Vader and Palpatine sparring in Hidden Empire #4

New preview of Hidden Empire #4 shows Vader and Palpatine sparring. They look pretty evenly matched.

https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2023/02/darth-vader-and-the-emperor-spar-in-star-wars-hidden-empire-4-preview/

@frozen: @dathvada: @nassergrant19: @achillesspawn: @jedisympathiz3r: @catman5: @daddyprometheus: @cryolancer47: @dirtyluna: @alextheboss: @darthadi: @crclopezos: @grinningf0x: @darthor: @w4nkdestroyer2: @americanspeeddemon: @alextheboss: @hellothere5432: @mygod00: @reaperace: @lord_tenebrous: @uhu123: @sheevsmacker: @turtleman1878: @eredin12:

Not really a whole lot to go on there. I’m more interested to see if this other Sith will actually show up, and just how powerful they’ll end up being.

@a_fine_edition: Well when Vader sparred with Palpatine shortly after Mustafar, he got beaten pretty badly. It was clear that Palpatine was superior. That’s not the case this time, they appear to be more evenly matched now.

What I find interesting is that Vader could have easily killed Palptine here if he had wanted to. You can see Palpatine has his back turned and Vader stops mid swing. Makes you wonder why Vader wouldn’t just cut him down. Palpatine really did a great job manipulating him into subservience.

@a_fine_edition: I’m interested in the other Sith too. I wonder who it’ll be. Would be cool to have an ancient Sith from legends, but I don’t want to get my hopes up.

What's more notable is Palpatine roasting Maul by calling him dumb and that Qira is way smarter than him.

So three blows Plaps does to make a point where Vader comes away screaming.

Yeah sounds about right

@sonofdarkness: sure, but that was incredibly early in Vader’s time in the suit. I don’t even think he’d swapped out the lightsaber hilt Kirak Infil’a used for his own.

I’m also super interested in the new Sith. I doubt it’ll be someone from Legends, so I’m more interested in what this new Sith will be like. They’ve seemingly been hyping them up as a threat to both Sidious and Vader.

You need to take into account that Palpatine was all Vader had for a long time, even though he hates him and conspires against him, there is a degree of loyalty to his master and he wouldn't take such a cheap shot in this circumstance even though he is tempted to.

Also this is shortly after the whole Exegol endeavor so i'm pretty sure he knows best than to attempt something like that.

To be frank, I don't think that ancient Sith exists at all. I reckon that this was all an elaborate lie concocted by Qira, and she had us fooled as well. What does the Fermata Cage do? It devours massive amounts of life energy and darkside power, and can theoretically freeze anyone, even an all-powerful sith lord, within its time trap. Qira knew that Palpatine would not be able to resist the prospect of a new sith element, and used that to lure him out into the open, with the intent to neutralise palpatine not with some old sith lord, but with the Fermata cage itself.

@cosdaschitt: you’re probably right to be honest

@cosdaschitt: damn. Well that’ll kinda stink if it ends up panning out that way. Was hoping we’d at least get a cool new character for versus matchups. Theoretically there should still be a Sith in there though, right? I’d be fine with that plan if they still had another Sith inside.

Personally I doubt it, its just a carrot for Qira to dangle in front of the current sith lirds nose

@sonofdarkness: @cosdaschitt: @a_fine_edition:

This whole arc just comes across like fan fiction to me. I struggle to believe that the woman from Solo was single handedly nearly bringing down the Empire right before ROTJ.

Since it's so fan fictiony, they might as well just embrace it. I hope the sith is Bane or Revan, and we get a scaling chain to the Old Republic. If it's someone from the High Republic, I'll be very disappointed. High Republic is perhaps the most boring era of SW.

@frozen: it kinda does read like fan fiction. "Uh, actually, Q'ira was secretly a badass this whole time who can fight Darth Vader and match wits with the Emperor!"

By the way, issue #4 is out now, and we still haven't gotten a solid answer. Although it is nice that they've finally circled back to using The Amaxine Station from that Kylo Ren comic. And it looks like it's really promising a fight, since the cage is opened now

Sidious is actually whipping out his saber in front of people. I'd really hate if they chicken out.

