Comic Review | Star Wars: Dark Droids #5 (Marvel Comics)
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Max Nocerino 
Max takes a space detour to check out Marvel’s Star Wars: Dark Droids #5 – where the droid uprising reaches its crescendo
All good things come to an end, but I wish the end of STAR WARS: DARK DROIDS wasn’t so anti-climactic
I recently stated that the Dark Droids comic arc was a masterpiece due to its creative Star Wars spin on the timeless sci-fi trope of A.I. uprisings. However, the fifth and final issue very much disappointed me with how swiftly the threat of the Scourge was eliminated. Yes, this is a spoiler-heavy review. But the conclusion was something I was very much looking forward to, and I feel very unsatisfied.
SCOURGE MONOLOGUE
The issue starts great. Scourge has a great monologue on how it views what it is doing as NOT bad and that all the causalities he/it was responsible for were just unfortunate circumstances due to it needing to achieve its goal. This narrowminded A.I. achieve-its-objective-at-any-cost is the perfect mindset for a super-maniacal artificial intelligence. The Scourge is also hungry. Hungry to expand its consciousness into new minds, and then organic minds and possibly even non-minds. It seeks to become the new Force! The poetic creativity is not wasted on me. I admire how Charles Soule really fleshed out the Scourge as a character. He rose from the ashes of the droid A.I., The Spark Eternal and strived to become the dominant force in the galaxy.
However, due to having accrued over a trillion droid minds, he is simultaneously unsure if he wants to continue on his path of universal conquest. He feels a bit of overload in his hive mind, so much so that he has delegated certain parts of his identity to a council of unique droids that is in charge of various tasks. Tasks like war planning, wisdom, and childlike fear and caution. One of his entities even gives the main mind a pep talk and says there is a way out. End your existence and become nothing to escape the hunger. Yet, Scourge knows this is not the true path. He needs to expand his consciousness. There is no going back. And he may have finally found a way to assimilate organic minds.
INEVITABLE FAILURE
The buildup to the inevitable failure of Scourge was beautiful, and I should be thankful to have been along for the ride. However, I felt Soule could have given us something a tad more creative for the end of Scourge, despite the Brobdingnagian amount of creative exposition. I like Ajax Sigma and agree that his role should be the temporary savior. But I would have preferred Luke destroying the Scourge. However, I so LOVED the disturbing and horrifying images of Scourge becoming Dr. Frankenstein, and trying to create grotesque organic-droid hybrids. I loved the Scourge’s inner dialogue laid out its plan for the universe.
VERDICT
The action and storylines are amazing. Everything was perfect, except for the final conclusion. Quite an intellectual conundrum. While Soule did leave a huge opening for a continuation in the future, I wanted to see the Scourge do more than almost succeed. What would that look like? I’m not brilliant enough of a storyteller to devise a better vision. Yet, maybe nobody can. Maybe I should just be thankful for the attempt. A for effort.
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FORCE FACTS
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When the Scourge begins the comic with its inner dialogue, it makes an inference to the famous Nine-Stew from the High Republic novels. While fascinating that a non-consuming silicon entity would make a food metaphor (due it to not needing to eat), it makes me wonder? Did Porter Engle’s 9-egg stew become so famous over the centuries that a droid would reference it? Yes, I know Scourge is a hivemind composed of possibly a trillion minds, but I find it impressive that it chose to use Porter’s food above everything else. That stew must be pretty damn good. Give me a bowl!
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We get to see a brilliantly drawn image of a human brain, as the Scourge figures out how to infiltrate organic minds. I am a huge fan of neuroscience and love images of grey matter (yeah I know I’m weird). Yet, I would have liked possibly an alien brain instead to give it some neurodiversity.
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The Scourge briefly assimilates Luke, Leia, Chewie, and Lando before it is unceremoniously destroyed by Ajax Sigma. I can only wonder what the Scourge could have done with the full force power of Luke Skywalker.
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We haven’t seen the last of Ajax Sigma. He isn’t as methodically hungry as Scourge, yet it IS obvious that he wants his own droid revolution and is willing to utilize the dangerous A.I. Spark Eternal to achieve that future goal; even though he knows how dangerous it is. I very much hope to see this play out in the future. Ajax Sigma novel anyone?
STAR WARS: DARK DROIDS #5 is published by Marvel Comics and is available to buy now!
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
