The Sith’s “Final Protocol” Makes the Death Star Look Kind

The Loss of life Star is famously probably the most detrimental weapon wielded by a Sith in all of Star Wars historical past, having been the darkish shadow looming over the whole Imperial period. Nonetheless, there’s one different Sith planet-killer referred to as the “Last Protocol” that really by some means makes the Loss of life Star look variety by comparability.

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope launched the Loss of life Star to the newly-established Star Wars universe, although even after its destruction on the finish of the movie (in addition to the destruction of the second Loss of life Star on the finish of the unique trilogy), that wouldn’t be the final followers would hear of the planet-destroying super-weapon. In truth, the primary chronological point out of the Loss of life Star was in Episode II, which is ready a long time earlier than the occasions of Episode IV. Not solely that, however the build-up to the Loss of life Star’s completion is felt in a lot of Star Wars initiatives, together with Star Wars: Rebels and the direct prequel to Episode IV, Rogue One. Nonetheless, even with all of the anticipation for one thing followers know can be a purposeful destroyer of worlds, Star Wars’ Last Protocol proves in far much less time to be way more horrific.

Star Wars’ Last Protocol Kills Planets By way of Organic Warfare

In Star Wars Legacy #47 by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema, readers are launched to the Last Protocol by the Sith ruler of the galaxy on the time, Darth Wyyrlok, who took over after the obvious demise of the first ‘big-bad’ of the Legacy period Darth Krayt. As defined within the situation (and disturbingly proven all through points #47-49), Last Protocol means dropping viral spores – lethal organic weapons – on a planet, which kills each type of life on that world. When it was used on Dac in opposition to the Mon Calamari, the Last Protocol worn out roughly 80% of the planet’s inhabitants, with the one survivors being those that had been rapidly evacuated or already off-world.

Whereas the method of the viral spores killing the whole planet is pretty fast, it’s a lot slower and extra painful than a single direct blast to a planet from an orbiting area station. In each circumstances, the top result’s a lifeless world, however killing a planet by means of organic warfare and permitting everybody on the world to expertise the ache and terror of watching themselves and their family members fall unwell as the encircling wildlife noticeably deteriorates is much crueler than merely obliterating the planet instantly. Even when there are extra survivors by means of this methodology of decimating a planet, the Last Protocol makes the inhabitants of no matter world it’s used in opposition to endure excess of a world that’s been blown to smithereens by the Loss of life Star.

One factor to bear in mind is that the Last Protocol isn’t a greater approach to destroy a world, because the Loss of life Star is much quicker and extra environment friendly in planetary destruction, it’s merely crueler. A Sith who offers this destiny out to a planet is one who revels within the ache and affected by lifeforms on a cosmic scale, making them extra sinister than a Sith who merely desires to ship a message to their wider Empire, which is why – even when the Loss of life Star is a ‘higher’ planet-killer – Star Wars’ Last Protocol makes the Loss of life Star look variety.