Darth Plagueis: thoughts

Darth Plagueis was a mysterious dark lord of the Sith, known for being the master of the formidable Emperor Palpatine and for his ongoing quest to seek immortality. He sought to master nature and the force itself through scientific and political power.

Palpatine, his ever power-hungry apprentice, killed him in his sleep.

This book details the long history of both figures, being the only Star Wars media to talk about Darth Plagueis in depth.

It spans decades, following Hego Damask, a wealthy banker and the alter ego of Darth Plagueis, carrying on the Sith legacy. He seduces a young Palpatine and they continue their mission of eventually implanting Sith rule.

I love this book.

It’s so good at world-building, at expanding established lore. It has escapism with science-fiction with political intrigue. I really felt like this was history, history of another universe.

While not whitewashing that both Plagueis and Palpatine are monsters, the book gives a lot of depth to both Palpatine and Plagueis. It does a greater job of fleshing out of the Sith. Rather than generic evil villains, they are a cultish belief based around Social Darwinism.

Palpatine, the archetypal psychopath, is given a lot of character moments. We see him as a teenager. His worse elements grow over time, with the inverse happening to his redeeming elements.

Characters from the prequels such as Count Dooku, Darth Maul, Nute Gunray, and Valorum are featured, giving them a backstory that supplements the prequel saga. These characters fit in perfectly with the story. From how they contribute to this story, the reader has an even greater idea of their motivations and who they are.

There was a comic-run from 2000 starring Darth Maul, where Darth Maul goes on a mission. Impressively, this book explains the deeper circumstances behind his mission and everything that happened. It ties together perfectly. It also connects to other lore; the continuity and references to other Star Wars media were impressive.

The book most directly connects to the Phantom Menace, with the final parts of the book taking place at the same time as the movie.

Palpatine’s final decision to kill Plagueis, although premeditated, is as much as a surprise to the reader as it is to Plagueis. The book does an amazing job keeping both Plagueis and the audience in the dark about Palpatine’s decision.

This book is now considered officially non-canon, although I don’t particularly care about arbitrary official announcements. I consider it canon myself. (All Star Wars spin-off media other than the Clone Wars show were deemed non-canon after Disney acquired Lucasfilm.)

I must admit, I get more and more nostalgic for the prequel trilogy. And Star Wars in general. It covers all these fronts: warfare, psychology, philosophy, the structure of an epic, folklore, etc. It’s about a timeless tragic narrative, where fascism slowly wins over reason.