Darth Plagueis is a fictional character in the ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' franchise. A
Sith Lord with the ability to prevent death and create life, Plagueis is the mentor of
Sheev Palpatine/Darth Sidious, who, in accordance to the Sith's
Rule of Two, eventually betrays Plagueis by murdering him in his sleep, taking his place as Sith Master. The character is first mentioned on-screen in the 2005 film ''
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'', in which Palpatine frames his life and death as a "legend" to pique
Anakin Skywalker
Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
's curiosity about the
dark side of the Force
The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the '' Star Wars'' fictional universe. "Force-sensitive" characters use the Force throughout the franchise. Heroes like the Jedi seek to "become one with the Force", matching their personal wi ...
. Plagueis has a more prominent presence in the
''Star Wars Expanded Universe''.
Development
The character of Darth Plagueis was conceived by
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
as early as the first draft of the screenplay for ''
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' (2005), or possibly earlier. The first draft dates from April 2003.
Appearances
''Revenge of the Sith''
Darth Plagueis is first mentioned in the 2005 prequel film ''
Revenge of the Sith
Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." Pr ...
''. While attending the opera, Palpatine, who is secretly the
Sith Lord Darth Sidious, tells
Anakin Skywalker
Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
about the tragedy of Darth Plagueis "The Wise". Palpatine explains that Plagueis had mastered the dark side of
the Force
The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the '' Star Wars'' fictional universe. "Force-sensitive" characters use the Force throughout the franchise. Heroes like the Jedi seek to "become one with the Force", matching their personal wi ...
to such an extent that he could prevent death and create life; powers which are unknown to the
Jedi
Jedi (), Jedi Knights, or collectively the Jedi Order are the main heroic protagonists of many works of the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Working symbiotically alongside the Old Galactic Republic, and later supporting the Rebel Alliance, the Jedi O ...
. Despite this, however, Plagueis was unable to prevent his own death at the hands of his apprentice (who was none other than Palpatine himself), and was murdered in his sleep. Later in the film, Palpatine, as Sidious, tempts Anakin to the dark side by promising to use its power to prevent Anakin's pregnant wife
Padmé Amidala
Padmé Amidala Naberrie is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, appearing in the prequel trilogy portrayed by Natalie Portman. First indirectly mentioned in ''Return of the Jedi'', she is introduced in ''The Phantom Menace'' as ...
from dying, as Anakin had foreseen.
''The Rise of Skywalker'' novelization
Darth Plagueis is mentioned in
Rae Carson
Rae Carson (born 1973) is an American fantasy writer.
Her debut novel, '' The Girl of Fire and Thorns'', was published in 2011. It was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Award and the Andre Norton Award, and it was the winner of the Ohioan ...
's novelization of the 2019 film ''
The Rise of Skywalker
''Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker'') is a 2019 American epic space opera film produced, , and directed by J. J. Abrams. Produced by Lucasfilm and Abrams' productio ...
''. In the book, it is revealed that Palpatine had discovered Plagueis' "secret to immortality", using this knowledge to resurrect himself after his death in ''
Return of the Jedi
''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...
''.
The novel further explains that Plagueis had attempted to create a powerful connection with Palpatine known as a 'Force dyad', a concept mentioned in the film as occurring naturally between
Rey and
Ben Solo.
Plagueis' inability to use his powers to save himself from death is also detailed in the novelization; Plagueis "had not acted fast enough in his own moment of death" to prevent Palpatine from killing him.
''Legends''
In April 2014, Lucasfilm rebranded most of the licensed ''Star Wars'' novels and comics produced since the originating 1977 film ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' as ''
Star Wars Legends
''Star Wars'' has been expanded to media other than the original films. This spin-off material is licensed and moderated by Lucasfilm, though during his involvement with the franchise ''Star Wars'' creator George Lucas reserved the right to bot ...
'' and declared them non-canon to the franchise.
''Star Wars Legends'' literature elaborates on Plagueis' life, apprenticeship under the
Bith Sith Lord
Darth Tenebrous, and mentorship of Palpatine, up until his death at the latter's hands.
''Star Wars: Darth Plagueis''
The character is the focus of ''Star Wars: Darth Plagueis'', a ''Legends'' novel written by
James Luceno
James Luceno (born 1947) is a ''New York Times'' bestselling author, best known for his novels and reference books connected with the ''Star Wars'' franchise and the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and (with Brian Daley under the shared pseudony ...
and published on January 10, 2012. The novel covers the later life and machinations of Darth Plagueis (born Hego Damassk II), over a roughly fifty-year period pre-dating and culminating concurrently with the climax of ''
The Phantom Menace
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''. The novel details Plagueis' overthrow of his own master Darth Tenebrous; his work as head of a powerful banking consortium on the
Muun homeworld; his discovery, recruitment and training of the teenaged Palpatine of
Naboo
Naboo is a fictional planet in the '' Star Wars'' universe. A bountiful world with a mostly green terrain, the planet was the homeworld of two independent societies: the native Gungans, who dwelt in underwater cities, and the human Naboo, who l ...
; and the efforts of Plagueis to undermine the
Galactic Republic
The Galactic Republic, often referred to as simply the Republic, is a fictional galactic polity depicted in the ''Star Wars'' universe, where it existed prior to the establishment of the Galactic Empire. The Republic is most prominently por ...
and ensure the dominance of the dark side of the Force. Even though Plagueis' plans to undermine the Galactic Republic were stopped by his death, Palpatine still succeeded in wiping out the Galactic Republic and driving the Jedi Order into ruins for his own plans.
Daryl Thomen of ''
Newsday
''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...
'' called ''Darth Plagueis'' "the best ''Star Wars'' publication to date."
Reception
Despite never appearing on screen, Darth Plagueis has remained a popular ''Star Wars'' character. The scene in which the character is mentioned in ''Revenge of the Sith'' has become an
internet meme
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plagueis, Darth
Characters created by George Lucas
Extraterrestrial supervillains
Film characters introduced in 2005
Fictional bankers
Fictional businesspeople
Fictional characters with disfigurements
Fictional characters with electric or magnetic abilities
Fictional humanoids
Fictional lords and ladies
Fictional murderers
Fictional murdered people
Fictional scientists
Internet memes introduced in the 2010s
Male characters in literature
Male literary villains
Star Wars Sith characters
Unseen characters
Star Wars literary characters
Internet memes introduced in 2017