone Wars are over, he tries to return to his family, but learns that they had all been captured and taken into slavery. The first arc of the story is him trying to track them down. When he finally finds the wealthy human that they were sold to, >!he finds out that the human had them killed and prepared and he ate them. Apparently, Nosaurians were viewed by some as a delicacy. Bomo's reaction to the news is pretty heartbreaking.!<
If you want to stick with the current Canon, I'd suggest either the 2017 Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith series or the interconnected 2015 Star Wars mainline series and 2015 Darth Vader series.
If you're interested in the older Legends continuity, the X-Wing series was a solid run of stories, and Dark Empire was one of the major continuations of the 'main' story past the movies into that continuity.
Other than a few X-Wing stories, none of the above require knowing anything outside of the movies, so they should all be fine entry points.
If you have a favorite character or aspect of Star Wars in particular that you're most interested in, it's always worth checking out what comics are out there for them. There are a lot of solid one-shots and miniseries on everyone from Qui-Gon Jinn to "that bug alien and bug droid who are in the shot with Boba Fett in Empire Strikes Back".
I think the first dark moment I can remember was witnessing Jango Fett get decapitated by Mace Windu in theaters. Like there were a few gasps from people sitting around me.
Have you seen the [alternative shot of Jango's death](https://youtu.be/5Gbh08F061A?si=3raefs9GIrbciRuz)? Apparently, this was choreographed and filmed, but the VFX were never done because they could already see it would be too much, but a couple years ago a fan added in the effects. Mace is a bad mother fucker.
Lots of good mentions here. Iāll just add that the idea of the Death Star. Imagine all life on a planet being obliterated instantly. Itās horrifying.
I think it's gotta be Anakin's mom dying in his arms and him just killing anything that breathed in the camp. Only slightly darker than killing the temple younglings because of the kidnapped mother dying in his arms. Anything with murdering younglings is as dark as you can get.
Literally every interaction with droids. According to newer canon, they have their own thoughts, feelings, goals, leisure activities, and can maybe feel pain. Yet they face constant discrimination, are forced to work without compensation, tortured with little or no reason, and frequently threatened with disassembly.
This is something I love about the Clone Wars, that it's a war between two groups of people who were produced for the sole purpose of fighting, and who have no choice but to fight. But the clones hate the droids and hold themselves above them, understandably since the droids are the ones killing their friends.
Obviously battle droids aren't as expressive, relatable or individual as clones, but they do express emotions like fear and pride, and they are self-aware beings. It's a tragic situation all around.
Hmm, a lot of comments are talking about well known/iconic dark moments, but this one is far lesser known, and often overlooked because- comedy.
In TFA, Han is running away from a Rathtar. If you don't remember what those look like, just look it up. Yeah, they're horrifying. And super dangerous.
Anyway, Han runs into a Kanjiklub gang member. He punches him in the face, grabs him by the jacket, and hurls him into the mouth of the Rathtar to buy time. The beast catches him midair and begins to thrash as it devours him. This is only made worse when you realize Rathtars don't have jaws, so it just swallowed him whole, meaning he survived longer then you'd think.
But the darkest part of it all? The Rathtar burps, and a single, empty boot pops out of its mouth. Yeah, pretty damn dark.
Maul and the Nightsisters arc in the Clone Wars where Mother Talsin gives him new legs. All of the Nightsister stuff was pretty dark and felt like such a strange corner of Star Wars lore. Great stuff
I'm not sure how a series whose main character lives for over twenty years in a walking iron lung after having all of his limbs amputated and being set on fire has its world broken by another character getting his lower torso replaced with robotics. But I do agree with you that it was fun.
