Darth Plagueis (novel)

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.

History

Darth Plagueis was a Muun 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 (a common practice among the Sith) and killed him in his sleep, thus becoming the Sith Master.

It was Sidious, in his civilian guise 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.

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 novel Labyrinth of Evil.

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 imply that the power to prevent death is possible, provided the subject is extremely knowledgeable of the force.

Palpatine's explanation of Plagueis' power to Anakin was as follows:

Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? No? 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.

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. Ironic, isn't it; He could save others from death, but not himself.

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, but spiritual. 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 Qui-Gon, could be achieved only through "compassion, not greed."

Perhaps the technique Palpatine promises to discover with Anakin is the cybernetics used as a prototype to support General Grievous and later, in a cruel twist of fate, to support Darth Vader. Indeed, Palpatine never promises that in order to stop death, one does not also have to become a machine. Such hyper-literal intrepretations are also a common theme when one “deals with the devil.” So under this reading, Palpatine keeps his promise to Anakin by prolonging life after death with their (collaborative) creation of the iconic Darth Vader in a black iron lung.

The root of the Sith nickname is quite obvious in Plagueis' case: "plague" It may also be related to the English 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.

Origin of Anakin Skywalker

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 prophesized "Chosen One" who would bring balance to the Force.

It has been suggested in Vader: The Ultimate Guide that Plagueis, in his experimentation with the Force, 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 sought to create a replacement for his apprentice, Darth Sidious. In Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, it is revealed that Sidious, in any case, did not have the ability to create a being as powerful as Anakin; and alternatively to the aforementioned sources, Sidious muses that Anakin is the "one created by the Force itself to restore balance."

Another theory labels Sidious, armed with the ability to influence midi-chlorians, as Anakin's creator. With the knowledge to prevent death, it is uncertain how old Darth Sidious truly is. Many believe Sidious is nearly a thousand years old, possibly explained by Ki-Adi-Mundi and Yoda in The Phantom Menace when Mundi states "The Sith have been extinct for a millennium" followed by Yoda's declaration of "Always two there are, no more, no less. A master, and an apprentice". Sidious' age is also partially revealed in Revenge of the Sith when he explains the Sith legend of Darth Plagueis the Wise. Many believe when Sidious labels the story as legend, it implies many years, perhaps hundreds, have passed since Plagueis' passing. This being said, 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 grips Anakin on the shoulder and quotes, "And to you young Skywalker. We look forward to your career with great interest," implying Sidious already knew of Anakin's creation and destiny.

As Kreia explains in Knights of the Old Republic II, some Force abilities cannot be taught. This idea may be relevant to Palpatine's assertion that Plagueis "taught his apprentice everything he knew".

The true extent of Plagueis' power may never be revealed. In the June 2, 2005 issue of Rolling Stone, George Lucas stated that Plagueis and his possible role in Anakin Skywalker's conception were intentionally left ambiguous.

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.

Trivia

• According to Starwars.com, in 2008 a James Luceno-penned novel will be released about Darth Plagueis.[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).