Star Words: Episode II, Part 29

[matril]

During Episode I, we were given frequent glimpses of the mastermind behind the Federation invasion: the malevolent Sith Lord Darth Sidious. Scene after scene we see him giving orders to the Viceroy, commanding his every move. And then we don't see him for nearly an entire movie.

In Episode II we watch Obi-Wan slowly uncover a conspiracy as he investigates the assassination attempts on Padmé, digging deeper and deeper until he discovers the Separatists plotting war on Geonosis under the leadership of Count Dooku. Aha, you might think. Here's the mastermind at last.

Nope. Turns out it was Sidious all along.

Just one scene, and everything that seemed so clear becomes muddy. Dooku, leader of the Separatists, is flying to the very capital of the Republic. He calls Sidious "master" and Sidious calls him by his Sith name, Tyrannus. Wait, wasn't that the name of the man who recruited Jango Fett for cloning? How could Dooku be connected to both the source of the Republic's new army and the the droid armies of the Separatists?

After making every sign of being shocked and affronted during the escalating battle on Geonosis, Dooku says now that the start of the war is "good news." And Sidious replies with a phrase that will be chillingly familiar to anyone who recalls the Emperor's words in Episode VI.

"Everything is going as planned."


Everyone, from the Senate to the Jedi, the Trade Federation and the Geonosians...they are all being played. The war has been deliberately contrived and manipulated into existence for the sole purpose of furthering Sidious's plans. Oh, there was probably already tension between the government of the Republic and the systems now threatening to secede. Sidious is very good at using existing circumstances to his advantage. But there is no question that this particular escalation into warfare has been masterminded by him. And Dooku is his right-hand man, ready to present a convincing threat against the Republic so the Senate will be all too eager to give the Chancellor emergency powers.

It's infuriating to imagine that Sidious and Dooku can get away with this, but keep in mind what Mace mentioned earlier, about their ability to use the Force being diminished. Ordinarily the Jedi should be able to sense a deception of his magnitude. But something is clouding their vision. Something has knocked the Force wildly out of balance. And he's hiding right under their noses on Coruscant.

Next time, one last line from Episode II!

Comments

[krpalmer]

I've mentioned before the tension I feel between "I can't say these movies can't be interpreted as Sidious possessing diabolical powers of control and/or foresight that make him the sole agent with free will/at least the single person who knows and accepts exactly what's happening" and "but that just doesn't feel quite appealing to me, either as a 'trilogy' or as one half of a saga the other half of is affected too." (Sometimes, though, I can suppose this interpretation would appeal to those convinced they don't like any of the protagonists.) Perhaps this might hinge on whether "everything" goes so far as to include the secret wedding yet to come; I've clung to a theory I once saw advanced that Palpatine would have made good use of "unexpressed tension" or "open frustration" too. In any case, Sidious being a constant presence in TPM but not being around in this movie is interesting to see pointed out; he does make a cloaked appearance fairly early on in Revenge of the Sith too...

[matril]

Yeah, I agree that considering Sidious to be near-omnipotent would be pretty depressing with regards to every else's free will. He's not an almighty chess-master (although he might think he is), but he does know very well how to use people to his advantage, to adjust and remake his plans whenever necessary. Reminds me of the Xanatos Gambit, where he creates a variety of different ways to win no matter what everyone else decides to do. If Padmé spurned Anakin, Palpatine could use that. Since she didn't, he used their secret marriage instead. And so on. But all of those successes make it all the more satisfying when Luke, and then Anakin, do something that Palpatine never anticipated at all. He needs to win over and over again for that final defeat to be so very sweet.