Darth Plagueis
Darth Plagueis is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. A Sith lord with the ability to manipulate life and death, Plagueis is the mentor and murder victim of Palpatine (Darth Sidious). The character is first mentioned in the 2005 film Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, in which Palpatine frames his life as a "legend" to lure Anakin Skywalker to the dark side of the Force.
| Darth Plagueis the Wise | |
|---|---|
| Star Wars character | |
 Cover of Star Wars: Darth Plagueis | |
| First appearance |
|
| Created by | George Lucas |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Hego Damask II (Legends) |
| Species | Muun (Legends) |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Darth Plagueis |
| Occupation | Sith Lord |
| Affiliation | Sith |
| Family | Hego Damask I (grandfather) |
Development
The character of Darth Plagueis was conceived by George Lucas as early as the first draft of the screenplay for Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, or possibly earlier. The first draft dates from April 2003.[1]
Appearances
Revenge of the Sith
Darth Plagueis is first mentioned in the 2005 Star Wars prequel film Revenge of the Sith, during the opera scene. Chancellor Palpatine, who is secretly the Sith lord Darth Sidious, tells Anakin Skywalker about the tragedy of Darth Plagueis "The Wise". Palpatine explains that Plagueis could use the dark side to prevent death and create life, powers unknown to the Jedi. Palpatine then explains that Plagueis was killed in his sleep by his own apprentice.[2] Later in the film, Palpatine, as Sidious, tempts Anakin to the dark side by promising to use this power to prevent Anakin's pregnant wife Padmé Amidala from dying, as Anakin has foreseen.
Star Wars Legends
| Author | James Luceno |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Star Wars Legends |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Del Rey |
Publication date | January 10, 2012 |
| Pages | 496 |
| ISBN | 0-345-51128-X |
| Followed by | Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown |
The character is featured in Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, a Star Wars Legends novel written by James Luceno released on January 10, 2012. The novel covers the later life and machinations of Sith lord Darth Plagueis (real name Hego Damask II), over a roughly fifty-year period pre-dating and culminating concurrently with the climax of The Phantom Menace. 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; and the efforts of Plagueis to undermine the Galactic Republic and ensure the dominance of the dark side of The Force.
Daryl Thomen of Newsday called Darth Plagueis "the best Star Wars publication to date."[3]
The Rise of Skywalker novelization
Darth Plagueis is mentioned in Rae Carson's novelization of the 2019 film The Rise of Skywalker. In the book, it is revealed that Palpatine had discovered Plagueis's "secret to immortality", using this knowledge to survive after his death in Return of the Jedi.[4][5] 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.[4][6] Plagueis's 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.[4][7]
Reception
Despite never appearing on screen, Darth Plagueis has remained a popular Star Wars character. The quote in which Darth Plagueis is mentioned in Revenge of the Sith has become a popular internet meme.[8]
Some fan theories have suggested that Darth Sidious / Palpatine is Darth Plagueis in disguise, though they have been debunked as The Rise of Skywalker Expanded Edition states Darth Plagueis is Palpatine's master.[9][6]
One theory regarding the origins and identity of the sequel trilogy's Supreme Leader Snoke was that he was Darth Plagueis, or a clone of him.[10][11][12][13]
References
- Rinzler, Jonathan W (2005). The Making of Star Wars, Revenge of the Sith. New York City: Del Rey. ISBN 0-345-43139-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- "The Legend of Darth Plagueis - Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith". StarWars.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- Thomen, Daryl (January 19, 2012). "Latest Star Wars novel worth the wait". Newsday. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
- Carson, Rae (2020). Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Expanded Edition. Del Rey. ISBN 978-0593128404.
- Cavanaugh, Patrick (March 4, 2020). "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Novelization Details How Palpatine Survived the Death Star II, Thanks to Plagueis". Comicbook.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Agar, Chris (March 4, 2020). "Star Wars: Every Reveal About Palpatine In The Rise of Skywalker Novel". Screen Rant. Valnet Inc. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Bacon, Thomas (March 24, 2020). "Star Wars Debunks Rise of Skywalker's Plagueis/Palpatine Fan Theory". Screen Rant. Valnet Inc. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
- Hathaway, Jay (January 27, 2017). "Star Wars' Chancellor Palpatine Has Conquered the Meme Landscape". The Daily Dot. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
- "Star Wars 9 Theory: Palpatine Never Existed, It Was Always Darth Plagueis". Screen Rant. April 13, 2019.
- Trumbore, Dave (December 21, 2015). "Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Theories on Supreme Leader Snoke". Collider. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- Tremeer, Eleanor (December 28, 2015). "Supreme Leader Snoke's Role In Star Wars Episode 8 Revealed By John Williams?!". Moviepilot. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- Maharana, Kabita (December 29, 2015). "Star Wars 8: Fan theories about Rey's origin and Supreme Leader Snoke's identity". International Business Times. New York City: Newsweek Media Group. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- "Theory: Snoke Could Still Be Darth Plagueis After All, And Return as Star Wars 9's Real Villain". Screen Rant. November 8, 2018.
External links
- Darth Plagueis on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