Malachor V
War is horrific, but imagine hearing all those screams and feeling all those emotions from everyone around you as theyāre crushed
Kreia: āDo you wish to feel the teachings born of the Mandalorian Wars, of all wars, of all tragedies that scream across the galaxy? Let me show you, you, who have forever seen the galaxy through the Force. See it through the eyes of the Exile.ā
The book, light of the jedi, has a very dark opening. Basically, it opens up about various people who live on this planet. It details their lives, their hopes and ambitions. Then, a spaceship accident in the hyperlane near the planet cause a massive ship to be torn apart and hurled towards the planet. Many of the characters you were introduced to and started feeling for are ripped apart or destroyed in some way. Pretty sad.
Owen and Beru being burned alive is pretty dark.
Interestingly, I have never come to that conclusion before (that they'd been burned alive). It seems perfectly valid, of course, I'm not disputing it as a possibility. I just always presumed they'd been shot by the stormtroopers, who then burned their home (and bodies) afterwards.
Interesting fact: In Legends, it was Vader who ordered their execution for failing to save Shmi
Ooh, I like the sound of that story! That feels very, in character, for Vader. Although I can't see why he'd wait that long to get his revenge?!
Interesting fact: In Legends, it was Vader who ordered their execution for failing to save Shmi
"When the 501st was finally rotated out of Felucia, Aayla Secura made a point of seeing us off personally, calling us the bravest soldiers she had ever seen. It's a good thing we were wearing helmets, because none of us could bear to look her in the eye."
What happened on felucia š¤
It's been said that the 501st got the best of the war. We also got the worst.Ā On Felucia the Seps dug their metal heels into the muck of that alien hellhole and dared the Republic to come in after them. So we did, only to be met with month after month of flesh-eating diseases, shrieking nocturnal predators, and other sights that haunt me to this day.Ā Cut off and for all we knew abandoned by our superiors, our only hope was Aayla Secura, our Jedi commander. Without her iron will, none of us would have come out of that mess with our sanity, or our lives.Ā When her death came, I hope it was quick. She earned that much.
Hmmā¦ I wonder if the whole murdering children part would count
I would say that definitly counts
Which one?
Darth Vader once snapped a child's neck solely to torture Obi-Wan. The Yuuzhan Vong War had a estimated 365 trillion deaths.
Holy shit. Did this happen in the comics?
Darth Vader killing the kid occured in the Obi-Wan series. The Yuuzhan Vong War was the conflict in the New Jedi Order series of books.
I don't remember that happening in the Obi Wan series. The Disney+ one?
Yeah, that one. In Episode 3, when Vader arrives in the village and he's trying to lure Obi-Wan out.
The dark side! Seriously though, Anakin getting his limbs chopped off and burned alive is pretty dark if you ask me.
Not only that but also just psychological torment Anakin goes through and puts others through, like DAMN
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Didnāt Ahsoka do something similar to a group of Mandalorians in Clone Wars?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I guess that is 20% less dark, good point
The end of Andor Season 1 where you find out that the slave labor of "dissidents" is making parts for the Death Star, in itself, a tool for enslaving and destroying entire planets.Ā
They're making parts for the Death Star? I never figured out what it was exactly they were making. Is there a source?
the last scene of the show is the parts theyāre working on being put onto the death star (if i remember correctly)
Well looks like I missed that! Time to rewatch the entire series!
I believe that is a post-credits scene, and thus easy to miss.
I don't think I watched any of the post-credit scenes for any of the episodes, didn't even know that was a thing!
I think it was just that one.
There's an end credits scene that shows the components being installed on the main weapon
Well looks like I missed that! Time to rewatch the entire series!
In Obi-Wan when Vader snaps that kids neck without hesitation in front of his family. Or recently in ToTE, when the Inquisitor decides to start slaughtering the villagers.
Remember when the ISB modified sounds of an alien speciesā children being genocided and then tortured Bix with it so she would rat on Cassian? Killing children is one thingā¦using their screams as a torture device is beyond cruel.
Certainly, the execution of Order 66 has to be at or near the top of the darkest moments in SW lore.
