Official Sith Pacify Power Rankings: #12

The 12th character for the Official Sith Pacify Power Rankings is…Darth Plagueis!

Darth Plagueis Overall = 93

The infamous Darth Plagueis was first revealed to the Star Wars universe in Revenge of the Sith. 

It was Supreme Chancellor Palpatine who told us of the tale of the legendary Sith Lord who had the ability to prolong life.

As if that wasn’t mysteriously epic enough, in 2012 the masterfully eloquent author James Luceno wrote an entire book on Plagueis that gave us the backstory on the cryptic character.

It is through his writings that we now know what Plagueis was all about.

A member of the Muun species, his real name was Hego Damask and he was the wealthiest individual across the Galaxy.

As a member of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, Damask/Plagueis had so much influence and connections that he was able to finance many aspects of the Sith’s Grand Plan which included purchasing the order for a clone army as well as allowing his own Apprentice to have all means necessary in rising to intergalactic power.

In fact very few people knew of Darth Plagueis besides his Apprentice Darth Sidious and his late Master Darth Tenebrous.

Plagueis was a master manipulator who was a charmer, a man who willed this ideas into very existence and who was able to set forth events to his liking that would shape the Galaxy in his image.

Yet possibly the most fascinating aspect of Plagueis’ character has yet to be discussed.

You see, Darth Plagueis had a dark and twisted attraction to immortality.

This quest to find everlasting life through the Dark Side of the Force made him absolutely obsessed in his search which saw him carry out brutal and cruel observations on humans, animals and even himself.

Unfortunately for Plagueis, before he was able to concretely insure his work was successful, he was cut down and murdered in cold blood by his Apprentice.

Many make the comparison to Supreme Leader Snoke that he is in fact the Dark Lord that we all thought was long dead.

Although we will only know for sure when Episodes VIII and IX come out, until then we can only  speculate.

Characteristics

• Master Manipulator (Strength, 98/100)- How many beings do you know that has the intelligence, the wherewithal and the resources to control the entire universe into his image!? Sounds crazy right? Well Plagueis was effectively able to do this and not only did he go through with his plans, but they all worked out too. He is at the pinnacle of mental warfare and his personality cuts as deep as a saber. To say he is a dangerous creature is to say fire is hot.
• Dedication to the Force (Strength, 95/100)- As Plagueis grew older, he spent more and more of his time experimenting in his private lair where he modified and re-calibrated the different concentrations of midi-chlorians that prolonged life. Throughout his time working with the Force, Plagueis indeed makes great strides that allow him to momentarily delay death through his powers.
• Wealth (Strength, 90/100)- Hego Damask commands such a major amount of wealth and influence that even without powers via the Dark Side he’s still able to get what he wants. But you see when power and strength are combined, a nasty combination is created. With everything at his disposal, Damask/Plagueis had the ability to see it happen. If he wanted to create his very own army to take over the Galaxy, he could. And you know what? That is precisely what he did.
• Reading of Minds (Strength, 92/100)- One of Darth Plagueis’ many skills was his power to discover and understand what someone is thinking. Whether this ability was used with his experiments or during his encounters with the Jedi, Plagueis almost always had the upper hand. A testament to the Muun’s supreme brainpower, he was always in the advantageous position throughout his life thanks to the Dark Side that swelled within him.
• Trust (Weakness, 50/100)-As hard as it is to pinpoint a weakness within one of Star Wars most prolific characters, this is one for sure. Plagueis was duped by his Apprentice in the final scene of James Luceno’s book as well as Plagueis’ life. His out-of-character behavior on the night that he and Palpatine celebrated the younger one’s appointment as Chancellor gave his Apprentice an opening to cut off his mentor. As Plagueis continued to drown in a state of inebriation, Sidious brutally tortured Plagueis to his demise with Force lightning. In a stunning turn of events, the Sith Lord that sought to prolong life itself ended up dead and out of answers.
• Injury (Weakness, 50/100)- Around 20 years before Plagueis’ death, the Dark Lord was ambushed and gravely injured in an attack. Although Plagueis survived the ordeal, he was left with such serious wounds that for the rest of his life he would be required to utilize a breathing apparatus for everyday life let alone combat. This incident and his long-lasting wounds played a major role in his ultimate death as Sidious was able to disable his breathing device which rendered Plagueis to his doom.

Intangibles

• Fighting Style (Strength, 89/100)- Darth Plagueis was never really noted for being a devastating warrior but he could most definitely dish out the pain. During his duel with his Master’s other Apprentice, Darth Venamis, Plagueis relied on his lightsaber skill and his mastery of the Force to emerge victorious in the bout. Another great example of Plagueis’ intense fighting abilities was during his attempted assassination. While he had no other choice but to fight, Plagueis submerged himself completely within the darkness and would literally crush the heads of his adversaries with his powerful and equally massive hands.

