Star Wars Finally Explains Palpatine’s Greatest Force Power (& It Doomed the Jedi)

Although Emperor Palpatine was a major villain in the original Star Wars trilogy—at least after his introduction in The Empire Strikes Back, that is—it wasn’t really until the prequel trilogy that audiences were exposed to just how big a mastermind Palpatine was. Yes, he was evil and had brand-new Force powers like Force lightning in the original trilogy, but there was no indication yet that he had entirely orchestrated the downfall of the Jedi Order and the Republic until the prequels.

In fact, that plan wasn’t fully clear until Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and even after that, Star Wars: The Clone Wars provided so much more context. It seems Star Wars still isn’t done fleshing out Palpatine’s carefully crafted rise to power, though. The franchise’s brand-new TV show, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, has just confirmed the existence of a Sith Force power that explains how Palpatine knew the best way to destroy the Jedi and the Republic and why it was so successful.

Maul – Shadow Lord Confirms A New Sith Power

Maul – Shadow Lord sees the return of Maul (no longer “Darth,” as he’s no longer a true Sith) in the early days of the Dark Times. Hiding in the shadows as so many Force users—on the light side and the dark side—were during this era of the Star Wars timeline, Maul is working to gain power and control in the criminal underworld. In the very first episode of the show, he reveals that the Force is actually of great assistance to him in this matter because of a dark side Force ability that Star Wars hasn’t previously highlighted.

Specifically, Maul says, “Our actions serve a greater purpose; events are falling into place,” suggesting that he not only has a sense of the future but also that this sense includes the ability to feel the puzzle pieces coming together even before he can clearly see what they are. If true, then this explains Palpatine’s rise to power and ability to deceive the entire Jedi Order despite their proximity in the prequel trilogy so much more clearly.

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The Jedi Weren’t Fools; They Had Little Chance To Begin With

At first glance, it seems downright ridiculous that the Jedi wouldn’t have detected that Palpatine was a Sith in the prequels. Although he actually has a pretty good mask in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, by Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, it feels to audiences as though Palpatine is basically wearing a sign saying he’s a Sith Lord. Yet, the Jedi work incredibly closely with him, and they don’t suspect him of being the Sith.

The closest they seem to get is considering that there might be something darker at work in his political power grabs, perhaps meaning a link to the Sith (but not the idea that he was one himself). The Jedi have long been criticized for this oversight, particularly because powerful Jedi like Master Yoda theoretically should have been able to sense Palpatine in the Force. There are explanations for this, such as Palpatine likely using Force concealment to hide himself from such discovery, but it’s still always felt a little goofy that the Jedi were so oblivious.

If Maul’s description does suggest a Sith Force power that allows one to feel events falling into place, however, this makes a lot more sense. Read that way, Palpatine was simply following guidance he was getting via the Force itself, presumably allowing him to know how to act and when. In that light, the Jedi’s ability to be deceived seems less foolish and more demonstrative of the power of the dark side. This would, in turn, mean yet another step Star Wars has taken to fix how nonsensical this plot is in the prequels.

Star Wars Is Constantly Correcting This Prequel Trilogy Flaw

Despite the hate they received when they first came out, the prequel trilogy movies are not terrible. In fact, they’re now largely considered some of Star Wars’ best movies, especially Revenge of the Sith. That doesn’t mean they’re perfect either, though. One of the glaring issues with the prequels is the fact that the Jedi, who are meant to be so powerful and in tune with the Force, were relatively easily deceived. In the more than 20 years since Revenge of the Sith was released, however, new projects have constantly made that better.

The Clone Wars did a significant amount of the heavy lifting because it was set right in the middle of the prequels, but newer projects, now including Maul – Shadow Lord, have shed additional light on Palpatine, dark side Force powers, and the flaws and cracks that already existed within the Jedi Order during this era. Maul’s description of events falling into place could be the newest addition to this ongoing correction.

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