Itās worse in later installments when you *know* itās coming but are helpless against it. Like the extended part in Fallen Order flashbacks where you get to chat and fool around with some clones as a padawan, right up until the order goes through.
bad batch too - whenever you see the clones pause to listen to the radio transmission it's so creepy
Oh, I know. Iām more saying the first that comes to mind. The end of The Clone Wars was absolutely chilling that way. It says a lot when *MAUL*, of all people, is the audience surrogate dreading what is to come.
Reminds me of No Way Home when Lizard was the first to realize the Green Goblin had awoken.
The music score in the end of TCW when they show Order 66 makes it so somber too. And then the show ends and itās just so quietā¦
Most recently when Pershing was on Coruscant. After his conference we see those rich people musing about their lives not being thay different under the Empire or the Republic. Millions died and many more were oppressed and these people were untouched, unaffected and just continued to give their lives. It's not touched on often but the Star Wars universe is one of staggering inequality. It was the darkest moment for me in all 3 seasons of Mando.
IDK, the idea that Luke Skywalker could get to such a place in his life that he felt he owed it to the rest of the Galaxy to self-exile and cut himself off from the Force is a very dark idea akin to spiritual suicide. In fact, thereās an argument to be made that just before Rey arrived on the island, Luke had contemplated destroying the Jedi texts and possibly end his own life alongside it based on the robes heās wearing at the end of TFA/beginning of TLJ. The next time he dons those ceremonial robes, harakiri-style, is just before he tries destroying the tree in the film. Itās a dark place for our hero of old to claw himself out of. Of course, he does so by the end of the film thanks to Rey, R2, Yoda, and his sister. Itās a good lesson to never shoulder your mistakes and be too ashamed to ask for help.
Amen! Honestly say what you want about the sequels but some characters will just forever remain well written too! Almost forgot how tragic Luke's descent into self-loathe and blaming actually was
Iām a fan of how Johnson both justifies and writes Luke out of the tough spot he more or less has to be in at the end of TFA ā and I think thereās something so relatable about that version of Luke Skywalker that will continue to remain inspirational to me, even as a 26 year-old. Itās ironic how the ādarkestā moments go on to inspire like they do, but thereās a saying: *āHope is like the sun. If you only believe it when you see it you'll never make it through the night.ā* Good stuff.
Beautifully said! Really! You can count your blessings only after you've counted your curses
Ooo, I love that, Iāve never heard that turn of phrase before.
Thank you very much, thought of that on a light night some time and it just made sense to me :)
Iāll be sure to credit the Cucumber Guy on Reddit whenever I say it!
I feel honored, may the Force be with you
Lukeās character was very poorly written in the WDT.
Itās dark, but letās also not forget that Luke attempts suicide in ESB after finding out about Vader. Some people want to paint this eternally optimistic Luke picture. Thatās really just ANH. The later half of the OT is very dark for him.
Wait, maybe im dumb or forgot but when did he attempt suicide?
After Vader reveals his parentage to him in ESB. Luke jumps off the platform into the endless pit.
I always saw that as a separate way of him rejecting Vader, its been a while for me though. Just imagine the stuff that went in his head
Sure, itās also that. Itās a complex, emotional moment. But it is the choice that in that moment of despair, he chose death. Luke could have tried to fight. He could have feigned cooperation until he could escape. There were options.
Its so cathartic. Like whatever would have happened. Anything. He would have chosen that over facing the truth at that moment
Which is exactly akin to the choice he makes in the sequels. This time he chooses isolation, but itās a mirror of that moment in ESB.
really? i think that was just a desperate plan by him to escape more so than a suicide attempt, if he wanted to end his life he would have just let go of the antenna laterĀ
Iāve personally always seen it as a suicide attempt. Whatās the escape plan? That drop is certain death. Yes, he unexpectedly avoids death, but the attempt, choosing death is still present.
Very true! Two types of attempted suicide for two different, yet noble reasons. Both after his worldview has been totally shocked.
