WARNING: The following contains spoilers for "Invasion of Echo Base," a story from Star Wars Adventures #1, by Nick Brokenshire and Jake M. Wood, on sale now.

Over the years, the various corners of the Star Wars universe have offered a great deal of insight into Darth Vader's mindset after he was converted to the Dark Side by Emperor Palpatine. We've seen moments of inner conflict, driven by his remaining bits of humanity and the flickering memories of his wife, Padme. We've even seen him harboring secret ambitions to overthrow Palpatine and rule the galaxy just like he wanted to as Anakin Skywalker.

And in IDW's Star Wars Adventures #1, we discover another key moment of introspection for the Sith Lord during one of Star Wars' most famous battles. As this issue reveals, Vader was thinking about the parallel struggles that he and Luke Skywalker endured during the Battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back.

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Star Wars Adventures Darth Vader Hoth

From his actions on-screen, it seemed as if all that was on Vader's mind was revenge. Following the destruction of the Death Star, he appeared intent on killing as many Rebels as possible, and fining Princess Leia and find the X-wing pilot that destroyed the station. It seemed as if he were single-minded, simply carrying out Palpatine's orders, but this moment suggests that that is not the case.

In sequences that expand on the Imperial forces' raid on Echo Base, Vader passes the Bacta tank in which Luke was healed. He immediately experiences Force visions, showing Vader and Luke in similarly precarious positions. Vader himself spent time in Bacta tanks after Obi-Wan Kenobi left him charred and near-death on Mustafar during the events of Revenge of the Sith; he would subsequently employ the medical devices on occasion to heal his body. Luke had just been submerged in the tank on Hoth following an almost-fatal encounter a wampa. Before an injured Luke could freeze to death, Han Solo found him and stuffed him inside the body of his dead tauntaun. After the search party discovered them, Luke was placed in the tank.

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Vader reveals he is Luke Skywalker's father

Ironically, during his time in the planet's icy wastes, Luke connected through the Force with Obi-Wan, who advised him seek out Jedi Master Yoda on Dagobah for his training. That apparently was on Luke's mind as he recovered, because the tank triggers a vision in Vader that illustrates the parallel between his pain and that of his estranged son. Because, by this point, Boba Fett had told Vader that Luke was his son, this was another moment that seems to have confirmed to Vader how strong Luke was with the Force. Despite Leia and the other Rebels fleeing Hoth, Vader knows he can use them to bait Luke.

Vader tells his soldiers that it's imperative to track the Millennium Falcon, because he wants to capture them to bring Luke in. "If I cannot find him, then perhaps Skywalker will come to me," he thinks, already drawing up plans. That moment is the catalyst for him to monitor their movements and to work out a deal with Lando Calrissian to create the perfect trap in Cloud City. While it appeared in The Empire Strikes Back that Vader was only doing his master's bidding, this moment re-contextualizes his actions as part of a larger effort to get his own apprentice and stage a coup.

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