By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
In Star Wars, Darth Vader is generally thought of as one of the most dangerous threats in the galaxy…in addition to his mystical powers allowing him to kill anyone who opposes him, the Sith Lord has a well-earned reputation as the fierce warrior who helped wipe out the Jedi. However, the long-defunct Star Wars Galaxies MMORPG added a wrinkle to Anakin Skywalker’s story that even the biggest fans couldn’t have predicted. According to that game, Darth Vader accidentally saved the galaxy by killing the Separatist scientists who were about to unleash a new droid army powered by the tech of the assassin droid HK-47.
HK-47 Is The Key To All This
The tale of Darth Vader accidentally saving the galaxy requires that we go back a long, long time ago…specifically, to the beloved 2003 RPG Knights of the Old Republic. That game introduced HK-47, a fan-favorite droid who loves nothing more than to murder the humans and aliens who oppose him (to this death-loving droid, all biological entities are merely “meat bags”). Later, HK-47 was brought back in the Trials of Obi-Wan expansion which added the planet Mustafar and over 50 quests to the classic MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies.
What does this have to do with Darth Vader saving the galaxy, though? Before he arrived on Mustafar for his epic battle with former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars Galaxies contends that Separtist scientists discovered HK-47’s remains and were both horrified and impressed by the droid’s ability to kill everything (both droid and organic) that stood in his way when he was reactivated. Subduing the droid’s mind (they weren’t able to successfully wipe his memory), the scientists stole his chassis and developed an HK-77 droid that was more advanced than anything the Jedi of the prequels had ever faced.
Those same scientists were getting ready to mass produce these more advanced droids, and that might have been enough to turn the tide in the Clone Wars, allowing the Separatists to defeat the Old Republic once and for all. However, the fate of those Separatists was sealed once Palpatine told young Anakin Skywalker that the leaders of the Confederacy of Independent Systems were hiding on Mustafar. Now christened Darth Vader, the angry warrior slaughtered these leaders before fighting Obi-Wan Kenobi, effectively shutting down HK-77 production and effectively saving the galaxy.
A Galaxy Gone
Sadly, Star Wars Galaxies shut down many years ago, and since Disney acquired the franchise, all of these old tales have been removed from canon and relegated to Legends status. That means that this tale of Darth Vader accidentally saving everyone’s favorite galaxy far, far away is no longer an “official” part of the Star Wars narrative, nor is the story of HK-47’s body being found on Mustafar.
However, the droid himself may have clawed his way back into official canon…at least, from a certain point of view. In Chuck Wendig’s book Aftermath: Empire’s End, the droid character Mister Bones glitches at one point and says “COMMENTARY: I SAY WE BLAST THE MEATBAG AND SAVE YOU THE TROUBLE, MASTER.” This is an echo of how HK-47 spoke in the Knights of the Old Republic games, though it’s up to fan interpretation whether this is simply an Easter egg or confirmation that the assassin droid’s programming officially lives on thousands of years later.
For Star Wars fans sick of the Disney era and the misfires of the Sequel Trilogy, the story of Darth Vader accidentally saving the galaxy is a pleasant throwback to the days of the Expanded Universe. Back then, talented writers found increasingly innovative ways to merge our favorite characters and stories together. These days, however, we have to settle for being impressed when Disney can deliver a single series (hello there, Skeleton Crew) that manages to not Sith the bed, and that makes this particular meat bag endlessly sad at years of lost creative potential for sci-fi’s most popular franchise.
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