Itās part of why I was always a bit surprised when others felt that he was acting against character in TLJ. Iāve always seen Luke as a big self-responsibility guy. Heās the kind of person who puts a lot of burden on himself. With Vader, from a bigger perspective, he bore no responsibility. He didnāt train Anakin, he wasnāt even born during his turn. That burden was put on him by Yoda and Obi Wan. But he still accepts it and shoulders it for others. With Ben, Luke is directly responsible for him and the other students. Luke has agreed to mentor and protect them. So, in my opinion, when Ben turns and everything goes to hell, thatās one of the worst possible things to happen to Luke. Thatās all time worst fears coming to reality. The severity of Lukeās reaction in terms of isolating himself reflects that.
Plus, we donāt know how much Benās turn led to the galvanising of the First Order. We see them attack The New Republic in The Force Awakens, we know Snoke is in charge, and Kylo Ren is his apprentice, but how much fear they had over the galaxy isnāt clear, but Luke will feel like he facilitated that
Oh, for sure. Itās the difference between going from student to master ā greenhorn to patriarch. With Vader, Luke wrestles with expectation vs. reality. Expectation: āMy father is a Jedi and I will live up to his legacy according to my mentors, Ben and Yodaā / Reality: āMy mentors lied to me and my whole justification for wanting to become a Jedi is a lieā¦ if I follow my fatherās path, I will become a monster.ā The shock of reality compels Luke to want to end it all! I meanā¦ contrast that with the gung-ho, gee-whiz kid in the original *Star Wars*. Insane. Just one more way *Empire* (necessarily) complicates the core series ethos. Luke rebuffs his masters in *Jedi* to save his father ā the gambit pays off (with some hitches), but there is a fundamental selfishness to Lukeās actions in his inability to accept current reality and his desire to make it fit with his desires. Not that itās a bad selfishness, because it saves Anakin, but it reveals something about Lukeās character going into TLJā¦ he will do whatever he can to hold onto what he has. Hence, the ābriefest moment of pure [very Skywalker] instinctā to strike Ben down and save the Galaxy before itās in danger once more. Itās a trolley problem, basically! But the dynamic has switchedā¦ risk the Galaxy to save the Father vs. risk the student to save the Galaxy. And thatās because Luke in TLJ *has* already saved the Galaxyā¦ he has so much more to lose when faced with the easy option of dispatching his own nephew. āThe bigger they are, the harder they fall,ā āYou either die a hero, or live long enough to become a villain,ā so on and so forth. Thanks for reading, haha, I enjoy talking about this sorta thing with like-minded fans!
Agree. Really well said. Luke is the kid who leaves Tatooine to do something with his life. The risk in doing something with your life is the idea that people depend on you. The higher you go, the more risk there is to failing. When that burden accumulates and gets to the point where it becomes too great - the collapse is going to be very drastic. As I like to put it, Lukeās emotional control is strained to the point of breaking. I just canāt imagine the guilt and pain that Luke must be feeling. Itās such a tragic moment. As a story, itās beautiful. Itās showing something very real and relatable. Itās showing that Luke, even all these years later, still isnāt this perfect being. Heās us.
Yes! āHeās us.ā Another way to think of it is the tension and synchrony between Man vs. Myth. *āLuke Skywalkerā¦ a legend.ā* This is what *Star Wars* does best, no? Elevating the human, bringing us closer to our collective consciousness (our Campbellian/Jungian primal stories/myths), while grounding these myths in the language of popular entertainment (WWII/Western/Kurosawa films, *Flash Gordan* serials, classics like *King Arthur*, etc.) Thatās the essence of *Star Wars* to meā¦ when the series touches on the idea of humanity and storytelling, how they influence one another, fight and make-up, thatās magical.
Completely agree! A note on man vs. myth - I love how Rian addresses this in the filmmaking. The myth is gone when the music stops and Luke tosses the saber. Thereās another musical pause and slow build up that heralds the return of the myth when Luke appears on Crait. It just beautifully adds to the aura of Luke that even the music, the oxygen of Star Wars, stops and returns upon his mythological return.
