Star Words: Episode III, Part 6

[matril]

I would submit that General Grievous makes an excellent MacGuffin. He puts on a flashy show with his collection of lightsabers and his multiple limbs and his menacing demeanor, but as far as the plot is concerned (and within the story, Sidious's plots) he is nothing but the means to an end. With Dooku dead, Grievous's existence offers a useful excuse to keep the war going and keep the Jedi distracted. Then he'll provide a reason for Obi-Wan to leave Coruscant in order to defeat him, not to mention a heightening of Anakin's resentments against the Jedi Order when they don't allow him to lead the mission himself. From an objective standpoint, Grievous is hardly the most interesting villain in the Star Wars films. But that's the whole point. He's a distraction from the real thing -- from the puppeteer pulling Grievous's strings.

Consider the scene that establishes Utapau as Grievous's hiding place. He's literally just returning from his foiled attempt to kidnap the Chancellor, and then he goes and contacts Darth Sidious. Apparently he has no idea they are the same person. I figure he probably thinks all humans look the same. It never occurs to him. He trusts Sidious completely. And this is what the Sith Lord tells him.

"The end of the war is near."


Grievous is baffled. They just lost Count Dooku. Things are looking kind of grim for the Separatists. How can Sidious be so sure of victory? But he doesn't catch the ambiguity in the Sith Lord's proclamation. He said the war is about to end. He never said the Separatists would win.

As far as we know, Sidious can end the war pretty much whenever he feels like it. And if he wanted it to continue, he could probably keep inventing new obstacles like Grievous every time the Jedi defeated them. But now it's in his best interest to bring things to an end. So he will. By leading the Jedi directly to Grievous. By sending the rest of the Separatist leaders to a remote world where they'll be obediently rounded up for slaughter.

With his plans working out this smoothly, it's no wonder he speaks with such supreme confidence of acquiring his greatest target -- the newer, younger, far more powerful apprentice he's had his eye on for thirteen years. (And, incidentally, why it's so intensely satisfying to see his confident plans undone at last by Anakin's son, many many years later.)

Next, a thought-provoking question from Padmé...

Comments

[krpalmer]

I can't say I'd ever really wondered that much about General Grievous going straight from standing in front of Palpatine to taking a call from Darth Sidious, but "all humans look the same to him" is at least an amusing explanation. Had the comment merely been brought up by itself in other contexts, I fear I'd have reacted by supposing it was being delivered with a self-satisfied smirk... (Perhaps so far as I go, I can contemplate the apparent effectiveness of "superhero and villain disguises," although I am wondering what theories were flying around between 1999 and 2005.)

[matril]

I do think it's important that none of the Jedi ever see Darth Sidious before he reveals himself to be Palpatine - the idea that they wouldn't recognize him would be stretching credibility too far. But Grievous? It doesn't surprise me at all that he's clueless. Being "more machine now than man" even more than Vader will be, he can't be much in tune with the Force. He'll only ever see things at their surface level.