One of the most famous scenes in the Star Wars prequel trilogy is when Chancellor Palpatine tells Anakin Skywalker the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise. The story’s inclusion in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith serves two purposes. Not only is it the latest instance of Palpatine attempting to manipulate the young Jedi to the dark side (deliberately preying on Anakin’s fear of loss), it’s also an origin tale for Darth Sidious himself. While he doesn’t outright say it, it’s quite clear Palpatine is the apprentice referenced in the story, meaning he is the one who killed Plagueis. Immediately, fans couldn’t help but theorize about Palpatine’s rich history with his master, but it took several years to learn the full tale.
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On January 10, 2012, nearly seven years after Revenge of the Sith hit theaters, Del Rey released James Luceno’s novel Darth Plagueis. As the title suggests, the book details the life of the powerful Sith Lord, specifically chronicling the time he spent with Palpatine. Most notably, the novel’s plot builds up to the moment where Palpatine betrays Plagueis, adding captivating context to the dialogue from Revenge of the Sith
Darth Plagueis Is Great, but There’s One Problem With It Now
Darth Plagueis is an easy book to recommend to fans of the prequels or Star Wars in general. Demonstrating the value and possibilities of having a cross-medium franchise, the novel is able to dig into Palpatine’s past in a way the movies never could. Luceno spins a compelling tale of corruption and the pursuit of power, fleshing out the dynamic between master and apprentice in fascinating ways. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is establishing the idea that the concept of forming a Galactic Empire was not an original plan Palpatine himself devised. It was originally the goal of Plagueis’ master Darth Tenebrous (before Plagueis killed him in the prologue). Once Plagueis became the master, he did a lot of the legwork to establish the foundation for the Empire, manipulating galactic politics to best suit his interests, and even pursuing the creation of a clone army.
The Palpatine/Plagueis dynamic, at least initially, is meant to evoke Palpatine/Anakin, with the master attempting to manipulate an impressionable apprentice. For instance, Plagueis uses Palpatine as a tool to gain political footing in Naboo. However, at the same time, Palpatine is figuring out ways to manipulate Plagueis and eventually remove him from the picture. It’s a portrait that perfectly encapsulates the nature of the Sith. Rather than the strong familial bonds that define Jedi/Padawan pairings, the Sith apprentice is too consumed with a hunger for power to see his master as anything more than an obstacle.
These are just some of the reasons why Darth Plagueis is such a great read. It adds so much intrigue to the prequel trilogy, particularly Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The novel’s main story actually runs through the events of that film, revealing Plagueis was still alive during the crisis on Naboo (Palpatine took Maul as his apprentice behind Plagueis’ back). Palpatine doesn’t kill Plagueis until the Battle of Naboo is ongoing, after tricking his former master into believing he would be co-chancellor of the galaxy. These insights into Palpatine, Plagueis, and the machinations of the Sith are invaluable, but there’s just one problem now. Darth Plagueis is not part of the official Star Wars canon. It’s considered a Legends novel, being relegated under that umbrella after Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm.
This means there’s now a pretty sizable gap to be filled. There are no canon stories depicting Palpatine’s apprenticeship under Plagueis. It seems like obvious ground to cover in some capacity, but Lucasfilm hasn’t done anything with this angle since wiping Luceno’s novel from the continuity. The studio seemed to be planting seeds for a Plagueis story a couple of years ago, but that all ended before it even had a real chance to begin.
Darth Plagueis Has One Appearance in Disney’s Star Wars Canon
Nearly 20 years after Darth Plagueis was first mentioned, Star Wars fans finally got a chance to see the Sith Lord in live-action. Plagueis makes a surprise cameo in the final episode of Star Wars: The Acolyte, closely watching The Stranger and Osha from the shadows in a cave on the planet Bal’demnic. The character’s long-awaited live-action debut was a massive development, one that was clearly designed to lay the foundation for future seasons. The Acolyte star Manny Jacinto confirmed that Plagueis would have returned in a Season 2 or Season 3 if the series had been allowed to continue.
Of course, The Acolyte was cancelled after just a single season, effectively killing whatever longform plan showrunner Leslye Headland had in mind. While The Acolyte proved to be controversial, its fate was nevertheless frustrating. Not only was it fascinating to see the High Republic era on screen, the Plagueis and Yoda cameos in the finale gave the series compelling connections to the Skywalker Saga. The main selling point of The Acolyte was the fact that it was telling a story so far removed from the timeline of the films, but it was still interesting to see Plagueis and Yoda show up. Some fans were curious to see where The Acolyte was headed.
Odds of The Acolyte ever being revived are low. Disney Entertainment co-chair Alan Bergman previously said the show was cancelled due to budgetary concerns, implying that the studio felt the series wasn’t worth the continued investment. What’s more is that Lucasfilm appears to be pivoting back to feature films, with movies like The Mandalorian & Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter on the horizon. Outside of Ahsoka Season 2, there aren’t any additional live-action Star Wars shows in development. While there’s still new Star Wars content coming to Disney+ (the animated series Maul – Shadow Lord), live-action TV doesn’t appear to be a top priority for the studio moving forward.
The Plagueis cliffhanger at the end of The Acolyte may never be resolved, but Lucasfilm should still find a way to canonize the Sith’s story at some point. If there’s never going to be a young Palpatine prequel film or series, Lucasfilm’s publishing division would surely be able to handle it. The official canon version of what transpired between Palpatine and Plagueis would generate a lot of interest. Perhaps the company could even convince Luceno to return and help with such a project, similar to how Timothy Zahn wrote new canon novels about Grand Admiral Thrawn after that fan-favorite villain made the jump to Disney’s continuity. That would be a nice gesture and bring the saga of Darth Plagueis full circle.
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