The Star Wars universe is known for dangerous villains lurking in every corner of the galaxy. One of the most terrifying villains is Lady Saro, a humanoid alien and spiritual leader of the Atoa System. Lady Saro has many gifts, making her perhaps the deadliest foe to cross Darth Vader’s path.

There are not many villains who can go toe-to-toe with Darth Vader, but Lady Saro is definitely one of them. Not even the Emperor could defeat Vader once he made the decision to protect his son, Luke Skywalker, in Return of the Jedi. There are even fewer villains who can bring him to the brink of both madness and death, but Lady Saro proves her worth in the miniseries Darth Vader and the Lost Command by W. Haden Blackman and Rick Leonardi.

Lady Saro is one of those rare Star Wars characters who manage to achieve all of that while also vying to become the leader of her entire planetary system. Lady Saro’s powers are both mysterious and strong, allowing her to manipulate and break her enemies.

Lady Saro Possesses Power Great Enough to Threaten Darth Vader Himself

Darth Vader and the Lost Command by W. Haden Blackman, Rick Leondardi, Dan Green, Wes Dzioba, and Michael Heisler

When Darth Vader is sent on a mission to locate and assassinate Moff Tarkin’s missing son, he travels to the Ghost Nebula and encounters a race of humanoid aliens known as Atoans who do not speak Common. After massacring most of the first group of Atoans he encounters, Darth Vader is met by a mysterious woman, Lady Saro, who introduces herself as the High Priestess of Atoa.

Lady Saro promises to help Darth Vader find Tarkin’s son, Garoche Tarkin, if the Empire names her Queen of the Ghost Nebula. Vader agrees to her and soon finds that she is more interesting than he bargained for. Saro explains that she is the only Atoan who speaks Common because she captured a Stormtrooper and ate his tongue to gain the linguistic ability. Beyond her ability to gain language through bodily consumption, she reveals that Atoans are made up of thousands of mini-hearts throughout their entire body, which makes the aliens stronger and faster than others.

Ultimately, it is revealed that Lady Saro is behind Vader’s visions, as another one of her gifts is the ability to read one’s heart and create projections based on what she sees.

As the mission to find Garoche Tarkin continues, Vader is plagued with visions of his dead wife, Pé Amidala. He dreams of the life they could have had, if not for the decisions Anakin made out of fear that led to the rise of the Empire. He sees her in front of him in his waking hours, nearly driving the already unstable Sith Lord over the edge. Ultimately, it is revealed that Lady Saro is behind Vader’s visions, as another one of her gifts is the ability to read one’s heart and create projections based on what she sees.

Lady Saro's Abilities are Some of the Strongest Seen in Star Wars

Few Can Compete with the Atoan

Saro’s ability to create projections based on the regret, loss, and fear in Vader’s heart makes her one of the most threatening adversaries Vader has ever faced. As Darth Vader and the Lost Command takes place shortly after the rise of the Empire, Vader’s pain and guilt surrounding Pe’s death is still relatively fresh. Saro’s ability to pick up on that grief and prey on Vader’s weakness throws him off enough that Saro, Tarkin’s son - who defected from the Empire and is also Saro’s lover - and the other Atoans are able to unleash an attack that is essentially fatal to Vader, though he does end up surviving by sheer force of will and rage.

Saro is not only capable of outsmarting and outmaneuvering Vader, but weakening him mentally so that he becomes less focused and more susceptible to enemy attacks. Her projections of Pe, though extremely effective, also lead to her downfall, as Vader demands that she bring Pe back once he realizes that Saro is the one creating the visions. Vader’s demands turn to unbridled rage, which leads to him collapsing an Atoan temple on top of himself, Saro, and Garoche Tarkin in an attempted murder-suicide. Vader again survives an attempt on his life - this time, his own attempt on his life - due to rage.

While Saro’s abilities are extremely formidable and make her one of Vader’s most dangerous adversaries, Darth Vader and the Lost Command raises a question of whether Lady Saro is really a villain. Though killing a Stormtrooper and eating his tongue is definitely not a heroic move, Saro does so to gain an essential tool - in this case, Common speech - to survive as the Imperial forces invade Atoa. Her relationship with Garoche Tarkin is built on a shared belief that the Empire is inherently evil, as Tarkin defected to the Atoan side when he realized his orders were immoral and solely for the Empire’s quest for power.

Lady Saro Is the Prime Example of Star Wars Making Fans Question What Good and Evil Looks Like

Villains Are Frequently Complicated and Complex

In fact, Saro is not shown working against her own people. Her powers are used only against the Imperial forces and Vader himself. Though her projections of Pe are inarguably torturous for Vader, they are based on his own past actions and the regrets he holds in his heart over Pe’s death. Saro reads his heart in order to create the projection, but she is working with the feelings that Vader already holds inside. Her projections are again used in a way to protect herself and her people from Vader and the armies he brought along with him to her planet.

Saro’s actions against Vader were no different from any other insurgent who was brave enough to take on the Sith Lord in battle. Though Darth Vader and the Lost Command is told from Vader’s perspective, thus putting him in the protagonist role, he is still an antagonist to everyone in Atoa and to Garoche Tarkin. Vader’s mission is to assassinate and conquer, while Saro is working to prevent both of those things from happening. Her request to be Queen of the Ghost Nebula can be seen as a grab for power to protect her home from Empire domination.

The line between good and evil is oftentimes blurred in Star Wars. Vader still grieves for his lost wife and family even while committing atrocities. He regrets his decisions, but cannot undo them and chooses to move forward with massacring and conquering across the galaxy. Saro, in Vader’s eyes, is a villain and a dangerous foe. Though Darth Vader and the Lost Command is considered part of “Star Wars Legends,” and therefore not canon in the main franchise, Lady Saro remains one of the strongest and most terrifying villains that Star Wars has ever seen.

Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command is available now from Dark Horse Comics.