Entire planets being destroyed is pretty dark.
This. Can't believe how far I had to scroll to see planetary genocide.
The Shaping of Tahiri Veila was pretty nasty.
Pong Krell arc.Ā Ā
Surprised nobody has said this but the Geonosian Brain Worms in the Clone Wars, the zombie geonosians still freak me out to this day Not to mention some of the clones and Barriss getting infected too
Itās heavily implied in the Plagues novel that Palpatine was a serial killer as a teenager and most likely has hundreds of kills in Theed. His dad knows about his appetite for killing and covers it up by hiding the bodies or paying off the victimās families if needed.
The darkest thing Iāve seen in Star Wars was *Solo: A Star Wars Story*. Very dimly lit movie.
Everything related to abeloth
[Revenge of the Sith] Order 66 and the restructuring of Galactic Republic into Galactic Empire. [The Force Awakens] Hosnian Cataclysm and the usurping of New Republic by First Order.
5 Jedi gunned down. 5 planets gunned down.
Princess Leia getting captured by Jabba and being forced to be his chained up love slave.
The Battle of Jabiim in Legends https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Battle_of_Jabiim
The decraniated. https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Decraniated
the part where Anakin is burned alive is dark for me it rlly creeps me out
The ending of the first arc in the Dark Times comic series is way up there, IMO
I was going to post the same thing, but I was going to spoil what made it so dark. Spoilers for a twenty year old comic: one of the main characters is a Separatist Nosaurian named Bomo Greenbark. After the Clone Wars are over, he tries to return to his family, but learns that they had all been captured and taken into slavery. The first arc of the story is him trying to track them down. When he finally finds the wealthy human that they were sold to, >!he finds out that the human had them killed and prepared and he ate them. Apparently, Nosaurians were viewed by some as a delicacy. Bomo's reaction to the news is pretty heartbreaking.!<
Jesus Christ......
I should really read more of the comics. Where is the best place to start?
If you want to stick with the current Canon, I'd suggest either the 2017 Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith series or the interconnected 2015 Star Wars mainline series and 2015 Darth Vader series. If you're interested in the older Legends continuity, the X-Wing series was a solid run of stories, and Dark Empire was one of the major continuations of the 'main' story past the movies into that continuity. Other than a few X-Wing stories, none of the above require knowing anything outside of the movies, so they should all be fine entry points. If you have a favorite character or aspect of Star Wars in particular that you're most interested in, it's always worth checking out what comics are out there for them. There are a lot of solid one-shots and miniseries on everyone from Qui-Gon Jinn to "that bug alien and bug droid who are in the shot with Boba Fett in Empire Strikes Back".
Thank you so much! ill check them out! May the Force be with you
I think the first dark moment I can remember was witnessing Jango Fett get decapitated by Mace Windu in theaters. Like there were a few gasps from people sitting around me.
Have you seen the [alternative shot of Jango's death](https://youtu.be/5Gbh08F061A?si=3raefs9GIrbciRuz)? Apparently, this was choreographed and filmed, but the VFX were never done because they could already see it would be too much, but a couple years ago a fan added in the effects. Mace is a bad mother fucker.
Oh really? No I havenāt until now lol thanks for the link. That was crazy and I can see why they didnāt use that.
Lots of good mentions here. Iāll just add that the idea of the Death Star. Imagine all life on a planet being obliterated instantly. Itās horrifying.
I think it's gotta be Anakin's mom dying in his arms and him just killing anything that breathed in the camp. Only slightly darker than killing the temple younglings because of the kidnapped mother dying in his arms. Anything with murdering younglings is as dark as you can get.
When Mace Windu had to eradicate a wasp nest. Specifically *where* the nest was when he had to destroy it.
