Palpatine’s successful coup inStar Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sithproved, at least partially, that he was theStar Warsfranchise’s greatest villain even without his legendarydark side Force powers. Publicly, Palpatine led theGalactic Republicas its Supreme Chancellor while he secretly was the true power behind the Separatists in his Sith identity of Darth Sidious.
By the events ofRevenge of the Sith, Palpatine had essentially controlled the galaxy already, and all he needed before enacting the masterstroke of his plot was to convince Anakin Skywalker to join the Sith. Notably, Palpatine would rarely engage in direct combat in not only the mainStar Warssaga films but also the various non-movie properties in the originalStar WarsLegendsand modern canon continuities.
Despite being arguably the galaxy’s most powerful Sith and one of the finest lightsaber combatants in galactic history, Palpatine preferred to make others fight for him or simply make combat irrelevant through his leadership and manipulations. Strangely, it isPalpatine’s avoidance of combat that contributes to him being one of the most dangerous Sith Lords (and antagonists overall)in theStar Warsfranchise.
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Palpatine’s Dark Side Powers Helped Him…But His Political Skill Helped Him More
Palpatine was part of Darth Bane’s dynasty of Sith Lords, who abided byBane’s infamous Rule of Two. This doctrine not only mitigated the inevitable backstabbing among Sith Lords, but it also resulted in each new generation of Sith generally being more powerful than the last. Under the torturous tutelage of his mentor, Darth Plagueis,Palpatine became the most powerful Sith Lord in Bane’s dynasty, with dark side powers andlightsaber combatskills that were unsurpassed by even his own apprentices.
YetPalpatine felt that Sith Lords outgrew lightsaber useand only practiced lightsaber combat to humiliate Jedi Knights. Even with his preference for using the dark side to dispatch his enemies, Palpatine rarely used his powers overtly in his schemes to take over the galaxy.
While Palpatine bested Jedi Grandmaster Yoda and Luke Skywalker in lightsaber duels, Luke bested Sidious in another duel, and it is not clear if Palpatine intentionally lost his fight with Jedi Master Mace Windu inRevenge of the Sith.
Passively, Palpatine shielded his mind and intentions from the Jedi, allowing him to be in the same room as exceptional Force users like Yoda and Mace Windu without either sensing his dark side powers. Palpatine surely used the dark side to foresee events and assist him in his political manipulations as well, butit was ultimately his skills as a politician and manipulator that he relied on mostin his schemes.
The Jedi Would’ve Fallen Even If Palpatine Wasn’t A Sith
This is not to say that Palpatine’s Sith training and dark side powers were useless in his coup. Palpatine’s ability to mask his intentions, predict the actions of others, and corrupt otherwise well-meaning people like Count Dooku and Anakin Skywalker were invaluable to his master plan.
Star Wars Brings Back One Of Palpatine’s Most Important Legends Allies
There was one man who was an instrumental ally to Palpatine throughout the Star Wars Legends timeline, and he now has a counterpart in canon.
The same goes for his skills in combat, which allowed him to best almost anyone who attempted to kill or apprehend him.If Palpatine was merely an ordinary human with the same goals but no Force-sensitivity, he might have succeeded in putrefying the Republic into the Empire and destroying the Jedi– albeit with far more difficulty.
Ironically, This Makes Palpatine Everything Darth Bane Dreamed Of
Fascinatingly,it is Palpatine’s skills in manipulation, scheming, and administration – and his preference for using these skills before wielding the dark side or his lightsaber – that makes him perhaps the ideal Sith in Darth Bane’s dynasty. Darth Bane was the last Sith of a bygone era, which had Dark Lords conquering and oppressing worlds openly, wearing heavy battle armor and preferring a direct approach to dominating the galaxy.
Despite their power, the Sith Order’s infighting and, in Bane’s opinion, declining standards for Sith Lordship led Bane to establish the Rule of Two followingthe Sith Order’s near-destruction on Ruusan. Darth Bane’s Rule of Two saw the Sith replace their armor with cloaks.Sith would no longer rely on brute force but rather manipulation, with the new generation of Sith gradually taking over the galaxy from the shadows.
While the Sith would continue to master dark side powers and lightsaber combat, these abilities were typically reserved for assassinations and the occasional confrontation with Jedi Knights. Palpatine embodied this vision of the Sith more than any other Dark Lord, and his grand plan’s success inStar Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sithwould have surely pleased the late Darth Bane.
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Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
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Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith details the fall of the Jedi Order and Anakin Skywalker’s transformation under the influence of Darth Sidious. Released in 2005, the film explores Anakin’s internal conflict and the shifting political landscape, leading to the rise of the Galactic Empire.
