Palpatine is a strange figure in Star Wars. We know his wizened face from the original and sequel trilogies, but in the prequels, we’re reminded that he was once just a minor Naboo royal who was seduced to the Dark Side. He enjoys going to the ballet, he plays the dutiful senator, and he collects Ancient Sith artifacts, which, in retrospect, should have been a red flag.
He also, at one point, followed the Rule of Two and murdered his Sith master, Darth Plagueis, the subject of one of Revenge of the Sith’s most memorable monologues. The human part of Palpatine is easy to forget, but a new novel is exploring it... and his late master’s legacy.
Polygon has released an excerpt of Master of Evil, Adam Christopher’s upcoming novel about the early days of Darth Vader as he bleeds his Kyber crystal to create his red lightsaber (a relatively new piece of Star Wars canon) and tries to refocus his energy on the Dark Side.
In the passage, Palpatine brings up the oft-quoted Plagueis monologue from Revenge of the Sith. “‘You were enamored with that story, were you not?” asked the Emperor. ‘The tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?’” Palpatine then alludes to the powers of eternal life that the Sith claim to have:
“‘That is what you want to know, is it not? The secrets that lie beyond. You think they will allow you to be reunited with her, do you not?’ Vader’s blank gaze did not waver from his master’s glare. ‘It is what you promised, my master.’”
Palpatine is referencing his suggestion that Plagueis’ research could have been used to keep Padmé alive, and now Vader hopes it could bring her back to life. This was an empty promise even for the Star Wars universe and all its wonders, and Anakin will have to reckon with the fact that he turned to the Dark Side on false pretenses. The exchange shows that his human side is still in there somewhere, and it’s also a rare mention of Darth Plagueis in the aftermath of his anticlimactic appearance in the Acolyte finale.
We don’t know much about Anakin’s adjustment to being Darth Vader: in the movies, it’s almost as if he dons the helmet and becomes a totally different character. This novel can finally shed some light on how ridiculous Palpatine’s claims really were — and how Anakin adjusts to that fact.
