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Star Wars: Darth Plagueis by James Luceno
Synopsis:
“He was the most powerful Sith lord who ever lived… but could he be the only one who never died?
“Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? It’s a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise that he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.” -Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived. Possessing power is all he desires. Losing it is the only thing he fears. As an apprentice, he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith. And when the time is right, he destroys his Master – but vows never to suffer the same fate. For like no other disciple of the dark side, Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power… over life and death.
Darth Sidious: Plagueis’s chosen apprentice. Under the guidance of his Master, he secretly studies the ways of the Sith, while publicly rising to power in the galactic government, first as Senator, then as Chancellor, and eventually as Emperor.
Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, Master and acolyte, target the galaxy for domination – and the Jedi Order for annihilation. But can they defy the merciless Sith tradition? Or will the desire of one to rule supreme, and the dream of the other to live forever, sow the seeds of their destruction?” -Audible
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Opening thoughts:
Another month, another Star Wars book. Since I read Darth Vader’s book last month, I figured I should read the one about Palpatine and his former master, Darth Plagueis.
Key notes:
Chapter 1
- Darth Plagueis killed his master
Chapter 2
- Plagueis tried to secure space transport but the crew he asked decided to try and capture him instead
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
- Darth Plagueis’s goal was to extend his life indefinitely
Chapter 6
- Plagueis fought an unexpected 2nd apprentice to his former master but bested him until the apprentice submitted himself
Chapter 7
- After losing the war against the Jedi a millennia ago, the Sith took on the strategy of hiding in plain sight and amassing wealth, knowledge, and influence in secret to exact their revenge at the right moment
- This was needed as they were at a disadvantage when it came to numbers
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
- Plagueis recruited young Palpatine to be his spy for Demask Holdings to make a profit from Naboo’s plasma
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
- Plagueis manipulated Palpatine to the extent that it caused him to murder his family
- Eventually, Palpatine pledged his loyalty to the Sith, the dark side, and Plagueis as his apprentice
Chapter 12
- Plagueis said Sidious’s training would take a decade
Part Two
Chapter 13
- Plagueis teaches Sidious how they approach power, and ultimately control by allowing for chaos to further their goals
- He planted the idea that a cunning politician can wreak more havoc than two Sith Lords with weapons
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
- Plagueis was making progress on using the force to not only extend life but also manipulate it and other beings
- Palpatine came across a baby strong in the force and ended up taking him because the mother wanted to separate him from his twin
- The baby’s name was Maul
- They both planned an assassination to ultimately help position Palpatine in a place where he could advance his political career
Chapter 16
- Plagueis visited Camino to explore their cloning science for which they were the most advanced in the galaxy
- Palpatine successfully orchestrated the assassination of his friend Senator Kim, so now he would be the new senator
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
- Palpatine was abducted and his enemies were about to kill him, but Plagueis had been aware of this plan for a while now and sent a team to rescue him before he was in any real danger, but also to find and set up their opponents before they retaliated
Chapter 20
- An assassination attempt on Plagueis almost succeeded but he managed to fight them off until Sidious came to help him
- Sidious single-handedly slaughtered the group responsible for putting out the hit on him and his master with Plagueis’s lightsaber
Chapter 21
- Sidious told Plagueis about the child he planned to use and train as a warrior in the dark arts
Part Three
Chapter 22
- Palpatine discusses with the chancellor about the state of the republic, his own rise to power, and turmoil within the Jedi order
Chapter 23
- Sidious showed Plagueis how fierce of a warrior his own apprentice Maul has become, with this fearlessness and fighting skill combined with his double-bladed lightsaber
- Plagueis continued pulling the strings and financially backing efforts that furthered his Sith plan, but generally lived in seclusion since the attack on his life 20 years prior
Chapter 24
- Through meditation and effort of will, Sidious and Plagueis managed to tip the balance of the force to their will and to the dark side
- Plagueis finally gained the ability to resurrect someone by manipulating their midichlorians through the force
- Then he internalized the ability by amputating his own in his body, healed his own wounds, and revitalizing his own body
- Sidious revealed himself to a person in the trade federation and promised him a mutually beneficial partnership once he earned his trust
Chapter 25
- Dooku confessed to Palpatine that he’s planning on leaving the order of the Jedi because of his difference in opinion between them and the republic
- Palpatine began talks of possibly pushing Padme towards being the new queen even though she was only 13 because she had a lot of potential
Chapter 26
- Plagueis thought it was best to let Dooku wander into the dark side and discover it on his own and rally a separatist movement against the republic to draw out the Jedi into a conflict
- His enemies tried to attack Plagueis but he managed to escape
Chapter 27
- Plagueis infiltrated his home and personally killed the former king of Naboo using his force powers
Chapter 28
- The Nimordian faction of the trade federation began its blockade and invasion of Naboo as planned by the Sith, as well as the plans to weaken the faith in Chancellor Vallorum
Chapter 29
- Plagueis observed Sidious and Maul and their handling of the situation on Naboo, the Queen, Tatooine, and the Jedi
- Dooku disclosed to Palpatine that Qui-Gon found a boy who he believes is the chosen one of prophecy born from the force
Chapter 30
- Palpatine was nominated to the Chancellorship as planned
- Sidious finally made the move to kill his master Plagueis and revealed that he planned to do so from the very beginning
- Sidious mentioned that Plagueis was too trusting which was his downfall. Despite him being so wise, he was not a true Sith like Sidious
Closing thoughts:
Overall, it was a good story and I enjoyed it. The only thing I’ll say is that the ending wasn’t satisfying. However, I totally understand that the Sith are supposed to be devious and double-crossing, especially with each other. And in the grand scheme of the entire story arc, it does make sense. But I suppose that’s how this piece of the puzzle fits into the Sith’s story for Vader to come into the picture. I also liked how it covered Darth Maul’s upbringing and genesis story.
One Takeaway / Putting into practice:
I liked the idea of how the Sith, recognizing their disadvantage in numbers, rely on the long-game of gathering wealth, knowledge, and influence over time in order to tip the balance in the force to the dark side. Moreover, as Plagueis taught Sidious, a cunning politician who uses the system to their advantage, can wreck more havoc than a couple of Sith Lords with lightsabers. I think this is an important takeaway as this ideology is what caused the dark side of the force to win for so long in the Star Wars timeline.
Nutshell:
Darth Sidious’s master, Darth Plagueis, grooms and mentors him to be the galaxy’s greatest threat and the dark side’s most powerful force.
Similar books:
- Star Wars: Ahsoka by E. K. Johnston
- Shatterpoint: Star Wars Legends by Matthew Stover
- Star Wars: Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno
- The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
- Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A Heinlein
Rating:
3/5
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