Summary
- Darth Momin, a Sith heretic, was a feared and dangerous dark-side user who lived centuries before the prequel trilogy, though his influence extended into the days of the Empire.
- Momin was a gifted architect of dark-side superweapons. His creations included the Fermata Cage and a massive city-destroying superweapon fueled by his unique abilities in the dark side.
- Darth Momin's spirit lived on in his helmet, which was later used to design Fortress Vader on Mustafar seen in Rogue One and Obi-Wan Kenobi. He attempted to betray Vader but was ultimately defeated below the castle he created.
Although he's not the most well-known Star Wars villain, Darth Momin is one of the most dangerous dark-side users, having been a Sith heretic in life with an even darker legacy in death. Despite having lived hundreds of years before the prequel trilogy of Star Wars films, Momin's influence would stretch far beyond into the days of the Empire itself. Primarily recognized for his works as a sinister architect, Darth Momin's legacy has been featured in the Star Wars movies and shows more than once.
Originally referenced and created by Charles Soule in 2015's canonical Lando series for Marvel Comics, Darth Momin would make his full debut in Soule's 2017 run on Marvel's Darth Vader, showcasing Vader's very first days as a Sith Lord in the wake of Revenge of the Sith. During this period, Darth Momin's spirit left a dark legacy which can be seen on-screen both in Rogue One and in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Here's everything you need to know about Darth Momin and his unique Star Wars history as a Sith heretic.
Darth Momin Was The Most Horrific Sith Heretic
Feared By His Fellow Sith
Having lived between the years of 1,100-1,000 BBY, Momin became a Sith before Darth Bane's Rule of Two, meaning that the Sith were quite numerous during their ongoing conflicts with the Jedi Order. As a child, Momin was imprisoned for his experimentation with the dark side of the Force, creating horrible pieces of "art" using organic material such as the remains of his mother's pet. However, Momin's work caught the notice of the Sith Lady Shaa who freed and began training him as her apprentice. Wielding twin rapier-style lightsabers, Momin became a master duelist thanks to Shaa's teachings. He also used said lightsabers to sculpt his signature helmet.
However, Momin's heretical ideas quickly emerged. He hated the idea of the Sith calling themselves "Master" over the dark side or anyone else. To Momin, the dark side was to be served rather than dominated. Believing he was a supreme being and second to none, Momin killed Shaa yet refused to take an apprentice, believing that he had no time to teach as there was too much yet to be learned from the dark side.
Delving into the secrets of the dark side on his own, Darth Momin discovered all sorts of unorthodox ways of wielding the force, even by the standards of the Sith. This included the development of a new and unique version of Force lightning. This aided in the dark creations Momin continued to forge, and he quickly gathered a collection of acolytes who feared yet admired his great power.
Darth Momin's Superweapons Were Beyond Anything Else Created By The Sith
Momin Created The Fermata Cage (And More)
As a result, Momin gradually became a gifted architect of incredible dark-side superweapons. This included the Fermata Cage which was revealed after Crimson Dawn's Lady Qi'ra found and used the ancient device between the events of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi (as seen in Charles Soule and Steven Cummings' Hidden Empire). Capable of freezing beings or objects within a single moment in time, the Fermata Cage was the perfect prison that could also be unlocked, releasing its prisoners as if no time had passed.
In Hidden Empire, Qi'ra succeeded in trapping both Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader in Momin's Fermata Cage, having used plans designed by her late Crimson Dawn predecessor Maul who sought revenge against his old master. However, the Knights of Ren betrayed Qi'ra and freed the Sith Lords, setting up their future service to both Kylo Ren and Palpatine as seen in the sequel trilogy. Nevertheless, it's made very clear that Momin's superweapon would have worked, irrevocably changing the trajectory of the entire galaxy had the Knights not intervened.
