Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’sdecision to resurrect Palpatine was certainly controversial, but it did help to explain one bizarre aspect of Palpatine’s plan forAnakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.Palpatine’s resurrection inThe Rise of Skywalkerwas perhaps the single most unpopular decision in the sequel trilogy.
This backlash stemmed from myriad places, from the plot twist feeling like a last-ditch effort to save the sequels to how minimally his resurrection was explained. While I agree that Palpatine’s return was one ofthe problems with the sequel trilogy,this resurrection did make one part of Palpatine’s Anakin/Darth Vader plan so much more logical.
Palpatine’s Revenge Of The Sith Brag About Darth Vader Made No Sense
Palpatine’s Declaration About Vader’s Power Went Against The Sith Rule Of Two
InStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith,during Palpatine/Darth Sidious' and Master Yoda’s face-off, Palpatine bragged that Vader would become more powerful than either of them. However, in light ofthe Sith Rule of Two, this made absolutely no sense if Palpatine was indeed saying it in a positive way.
The Sith Rule of Two dictates that there will be two Sith at a time: the master to wield power, and the apprentice to covet it. Because of this dynamic, it is almost inevitable that the Sith apprentice will eventually attempt to overthrow the master and take their place. In fact, Palpatine himself did this to his master, Darth Plagueis.
This rule only makes it so much more confusing that Palpatine seemed to brag about Vader’s power to Yoda, though. The more powerful a Sith apprentice is, the more likely it is that the apprentice will be able to overthrow the master. If anything, Vader’s immense power should have been a threat to Palpatine and something he wanted to contain.
Vader’s immense power should have been a threat to Palpatine and something he wanted to contain.
Initially, I viewed this as a bizarre plot hole, or, if not a plot hole, a line that was incongruent with what we know about the Sith and Palpatine himself. However,the reason Palpatine would have delivered this line inRevenge of the Sithwas actually revealed in a shocking place:The Rise of Skywalker.
The Rise of Skywalker Revealed Palpatine Knew About Essence Transfer
This Was Palpatine’s True Plan With Rey
It’s true thatThe Rise of Skywalkerdidn’t explain Palpatine’s return in a very satisfying way. In addition to Poe Dameron’s now infamous line,“Somehow, Palpatine returned,“within the movie, there were at most some mutterings about cloning technology. Eventually, shows likeStar Wars: The Bad Batchprovided additional context about that.
However, it’s really Palpatine’s plans for Rey that reveal why Palpatine would have delivered this line inRevenge of the Sith. On first watch, it may seem as though Palpatine really does want Rey to take his place, as he’s calling her ‘Empress’ and seems determined to have his legacy live on through his bloodline.
It’s really Palpatine’s plans for Rey that reveal why Palpatine would have delivered this line inRevenge of the Sith.
Yet, the truth is so much darker.What Palpatine really wanted with Rey was to complete an essence transfer, wherein his consciousness was now in Rey. In that way, it wouldn’t have been Rey in charge at all. On the contrary, Palpatine would have once again taken power in a new form.
It’s also clear that Palpatine could do that, as essence transfer was how Palpatine had successfully inhabited the body of a clone at all. While the timeline and acquisition of Palpatine’s knowledge of and ability to complete essence transfer is unknown, this very concept seemingly explains Palpatine’s bizarreRevenge of the Sithline.
Vader’s Power Was Good News For Palpatine Because He Planned To Take It
Palpatine (Unsurprisingly) Only Ever Intended To Strengthen His Own Power
Assuming Palpatine did know about essence transfer at the time, which is a safe assumption, especially given all that his master, Darth Plagueis, knew,Palpatine’s line inRevenge of the Sithmakes sense because he saw Vader’s power as something he would eventually possess himself.
That is, Palpatine no doubt intended to complete this essence transfer with Vader at some point, so recognizing that Vader was on a path to becoming even more powerful than him or Yoda only meant Palpatine obtaining more power than he had on his own in the long-run. In short,Vader’s power was good news, not a threat, to Palpatine.
Palpatine no doubt intended to complete this essence transfer with Vader at some point.
This is also much more in keeping with Palpatine as a character than bragging about Vader’s superior power would be. If Palpatine has proven one thing throughoutStar Warsmovies and TV shows, it’s that he has no regard for anyone or anything and is only ever interested in increasing his own power and control.
It is interesting to consider how Darth Vader’s injuries and restriction in the Vader suit impacted this plan for Palpatine. George Lucas himself has indicated that Vader’s potential was diminished because of these injuries and the suit, which suggests that Palpatine’s essence transfer plans may have been ruined.
In fact, this may even explain why, inReturn of the Jedi, Palpatine’s attention shifted from Vader to Luke. At that point, Luke would have been the much better host for Palpatine. While that remains unclear, this storyline inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerdoes at least make Palpatine’s plans for Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader much better.
