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Darth Plagueis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Star Wars character | |
| Darth Plagueis | |
|---|---|
 Darth Plagueis |
|
| Position | Dark Lord of the Sith |
| Homeworld | Muun |
| Species | Muunilist |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | Unknown |
| Affiliation | Order of the Sith Lords |
| Portrayed by | N/A |
Darth Plagueis (the Wise) is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, who is mentioned in passing during Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Plagueis may have been among the most knowledgable in the line of Sith Lords as he discovered how to manipulate life, and stop death, but that may have only been a fiction that Palpatine told Anakin to further commit him to the dark side.
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Darth Plagueis was a Muun[citation needed] Sith Lord who, according to legend, had discovered a way to manipulate midi-chlorians to prevent death and create life. However, his apprentice, Darth Sidious, betrayed Plagueis and killed him in his sleep, thus becoming the Sith Master. Although it is never officially stated in the cinematic release of Revenge of the Sith that Sidious was Plagueis' apprentice, this information is included in the film's novelization, in which Sidious says, "Darth Plagueis was my master... before I killed him." It is also mentioned in the Star Wars novels Labyrinth of Evil and Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader.
It was Sidious, in his civilian appearance as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who later recounted The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise to young Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker in order to lure him further toward the dark side of the Force. Palpatine's explanation of Plagueis's power to Anakin was as follows:
| “ | Palpatine: Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? Anakin Skywalker: No. Palpatine: I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. It's a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life... He had such a knowledge of the dark side he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying. Anakin Skywalker: He could actually save people from death? Palpatine: The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. Anakin Skywalker: What happened to him? Palpatine: He became so powerful the only thing he was afraid of was...losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. It's ironic; he could save others from death, but not himself. Anakin Skywalker: Is it possible to learn this power? Palpatine: Not from a Jedi. |
” |
The English root for Plagueis' Sith title is "plague." The name may also take inspiration from the British heretic Pelagius, who thought that souls could be saved from damnation by their own will alone, rather than relying upon the grace of a deity.
| “ | Tell me what you regard as your greatest strength, so I will know best what to undermine you. Tell me of your greatest fear, so I will know what I must force you to face. Tell me what you cherish most, so I will know what to take from you. And tell me what you crave, so that I might deny you.
Darth Plagueis (as revealed in Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader) |
” |
In Return of the Jedi, Yoda tells Luke of his old age (900 years) and inevitable death. To this, Luke replies, "But Master Yoda, you can't die…" Yoda then says: "Strong am I with the Force, but not that strong." Yoda's words might imply that the ability to prevent physical death would require unheard-of knowledge in the Force, more so than even Yoda (known to be among the most knowledgeable Jedi) has been able to attain. Alternately Yoda could be saying that while he has great knowledge of the force his body itself is becoming frail.
According to the Force ghost of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, speaking to Yoda through the Force, the true secret to immortality in the Force was not physical. This does not rule out the possibility that Plagueis had learned a technique to stop death, but whatever the Sith Lord learned, it was not ultimate immortality, which, according to Jedi lore, could be achieved only through "compassion, not greed."
Power-wise, Plagueis is not the strongest Sith Lord in Star Wars. He never surpassed his apprentice Sidious and the power he achieved may have been a terribly mutated variation of Force Drain or Heal. (Although neither of those powers are used apart from Sidious, and many of the ancient Lords of the Sith such as Revan). Plagueis illustrates those strong with the dark side tend to fall from pride and greed. One theory is that Plagueis discovered how to transfer one's soul, or perhaps even another dying person's soul, from one body to another. This was the method Sidious, Plagueis' apprentice, used as the Emperor to transfer his soul from one clone body to another. It has been suggested that this was the great power Plagueis had over death and that he taught it to Sidious, who then used it to preserve his own existence so many times.
In Joseph Campbell's book The Hero with a Thousand Faces there is an entire chapter on virgin birth as an aspect of heroic mythology. Campbell considered Lucas "one of his best students" and Lucas himself has often acknowledged Campbell's importance as one of many inspirations for Star Wars. In the book, the virgin birth is a means of separating the heroic figure from the rest of humanity, marking them as special and isolated from the moment of conception.
As revealed in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Anakin Skywalker has no biological father. His mother, Shmi, was unable to explain to Qui-Gon Jinn how Anakin was conceived. Qui-Gon later theorized that Anakin was conceived by the midi-chlorians themselves, in accord with the will of the Force. This theory, combined with Anakin's unusually high midi-chlorian count and powerful connection to the Force, led Qui-Gon to believe that Anakin was the prophesied "Chosen One" who would bring balance to the Force.
It has been suggested in Vader: The Ultimate Guide that Plagueis or Sidious, created Anakin Skywalker in his mother's womb. According to Star Wars: The New Essential Chronology, Darth Plagueis indeed knew how to create life, and may have sought to create a replacement for his apprentice, Darth Sidious. However, more than likely it was Sidious that created him, considering that Plagueis had died before Anakin's conception. It could also be considered that Sidious created Anakin's life to fulfill his own visions of galactic conquest knowing that Anakin would be the means to that end.
Another theory labels Sidious, armed with the ability to influence midi-chlorians, as Anakin's creator. Ian McDiarmid has stated in interviews that Sidious was 120 years old or so, as told to him by Lucas while filming.[citation needed] Sidious may give a hint to his age in Revenge of the Sith when he explains the Sith legend of Darth Plagueis the Wise. It is possible that when Sidious labels the story as legend, he is implying that many years, perhaps various decades, have passed since Plagueis's passing. If that is the case, it would have been impossible for Plagueis to create Anakin within the womb of Shmi, leaving Sidious as the only other option. Further indications of Sidious as the creator of Anakin comes at the conclusion of The Phantom Menace, as Palpatine greets Anakin after the Battle of Naboo and says, "And you, young Skywalker. We will watch your career with great interest," implying Sidious may have had foreknowledge of Anakin's creation and destiny.
It could also be said that Plageuis is a very old legend, as Palpatine's use of clones is wide spread. Not only did he directly engineer the Grand Army of the Republic to be clones, we also know that during the Dark Empire saga, Palaptine had possibly hundreds of clones of himself to transfer his mind into in order to extend his life. He could have used this process before his rise to power to sustain his life much longer than 120 years. The 120 year mark may have just been that current body's age. This process of transfering the mind from one clone to another could have been the hidden skill of "preventing" death described by Palpatine to Anakin. In the Expanded Universe[citation needed], Palpatine has been known to execute his own people multiple times for their failures by transferring their minds into clone bodies the instant before death, including some of the engineers of the original Death Star.
The true extent of Plagueis' and Sidious' powers may never be revealed. In the June 2, 2005 issue of Rolling Stone, George Lucas stated that Plagueis or Sidious and their possible role in Anakin Skywalker's conception were intentionally left ambiguous.Darth Plageus's master was the legendary Darth Raxtsfk
- According to Starwars.com, in 2008, or early 2009, a James Luceno-penned novel will be released about Darth Plagueis. It will cover the story of Plagueis, perhaps from childhood or adolescence to the time he trains an apprentice and is killed by Darth Sidious.[1]
- Palpatine echoes taunts directed at Jesus at Golgotha: "He saved others; himself he cannot save" (Gospel of Matthew 27:42; Gospel of Mark 15:31; Gospel of Luke 23:35). It is a conversation Palpatine initiates by telling Anakin "I have good news," that is, a Sith Gospel to tell.