As for who it might be, I genuinely doubt they'll go for Bane or Revan, and the High Republic doesn't have any named Sith or even Dark Siders that I'm aware of. I was under the impression The Acolyte was going to fill some of that in since it's set during that period.

Anyway, issue #3 of The Blade is also out, so maybe I can finally get around to posting some Porter Engle matchups.

That’d be insane. Their first canon feats being fighting ROTJ Sidious.

This is actually a really good skill showing for ROTJ Vader.

Definitely shows he’s more skilled than his other suited versions.

@nassergrant19: I mean is it? Don't really think a brief clash of blades in a spar, really says a whole lot.

I think it’s worth noting Vader accurately was able to parry against this move.

Same iconic spinning saber blitz he does in ROTS.

@nassergrant19: Yeah, in a spar, besides it's not like that attack actually did anything in the movie anyway.

@frozen: wtf does the high rep even bring to the table? I know nothing of it

@famousroman:

Nothing, really. They can't have sith out in the open because it will contradict TPM, so there's really no interesting conflict. The characters are not very interesting and the way they keep describing the force as a song is obnoxious and annoying.

Would have preferred them to just give us a canon version of Old Republic. Would much prefer to have Jedi v Sith wars.

@frozen: lol a song wtf. Could be so many other groups too, dark Jedi, with artifacts, u name it

@nassergrant19 said:

This is actually a really good skill showing for ROTJ Vader.

Definitely shows he’s more skilled than his other suited versions.

I thought the general consensus was that Darth Vader is a better lightsaber duelist than Sidious (who specializes in Force power/magic)??? In that case, how is Sidious pressing Vader in a spar a very good feat for Vader?

@famousroman:

There's an entire chapter in one of the books dedicated to describing the force as a song. It's just frustratingly annoying tbh.

Would like to see a canon KOTOR/TOR, but downside to that is the wave of Old Republic wank that would then explode into canon. Last thing I'd want to see is Valk > Father args enter Disney canon.

@frozen: I thought the HR Jedi had some good showings and the opposition those....Gysk? I can't recall the name off the top of my head, were interesting? I haven't really read any HR stuff, but consensus seemed he was decent.

@cosdaschitt: Knightfall Vader(Anakin) is considered to be a better duelist than Sidious. Suited Vader is overall considered inferior dueling wise.

There are quotes from like, 2014 saying that the ones still have superiority according to what a friend told me.

I don't really care who did better or who held his own, a duel between Vader and Sidious just puts a smile on my face, even though it's a little short.

Garbage...

@sirfizzwhizz: What is garbage?

If you meant the Grysk, they are not in the HR currently ( though who knows honestly). Rather they are the opponents in the cold war against the Chiss Ascendancy, in the recent Zahn books.

The main opposition to the HR in phase 1 are the Nihil and by extension the Nameless, the Drengir also show up for a period but are relatively contained by the conclusion of that phase. I won't go into the opposition in phase 2, partly because its still coming out and it would spoil most of the previous phase for you.

@rhubarb: Ah fair, guess I mixed up the two. Haven’t really gotten into either, just going off what others have said.

Also heh almost got Grsyk right without even looking it up.

The more I think about this, the more I am impressed by this. Sheev in canon isn't hindered by a decaying body until ROTJ. So this Sheev is far above ROTS Sheev in augmentation. Sheev also has no reason to hold back given that he didn't in their first spar. Yet Vader matched Sheev here.

Yup. Post-OWK Vader’s skill should definitely be in the range of the Titans albeit inferior.

Yeah, nice feat

@frozen: yep, exactly 👍

This is a good showing for Vader, though the fight could be less serious than the one after ROTS since both characters are using one hand here.

Towards the end of the spar, we see Sheev striking his saber against Vader's, causing him to grunt from the force of the impact. The only other time we see this is in the Kenobi show, but the difference is that Sheev did so at virtually the start of the fight against a demonstrably more skilled and refined Vader, as opposed to what is basically ROTS Obi-Wan doing it after wearing down a pre-prime Vader through a war of attrition. It's actually an impressive dueling feat for Sheev in the original trilogy time period, which is a very rare thing to find to say the least.

@mlmplato:

Well canon Sheev body never declined in OT. So his augmentation is far above ROTS.

Can you prove this? I will be pleased then.