Star Wars Outlawslargely tells a story focusing on a different perspective during the Galactic Civil War, that of a scoundrel navigating life in the criminal underworld of the Outer Rim. However, while most of the story focuses onKay Vess dealing with various criminal organizationsas she is hunted by Zerek Besh after angering its leader, Sliro, and the game was marketed as not focusing on the conflict between the Rebel and Imperial forces at the time, both the rebels and the Empire are present throughout Kay’s story, and therefore, many are likely wondering if one of the Empire’s most prominent figures in the franchise, Darth Vader, shows up.
[Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for Star Wars Outlaws.]Kay’s story becomes even more intertwined with the Empire in the latter part of the game, as it’s revealed that Sliro, the person she’s both running from and intending to steal 157 million credits in unmarked beskar ingots from, is none other than Director Barsha of the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB), a character who previouslyappeared throughout theCrimson Reigncomics- although his face was hidden in shadow. Zerek Besh was a front for the Empire, and Sliro has been able to use this organization to infiltrate the criminal underworld and gather intel not only on those who oppose the Empire, but also on some of its highest-ranking members.
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Darth Vader Meets With Director Sliro Barsha In Star Wars Outlaws
And Is Displeased With Sliro’s Performance
Following a call between Sliro and the bounty hunter Vail, who he hired to find Kay, Darth Vader enters Sliro’s office. While Sliro tells Vader about how Zerek Besh - and therefore the ISB - has infiltrated the criminal underworld and has been able to acquire plenty of information about the rebels,Vader expresses his displeasure, calling Sliro and his operation a “failure” because they have yet to actually find and capture a single member of the Rebel Alliance.
Sliro dares to talk back to Vader, calling this claim “nonsense” and telling him how important the ISB is to the Empire’s victory in the war, calling it “the most groundbreaking intelligence network the Empire has ever seen” before making the statement that it has “accomplished more in weeks than the entire Imperial army” before further criticizing the Imperial army for its failures with the Rebels as well.Enraged by Sliro’s comments, Vader uses the Force to shatter the glass on Sliro’s display cabinet and aim the shards directly at the ISB Director, threatening him and demanding that Sliro finds some rebels.
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Vader Later Appears Via A Holocomm
Dismissing Sliro After Jaylen Strikes A Deal To Take Over Zerek Besh
While this appearance from Vader alone would have been a pleasant surprise, he appears later in the game via a Holocomm as well. After Kay and her crew successfully pulls off the heist on Sliro’s mansion in Canto Bight, stealing the score and bringing it back to their leader, Jaylen, it’s revealed that it was a codex containing blackmail on all the highest-ranking members of the Empire, along with blueprints and other plans, rather than the fortune they were promised.
From here, Jaylen - who is revealed to be Sliro’s brother and resents Sliro for betraying their family - makes a power play, using the codex to strike a deal with the Empire to take Zerek Besh from Sliro and also have his brother turned over to him.Vader appears via Holocomm to accept Jaylen’s dealand inform Sliro that he has “outlived his usefulness to the Emperor.”
Considering the role the Empire played across all areas of the Galaxy during this period of theStar Warstimeline, Vader’s appearance shouldn’t have been too surprising, and further builds upon the clash in ideology shown betweenVader and his Inquisitors and the ISBin last year’sStar Wars Jedi: Survivor. It was wise not to make Vader a boss fight inStar Wars Outlawsas he was in theStar Wars Jedititles, however, as with Kay’s skillset being far from that of a Jedi, it would have been an extremely short-lived fight that wouldn’t have ended well for the scoundrel. Instead, showing Vader’s interactions with Sliro was a far more natural way to integrate the iconic character intoStar Wars Outlaws.
