Given the source material for the photo webcomic Darths and Droids, I must admit I was rather taken by surprise at the comic’s latest revelation: the Peace Moon (the name that the story’s Game Master chose for the Death Star) was built to be a tourist trap. There’d been little hints planted in the past (such as the military’s reaction to Darth Vader ordering the destruction of Naboo), but I must admit I’ve been viewing DaD with eyes colored by the Star Wars source material. Thus the Empire was evil, the Rebellion was good, and Han shot first.
Ironically, given that Darth Vader is being controlled (with the GM’s approval) by Annie, one of the players, I’m left to wonder if any of the players are “good guys” this time around. After all, when you get down to it, the players are attacking a government facility and will very likely cause the deaths of law enforcement agents in an effort to free a comrade who has been rebelling against the legitimate galactic government. Even the destruction of Naboo was the result of player action. It’s an interesting twist, to say the least.
While some stories have been told from the villain’s perspective it’s not exactly commonplace. Even fewer have written a story in which the villains are sympathetic protagonists who just so happen to be wrong. What’s more, this is a recurring theme: when Padme (Jim’s old character) realized that Anakin (Annie’s former character) was evil, she was perfectly happy to accept that side of him, though it ultimately bit them both in the end. And given that Jim’s newest character (who’s currently calling himself Han Solo) killed someone and stole his identity and name, I’m left wondering who outside of Ben could be considered a hero. And does it matter?