20 Years On, Star Wars Retcons Count Dooku’s Revenge of the Sith Death

20 years after Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars has finally revealed Count Dooku’s plans to betray Palpatine – and subtly rewritten his death as a result. Treachery is the way of the Sith, a fact that Count Dooku didn’t always seem to realize. It’s always seemed so very ironic that, in Revenge of the Sith, he never once suspected Palpatine was planning to betray him. There’s a look of absolute surprise on Dooku’s face as Darth Sidious encourages Anakin to kill him.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars subtly rewrote Dooku’s story, removing a little of his naivete. This is particularly notabel in his relationship with Asajj Ventress, who gradually evolved from just a Sith assassin to a potential apprentice. According to the Sith Rule of Two, there can only ever be two Sith at a time; Dooku’s training of Ventress made his master suspicious, and Palpatine insisted that Ventress be killed for fear of a potential betrayal. Now, finally, Star Wars has confirmed Palpatine had good reason to be suspicious.

Count Dooku Really Did Plan To Betray Palpatine

Adam Christopher’s new Star Wars novel, Master of Evil, is largely set during the Dark Times of the Empire’s reign. The prologue, however, is a flashback to the Clone Wars that stars Count Dooku, sent on a mission to the remote planet Adera. Darth Sidious was curious about legends of a dark side vergence at an ancient site known as the Temple of Diso, and he sent Dooku to retrieve it. The count had other ideas, deciding this was a power he wanted to claim for himself.

This is pretty much the first time we’ve seen evidence of Count Dooku actively working against his master. There’s a sense in which it’s something of a relief to see this, because Dooku’s lack of ambition has always seemed odd; Sith normally covet power, and yet he has typically appeared content to be lesser than his master. This finally confirms that Dooku had the ambition of a Sith, making him a worthy apprentice – even if he was ultimately just a pawn to Palpatine.

Why Didn’t Count Dooku See Palpatine’s Betrayal Coming?

This does, of course, raise yet more questions about Dooku’s ultimate death at Anakin Skywalker’s hands. If treachery is the way of the Sith, and Dooku not only realized this but practiced it, then why didn’t he see his master’s betrayal coming? The most likely explanation lies in Dooku’s ego, his innate sense of superiority. That’s on full display during his confrontation with Anakin and Obi-Wan. Dooku couldn’t see Anakin as an equal, let alone as a better, and thus did not realize he was a threat.

Given this is the case, it’s reasonable to assume Dooku forgot that treachery and betrayal can work both ways. He did indeed plan to betray Palpatine – likely with Ventress as an apprentice – but it never occurred to him that Palpatine could betray him too. In Dooku’s view, he was Palpatine’s natural best choice for a worthy apprentice, and there could be no substitute. As a result, for all he understood the true nature of the dark side, he failed to see that betrayal coming.

“Master of Evil” is on sale now, and can be bought on Amazon.

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