Final Word

If you’re someone reading this who considers themselves to know a great deal about Star Wars, you might ask yourself, “Hey wait a minute, I though Darth Plagueis was one of the strongest! How are there still 11 others ahead of him?” Well, it’s simple. The Sith Pacify Power Rankings are not just about power and influence but about everything in total. I think the story of Plagueis the Wise is one of the ultimate tragedies. He was an incredible Force-user, there’s no doubt. But in the end, his legacy disappeared when he himself died. Of course he was secretly able to implement his plans to take over the Galaxy without anyone knowing but honestly, I think his Apprentice Darth Sidious had a great deal of manipulating in that regard too. So while Plagueis was certainly powerful and a legend in his own right, his two most valuable assets were either lost as in his powers to prolong life or his legacy which was basically hijacked as well as improved by his Apprentice. In the end, keep your enemies close and your friends closer…

-Sith Pacify out

 

 

 

 

Why the Emperor is the Ultimate Star Wars character

Chancellor Palpatine, Darth Sidious or the Emperor it matters not what you call him, he is the greatest character throughout Star Wars.

A master in so many facets of life, Darth Sidious is also as good as it gets when it comes to the mastery of the Dark Side.

Follow me as I detail the life of Palpatine and his path to the overlord of the galaxy.

Early Life

Born as Sheev Palpatine to an aristocratic family on Naboo, he was always an oddball who stayed away from other kids.

He continued to live a life of luxury and nobility as a young teenager but was never concerned with material things except rare artifacts.

Rare Sith artifacts to be exact…

The best way to describe the adolescent Palpatine is indifferent. He was very often on his own and consumed by thought as if his mind was always wandering, planning for something.

It wasn’t until he met Hego Damask who of course would later reveal himself to Palpatine as the Sith Lord Darth Plagueis.

Palpatine’s relationship with his family, especially his father, was already strained to begin with but now that he had a mentor in Plagueis, things began to deteriorate further.

The breaking point finally took place when Palpatine’s father sent him away to Chandrila in hopes to break his forming bond with Damask.

However, Palpatine severely fought this and inevitably ended up murdering his mother, father and siblings as he, for the first time, called upon the Dark Side

This would begin his twisted path of evil.

Living the Double Life

Shortly after murdering his family, Palpatine began his apprenticeship under Darth Plagueis and was thus given the title, Darth Sidious.

Living a double life, Palpatine entered politics and started his ascension to what would be a lengthy and fruitful political career.

Hego Damask was one of if not the most wealthy and influential individuals in the galaxy.

Through Damask’s status and reputation, it was Palpatine who reaped the benefits as the two planned and pooled their resources in order to attain the right path in which the duo desired.

Palpatine and Plagueis devised a strategy in which they planned on ruling the entire galaxy as Palpatine being the Chancellor and the face of their partnership as Plagueis would be the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Separate Ways

What makes Palpatine so great is he does what he wants, no matter what the circumstances.

Subsequently after Chancellor Valorum’s uncanny timing of being ousted from the Chancellorship, Palpatine is nominated and eventually chosen as Valorum’s successor.

Later that same night, as Plagueis and Palpatine get together to celebrate their plans coming to fruition, Palpatine decided this was the perfect time to end his partnership with his master.

Palpatine allowed Plagueis, who was celebrating their victory through drinking wine, to get inebriated.

As Plagueis was drifting into a deeper incapacitated state, Sidious began to mercilessly attack him with his force lightning.

But he didn’t stop there. No in fact Darth Sidious began toying with Plagueis, allowing him to regain his ground and then ‘zap him again.

On his Own

As Palpatine slowly began to realize that he could carry out the Grand Plan by himself, it was only a matter of time till Palpatine forever silenced his master.

After that point, Chancellor Palpatine slowly pressed the Republic into a state of fear and paranoia allowing him to gradually strip the freedoms of the people and further cement himself as a force and eventual Emperor.

Why is he the Greatest?

Sidious is the master of all manipulation…ever! The mix of his intelligence, his perseverance and vision are nothing short of prophetic.

His plans for himself played out almost exactly to his intentions.

We’re not talking about some small thing coming true here. No, we’re talking about a man who had aspirations to reach the pinnacle of leadership and twist and contort that seat of power into something much more dark and twisted…and achieve it!

I just love his attitude through it all.

He doesn’t fear anyone or anything. He knows he is going to succeed because it’s going to happen, what he wants to occur, will.

It’s as simple as that.

He was a leech in the side of justice that continued to fatten itself off of the trust and benevolence of others until his power was so great, that everyone, one way or another, paid in blood.

That was the Emperor, a man fashioned from pure evil itself, thrust into everyday society, with hell to pay.

But his power doesn’t just stand on ceremony and titles, no not at all.

I think it’s safe to say that Darth Sidious is the most powerful Sith Lord of all time as well.

His adeptness in the force was so insanely powerful, he didn’t even need physical advantages at all and yet, he still had the advantage!

In fact, it’s nothing short of mind-numbingly incredible the way he fights Darth Maul and Savage Opress in the Clone Wars show as well as Yoda in Revenge of the Sith. 

His abilities to use the force to augment his body, gave him superhuman strength.

The likes of which were fed through his Dark Side power supply thus making him an opposing force physically.

In the end, the Emperor had it all going for him.

The one thing he could not crack was a father-son bond that unavoidably sentenced the Emperor to his doom.

-Sith Pacify out