Star Wars: The Last Sith - Future of the Force

Why Sidious Was the Last Dark Lord of the Sith

Count Dooku waged a civil war that caused the fall of the Old Republic. Darth Vader’s ruthlessness destroyed the Jedi Order and made the tyrannical Empire the ultimate power in the galaxy. But did each of these men perform these horrendous acts in an effort to destroy Darth Sidious who they both personally knew was responsible for the corruption of the Galactic Senate? Furthermore, was either one of them truly a Sith Lord, or were they just fallen Jedi? Here is why I think this is exactly the case.

Do you remember the first time Obi-Wan ever spoke to Count Dooku on Geonosis? Here it is. Watch this interaction closely.

If you are like me you probably thought well obviously Count Dooku is lying. He is using a small bit of truth to sell a bigger lie. But what if – and this is key – what if Count Dooku was being absolutely honest with Obi-Wan? Think about it. He flat out tells the young Jedi that the Senate is under the influence of a Dark Lord of the Sith. He even provides a name as proof! In response, Obi-Wan illustrates the arrogance of the Jedi Order (which I believe was more responsible for their downfall than Order 66) and says the Jedi would have known. Dooku replies that the Dark Side is clouding everything, a point which Master Yoda himself makes. Much like Vader tries later on with Luke on Bespin, Dooku offers Obi-Wan a chance to join him to “destroy the Sith.”

In this conversation, Dooku also mentions that he wishes his former apprentice, Qui-Gon Jinn, were still alive because he could have used his help. Again Obi-Wan scoffs at this idea, saying “Qui-Gon would never join you.” I agree with Dooku. “Don’t be so sure.” Knowing what we know now of Qui-Gon, is it so implausible to believe that he would have joined his former Master to destroy the Sith? The Jedi Council always regarded Qui-Gon as a renegade and Qui-Gon believed the Jedi were becoming as corrupt as the government they had come to serve. I do not think it is a far stretch of the imagination to conclude that Qui-Gon would have indeed joined Dooku to destroy Darth Sidious.

Now let’s ponder on a peculiar conversation that took place at the end of Attack of the Clones between Dooku and Sidious.

Dooku was a highly intelligent and well-studied Jedi Master who would undoubtedly have known about the Sith’s “Rule of Two,” which is still canon because it was mentioned by Yoda (Dooku’s former Master) in The Phantom Menace. By the time we reach Dooku’s fatal lightsaber duel in Revenge Of The Sith, he is actively trying to lure Anakin into harnessing the darkness within him. If there can only be two, and Dooku is actively trying to provide Sidious an apprentice, he himself could not be a Sith. There is no indication that either Sidious or Dooku was trying to abolish the Rule of Two.

Then the Clone Wars happened. For many years I believed that Dooku was simply conspiring with Sidious to bring an end to the Republic which he saw as corrupt and in the process destroy the Jedi Order. Then a thought occurred to me. Dooku wasn’t just putting on a galaxy wide show, he was trying to win. He and his Confederation of Independent Systems were trying to overthrow the Republic – and Darth Sidious with it.

This of course begs the question: why would Dooku want Anakin to turn to the Dark Side? I honestly think Dooku felt that the Jedi Order had run its course and lost its way, becoming an empty shell of what it once was. They would have been too weak to accomplish the job of destroying Sidious. Only someone powerful enough with a good knowledge of the Dark Side could put an end to the Sith. Enter Lord Vader.

Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the Dark Side was the greatest tragedy story ever told since the Ancient Greeks. Did he do it for power? For domination? No. He did it for love. Even Leia herself would finally come to this conclusion about her father many years later in the novel Bloodline. Anakin thought the only way to save his wife and their baby was to learn the ways of the Dark Side. Much like Dooku, he also recognized the cancerous corruption that had overtaken the Jedi Order.

Watch as Anakin explains why he was learning the Dark Side. Also note how he truly believes he brought peace to the galaxy. He wants to overthrow the Chancellor – now Emperor – yes, but he wants to put the government into the safe, caring and responsible hands of his wife, Padme.

As the saying goes, “the path to hell is paved with good intentions.” Anakin did let his anger get the best of him, and he killed Padme as a result – at least in a way. Over the next twenty years, he would do vile things, downright evil things, as he helped the Emperor rule the galaxy. But in all this time, he was always looking for someway in which he could overthrow Darth Sidious. Watch one of the most beloved scenes in cinematic history and look for the parallels between this conversation and the previous conversations between Dooku/Obi-Wan and Anakin/Padme.

He wants to end the destructive conflict and he wants to destroy the Emperor. Anakin is no Sith. He is a fallen Jedi. Perhaps though I have not provided enough proof of my claims. The proof lies not in the movies, but in the most recent comic books.

vader5

A picture speaks a thousand words. In Darth Vader #8 written by Charles Soule, Vader is meditating. Look how he sees himself. There is pain. There is anger. There is rage. There is darkness. But there is also light. A light that would never go away – much like his grandson, Kylo Ren. As Luke says, “There is still good in him – I can feel it.”

Still not enough proof? What if I told you that a canon – and very reliable – source states unequivocally that Vader is not a Sith? In Doctor Aphra #13 written by Kieron Gillen, Doctor Aphra inadvertently woke up the spirit of a long dead Jedi known as Rur who now possesses the body of a droid. Vader is forced to fight Rur who says without hesitation, “You are not Sith. I would know it.”

vader6

There you have it. On that basis, it does not seem that Kylo Ren is Sith. Anakin Skywalker was not Sith. Count Dooku of Serenno was not Sith. So unless Snoke turns out to be Sith, it would seem that the last Sith in the galaxy was none other than Darth Sidious himself.

Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the dark side…