I can’t take any credit for finding this piece which I originally saw on a Reddit post. It comes from star wars comic Darth Vader #8 which might seem strange to use as a reference for Star Wars is Poetry, but when you look at the words and ‘feel’ those words, it doesn’t matter whether the source is a comic book, a film, a podcast or even a song; if the words have an impact on you, they are in my opinion, poetry.

In this page of the comic the Emperor (Darth Sidious) is talking to Darth Vader about his insatiable appetite for death and power. Coming from the Emperor, that sounds very much like the pot calling the kettle black, but read on.

Here is the page in its entirety – Image Credit: Marvel

The last words from the Emperor are haunting:

“I do not wish to rule over a galaxy of the dead”…

Judging by the Emperor’s words, it seems Darth Vader was well and truly lost to the darkside at this stage and the Emperor was acutely aware of this fact. His reaction is extremely surprising. The big bad Emperor is the epitome of evil and the embodiment of everything we’ve come to despise in the Darkside of the force (or is that love to hate?) Yet this man, with all his power and hatred, still manages to show concern for his apprentice’s well-being. Of course there could be several meanings behind his words (which you’d expect) as Darth Sidious is the mastermind of manipulation. This is what makes the interaction between Vader and Sidious so interesting and the reason why these words are like poetry to me.