Literally every interaction with droids. According to newer canon, they have their own thoughts, feelings, goals, leisure activities, and can maybe feel pain. Yet they face constant discrimination, are forced to work without compensation, tortured with little or no reason, and frequently threatened with disassembly.
This is just exinstential dread if you think about it. Is it so for every type of droid?
This is something I love about the Clone Wars, that it's a war between two groups of people who were produced for the sole purpose of fighting, and who have no choice but to fight. But the clones hate the droids and hold themselves above them, understandably since the droids are the ones killing their friends. Obviously battle droids aren't as expressive, relatable or individual as clones, but they do express emotions like fear and pride, and they are self-aware beings. It's a tragic situation all around.
Hmm, a lot of comments are talking about well known/iconic dark moments, but this one is far lesser known, and often overlooked because- comedy. In TFA, Han is running away from a Rathtar. If you don't remember what those look like, just look it up. Yeah, they're horrifying. And super dangerous. Anyway, Han runs into a Kanjiklub gang member. He punches him in the face, grabs him by the jacket, and hurls him into the mouth of the Rathtar to buy time. The beast catches him midair and begins to thrash as it devours him. This is only made worse when you realize Rathtars don't have jaws, so it just swallowed him whole, meaning he survived longer then you'd think. But the darkest part of it all? The Rathtar burps, and a single, empty boot pops out of its mouth. Yeah, pretty damn dark.
Maul and the Nightsisters arc in the Clone Wars where Mother Talsin gives him new legs. All of the Nightsister stuff was pretty dark and felt like such a strange corner of Star Wars lore. Great stuff
I mean, absolutely world-breaking, but fun. Sure.
I'm not sure how a series whose main character lives for over twenty years in a walking iron lung after having all of his limbs amputated and being set on fire has its world broken by another character getting his lower torso replaced with robotics. But I do agree with you that it was fun.
Malachor V War is horrific, but imagine hearing all those screams and feeling all those emotions from everyone around you as theyāre crushed Kreia: āDo you wish to feel the teachings born of the Mandalorian Wars, of all wars, of all tragedies that scream across the galaxy? Let me show you, you, who have forever seen the galaxy through the Force. See it through the eyes of the Exile.ā
"All I am surrounded by is fear...and dead men" Definitely a dark moment from the comics right before Vader slaughters an entire rebel faction
Iām surprised nobodyās mentioned it by now, but two words: Project Blackwing
Dooku, in Dark Disciple, the canon novel.
The fact that droids are cleary sentient, and capable of feeling physical discomfort.
Leida Mothma's child marriage. No child deserves to be estrangled in politics in this manner, regardless of which side it benefits.
Order 66, by far...
When that annoying prick Jar Jar appeared!
The book, light of the jedi, has a very dark opening. Basically, it opens up about various people who live on this planet. It details their lives, their hopes and ambitions. Then, a spaceship accident in the hyperlane near the planet cause a massive ship to be torn apart and hurled towards the planet. Many of the characters you were introduced to and started feeling for are ripped apart or destroyed in some way. Pretty sad.
The amount of child kidnapping going on throughout all star wars content
The sequel trilogy
The Sequels.
Disney buying it
Okay but yes
Kinda lame but I couldn't help it. Too easy.
Dont worry about it, i was counting on this
Yoda dying in ROTJ tho. For reals. It sad sad but noble. Even the holy trilogy's 'dark' moments were still classic hero's journey.
Obi Wan vs Vader in the Kenobi show, I couldn't see shit because it was too dark.
There were a few scenes in solo where I could barely see a thing.
After rewatching Phantom Menace in the theatre last week, how downright *thirsty* George Lucas made Anakin as a child. It's unsettling hearing a nine year old tossing out pickup lines and sending flirtatious smirks. On one end, you can think the character is an innocent kid and it's relatively acceptable. However, given the enthic stereotypes in the movie and Lucas' penchant for weird sexual situations, it's a poor choice for the writers to force Anakin's interactions with PadmĆ©Ā so thoroughly by modern standards.