Star Wars: Dark Droids #2 – by Charles Soule, Luke Ross, Alex Sinclair, and Travis Lanham – finds warrior-priest-droid Ajax Sigma leading his sect of sentient droids, the "Second Revelation," in an attempt to foil the Scourge's plan to consume everything in the galaxy, mechanical and organic beings alike.

This conflict, between two autonomous droid powers with their own agendas, may mark a first for the Star Wars Expanded Universe, going back even to the pre-Disney "Legends" canon.

Ajax Sigma May Yet Prove To Be A Heroic Figure

Prior to the Ajax Sigma, leader of a droid revolution during the High Republic era. Though his uprising, and his first physical form, were defeated by the Jedi, Sigma's neural core was preserved. Thousands of years later, with an impressive new body, Ajax Sigma has returned to form the "Second Revelation" –intent on picking up where his crusade for droid freedom left off. Up until the events of Dark Droids, the character has seemingly been positioned as a villain. Now, with the Scourge threatening galaxy-wide catastrophe, Sigma's role may have changed.

The Second Revelation Must Find A Way To Protect Themselves From The Scourge

In Star Wars: Dark Droids #2, Ajax and his Second Revelation followers prepare to confront the Scourge, an evil intelligence able to take control of droids, using them as vessels, rendering them nothing more than extensions of itself. The droids of the Second Revelation seek autonomy, recognition of their sentience, and accordance of the rights due to sentient lifeforms. To them, consumption by the Scourge is as untenable as their continued servitude to the organic beings of the galaxy. It is possible that to defeat an ancient enemy, it will require an ancient enemy – with Ajax having been set up as the perfect foil for the Scourge.

The history of the Star Wars galaxy – especially as articulated by the decades of accumulated lore that comprised the "Legends" continuity – has seen its share of droid uprisings, with Ajax Sigma's being only the most recently introduced. Countless factions have used droid armies in martial conflicts, the Separatists of the Prequel Trilogy being the most prominent, on-screen example. However, conflicts between droid factions are scarce in Star Wars continuity, if there have been any. Pitting Sigma against the Scourge is an exciting move for Dark Droids to make – if the Second Revelation can find some way to shield themselves from Scourge infection.

Sending the Second Revelation on a valiant mission to battle the Scourge, for their freedom and the galaxy's, only to have them robbed of their autonomy, would be an anti-climax – perhaps a tragically effective one, but an anti-climax nonetheless. Having Ajax Sigma and his droid followers play a pivotal role the Scourge's defeat would be a satisfying way to conclude Dark Droids, while generating many exciting possibilities for what could come next. The hierarchical dynamic between droids and organics in the franchise has long been an outdated limit on Star Wars storytelling; Dark Droids is perhaps the first step towards a future where the Star Wars galaxy is full of free droid civilizations.