Star Wars: 5 Things That Still Make No Sense About Palpatine & the Sith

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For decades, Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious has been the central villain of the Star Wars saga – sometimes a compelling figure, other times a straightforward antagonist. Although Darth Vader initially seemed like the main threat in A New Hope, it soon became clear that Palpatine was the true power behind the Empire, with Vader simply as his strong and malicious enforcer. Since then, Palpatine’s presence in Star Wars films and series has steadily increased, making him the primary villain across all three trilogies.

Despite being a central figure, Palpatine’s story doesn’t always add up. He started as a shadowy emperor, then we learned more about his past, and surprisingly, he came back later on. These different versions of his story have created a lot of unanswered questions. Beyond Palpatine himself, many mysteries still surround the Sith in general within the Star Wars universe.

Palpatine Was Wise, But He Wasn’t The Most Powerful Sith

A fascinating thing about Palpatine in Star Wars, particularly throughout the Skywalker Saga, is how he’s presented as an incredibly powerful Sith Lord. However, that’s not entirely accurate. In fact, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, as the Chosen One, likely had greater natural power than Palpatine. While Anakin’s injuries in Revenge of the Sith and the limitations of his suit did diminish his abilities, his potential was arguably higher.

While Palpatine was certainly powerful, many previous Sith Lords were actually even stronger – perhaps that’s why he secretly killed his own master, Darth Plagueis. It’s strange, then, that the Skywalker Saga and other Star Wars stories often portray Palpatine as uniquely powerful. In reality, his true strength wasn’t raw power, but his intelligence and skill at manipulating people, which allowed him to achieve his goals.

Darth Plagueis’ Acolyte Cameo Raises Several Questions

The Acolyte quickly sparked a lot of debate and criticism, becoming one of the most controversial Star Wars projects in recent years, comparable to The Rise of Skywalker and The Book of Boba Fett. As a result, a second season was cancelled and doesn’t seem likely to happen, even though fans have petitioned for it. Sadly, this probably means viewers will never find out what would have happened with Darth Plagueis’ story, which was teased in a surprising appearance at the end of the first season.

The brief appearance revealed that Plagueis was secretly observing Qimir, a Sith Lord, and Osha, who appeared to be a promising candidate to become his apprentice, hinting at potential future encounters between them. However, this storyline remains largely unresolved, leaving us wondering what happened to Qimir and Osha and how their fates might connect to Plagueis eventually choosing Palpatine as his apprentice. It’s likely their removal was necessary for Palpatine to rise, but this hasn’t been confirmed and may remain a mystery.

Palpatine Couldn’t Let The Death Star Concept Go

The first Star Wars film, A New Hope, shocked audiences with the Death Star – a massive weapon capable of destroying entire planets. After the Rebels blew it up, it seemed logical the Empire would change tactics to defeat them. Surprisingly, they chose to build an even more powerful second Death Star instead.

As a huge Star Wars fan, there are a few things that always bugged me about the sequels. First, how did they build the second Death Star so fast after the first one took so long? But even weirder, why would Palpatine, who’s supposed to be a genius, go back to a plan that already blew up in his face? And then, the First Order basically tries the same thing again with Starkiller Base – seriously, it’s like they didn’t learn anything! It feels like a rehash, and not in a good way.

The Sith Rule Of Two Clearly Didn’t Work

Darth Bane created the Rule of Two to save the Sith from extinction. Constant internal conflict had almost destroyed them, and the rule aimed to provide stability, despite the Sith’s tendency towards betrayal and violence. However, it ultimately failed. Emperor Palpatine’s history demonstrates this – he repeatedly trained apprentices, but was eventually defeated by one, continuing a long pattern of Sith masters being overthrown by their own students.

It’s ironic that the Sith’s Rule of Two might actually be what leads to their extinction. With Palpatine’s death in The Rise of Skywalker and no apparent successor, the future of the Sith is unclear. If there had been more Sith Lords, Palpatine’s demise might not have been so devastating. But because of the one-master, one-apprentice rule, this could very well signal the end of the Sith Order.

How Exactly Did Palpatine Return?

Perhaps the biggest mystery surrounding Palpatine in Star Wars is how he came back in The Rise of Skywalker. The movie mentions cloning, but the explanation is mostly limited to the now-famous line, “Somehow, Palpatine returned.” However, shows like Star Wars: The Bad Batch and The Mandalorian have since provided more details about the circumstances of his return.

Despite those explanations, exactly how Palpatine came back to life is still unclear. While Star Wars might not want to explore this story in detail, his return remains his most significant and puzzling characteristic.

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2026-05-31 19:41