Why Palpatine Feared One Jedi Above All Others (& It Wasn’t Yoda)

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Within the older stories of Star Wars, there was one Jedi that Palpatine especially feared. Usually, the Jedi who inspire the most fear are also the strongest – the Separatists would have been terrified facing a mission led by General Skywalker, and masters like Yoda or Mace Windu could single-handedly control a battle. However, a Jedi’s strength isn’t just about their power.

Within the official Star Wars story, Jedi archivist Jocastu Nu demonstrated that Jedi don’t need to be powerful warriors to survive. Despite not being as strong as the Jedi Council members, she lived through Order 66 and hid important records that Luke Skywalker later used to rebuild the Jedi Order. However, in the older ‘Legends’ stories, there was a Jedi that Palpatine genuinely feared – not for their skills or knowledge, but because of who they knew and their influence.

Why Palpatine Was So Afraid of Ronhar Kim

Ronhar Kim was a Jedi Master originally from Naboo, the same planet as Palpatine. For years, he unknowingly helped Palpatine by openly sharing information about the Jedi Council. Kim’s father was a senator on Naboo, and urged him to leave the Jedi Order after a family tragedy. Unbeknownst to Kim, the Sith were systematically eliminating his family to clear the way for Palpatine to become the new senate ambassador. Kim first met Palpatine at his father’s funeral, and they formed what Kim believed was a genuine friendship.

Kim and Palpatine were allies for more than ten years, even throughout the Clone Wars. However, Kim started to suspect Count Dooku’s claims that a Sith Lord was secretly a member of the Republic Senate, much to Palpatine’s dismay. Kim suggested testing every senator and official for midi-chlorians to uncover this Sith Lord. Palpatine, of course, couldn’t agree to this and tried to talk Kim out of it. It was ironic that Kim’s connections – the same ones Palpatine had exploited for years – were now becoming a hindrance.

A Jedi Master almost revealed Palpatine’s true nature. Had he pressed his concerns, he likely would have provoked a revealing reaction. However, he backed down and accepted a mission – one secretly designed by Palpatine to eliminate him. Palpatine orchestrated an entire battle just to kill this one Jedi, a level of effort not even extended to Yoda by the Sith.

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2026-06-06 22:10