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Darth Momin's Final Superweapon Backfired After Jedi Intervened
Momin's Original Demise
Beyond the Fermata Cage which once contained a sentient droid virus that would later be known as The Scourge, Darth Momin also designed what he believed would have been his masterpiece. Building a massive superweapon capable of reducing an entire city to ash, Momin went even further with the intention to fuel the engine with the dark side of the Force. Momin hoped to freeze the entire city and its populace at the exact moment of the device's activation, forever trapping them in a moment of pure terror and pain not unlike if Pompeii was forever frozen right at the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.
However, Momin's dark work was interrupted by the arrival of the Jedi whose power in the light side disrupted his great work in the name of the dark. While the entire city was still tragically decimated, Momin considered the entire project to have been a colossal failure. This is especially true as it also cost him his life, marking the end of his physical body. However, Momin's final dark-side masterpiece was still yet to come.
The Spirit Of Darth Momin Lived On - & Influenced The Empire
Momin Designed Rogue One's Fortress Vader
In 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, audiences were introduced to Fortress Vader, the dark and imposing castle belonging to the iconic Dark Lord of the Sith and built on Mustafar where Anakin Skywalker truly became Darth Vader after losing his duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Additionally, 2017's Darth Vader comic series confirmed the fortress was designed by Darth Momin himself. Rewarding Vader for his work hunting down the remaining Jedi who survived Order 66, Palpatine gifted Vader with Mustafar, a world to claim as his own. However, Palpatine also gave Vader Momin's helmet which still contained the spirit of the Sith heretic.
Having used the dark side ability known as Essence Transfer, Momin was able to retain his consciousness within his helmet, the closest thing a Sith can achieve to Jedi Force ghosts. It's also how Palpatine survived the second Death Star's demise, transferring his consciousness into a waiting clone body known as a strandcast. Whoever wore Momin's helmet would be possessed by Momin himself. This allowed the Sith to construct the Mustafar fortress, specifically designing it to tune with Vader's connection to the dark side, promising the amplified power could bring Vader's late wife Padmé back from the netherworld. After nine attempts, Fortress Vader was complete.
However, Darth Momin attempted to betray Darth Vader by using the fortress himself, opening a door to the dark side to reconstitute his physical body. However, he was ultimately defeated by Vader who crushed Momin below the new fortress, losing his physical body once more. While Momin hadn't lied about what the doorway to the dark side could accomplish, Vader ultimately failed to bring back Padmé who rejected him and what he'd become, an experience that saw Vader fully committing to the dark side and his role in the Empire in the aftermath.
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Darth Momin's Final Fate Revealed
Destroyed By The Knights of Ren (Or Was It Lando?)
While Darth Momin's final fate doesn't end after being defeated by Vader, said end is arguably enigmatic and up for some debate. Originally, Darth Momin's helmet and many of the artifacts he created were destroyed aboard the Imperialis, Palpatine's personal yacht as seen in 2015's Lando series, written by Charles Soule before 2017's Darth Vader series which itself is set before Lando Calrissian's bold heist gone wrong. Apparently, it's believed that Vader gave Momin's helmet back to Sidious, explaining why it and Momin's surviving spirit was then aboard the Imperialis to meet their ultimate demise.
Nevertheless, Momin's helmet was later found and destroyed by the Knights of Ren below Fortress Vader during their own heist in Soule's Crimson Reign written in 2022 and set well after the events of both prior series. As such, many believed that this was a retconned and improved fate for Momin's helmet, the idea being that Vader simply left it in the dark below his fortress, disregarding his legacy and never to be worn again. However, it's since been clarified by Soule that this version of Momin's helmet was a vision generated by the locus of dark side power still remaining beneath Vader's castle (the events of Lando still being canon).
That said, it does seem like the original destruction of Momin's helmet in Lando was perhaps regretted by Soule, especially after he then received new opportunities to flesh out his story even further in Darth Vader, Crimson Reign, and beyond. Regardless, the ghost version of Darth Momin's helmet was the last time the sinister Sith architect and heretic was "seen" in the established Star Wars canon (thus far).
