Darth Plagueis, also known as Darth Plagueis the Wise, was a Dark Lord of the Sith and the master of Darth Sidious. Plagueis was obsessed with finding a way to cheat death and in addition he was the only known practitioner of Midi-chlorian manipulation which he used to create Anakin Skywalker. It is unconfirmed it he created Anakin intentionally or if it was an accidental result of one of his experiments. Plagueis was eventually killed in his sleep by Sidious who replaced him as Dark Lord of the Sith.
Biography[]
Training Darth Sidious[]
- "Tell me what you regard as your greatest strength, so I will know how best to undermine you; tell me your greatest fear, so I will know what I must force you to face; tell me what you cherish most, so I will know what to take from you; and tell me what you crave, so that I might deny you."
- ―Darth Plagueis to Darth Sidious
Darth Plagueis was a very powerful Sith Lord with immense knowledge of the dark side of the Force. He eventually discovered Palpatine on Naboo and trained him in the ways of the Sith.
Young Darth Sidious training under Darth Plagueis.
Palpatine learned from Plagueis over the course of decades, during which Plagueis taught his apprentice almost everything he knew to prevent the power he had amassed from being lost forever. During Sidious' training, Plagueis gave his apprentice access to his Sith holocrons. Plagueis' lessons involved forcing Sidious to face his fears, denying him pleasures, and taking from him the things he loved. He taught Sidious that emotions such as envy and hatred, though necessary to master the dark side, were simply means to the end of casting aside usual notions of morality for a greater goal. Plagueis also lectured his apprentice on the means of taking power, with the eventual goal of control over the galaxy.
Sidious, meanwhile, began training his own apprentice, Darth Maul, without Plagueis' knowledge. Sidious would not kill his master, however, until he understood the lessons of Plagueis and had become powerful enough to defeat him.
The death of Darth Plagueis[]
Plagueis, who had discovered a way to prevent death with the Force, intended to explore an extreme application of his power—the ability to create life from nothing, using the Force to directly manipulate the midi-chlorians found in a living being's blood. When the Dark Lord revealed his plans for this experiment to Sidious, Sidious grew concerned. When Plagueis then stated that a being created in this manner would be the living embodiment of the Force, Sidious realized that his master intended to create his replacement, and decided to kill Plagueis before that happened.
Sidious slipped into Plagueis' room as he slept. At the last moment, Plagueis awoke just as his apprentice stabbed him in the chest. In an act of desperation, Plagueis attempted to use Essence Transfer, a Dark Side power he had learned by studying Darth Bane, to possess Sidious and destroy him before taking his body as his own. However, due to Sidious' stronger will, Plagueis' Essence Transfer failed and his spirit was banished into the Force, killing him.
Legacy[]
Darth Plagueis' experiment for creating life worked; he used his Midi-chlorian manipulation to conceive Anakin Skywalker though whether this was intentional or an accidental result of his experiments is unknown. After his death, Darth Sidious told Darth Maul that Plagueis had increased his own power by entering his body as he had added his power to Sidious'.
Though Plagueis had taught Sidious almost everything he knew, one of the few things he didn't teach him was Midi-chlorian manipulation and therefore Sidious was unable to create his own apprentice, instead having to rely on the one Plagueis created.
Personality and traits[]
You must begin by gaining power over yourself; then another; then a group, an order, a world, a species, a group of species… finally, the galaxy itself.
—Darth Plagueis
Darth Plagueis was a wise and powerful Sith lord and because of his wisdom he was sometimes known as Darth Plagueis the Wise. Plagueis was obsessed with eternal life and possessed tremendous knowledge of the Force. Plagueis believed that power was to be gained incrementally, beginning with the self and ending with control of the entire galaxy. As his own powers grew, he became afraid of nothing but losing that power. Because of this he taught Darth Sidious almost everything he knew, the exception being how to create life by manipulating Midichlorians, so that his power would not be lost.
Darth Sidious has indicated that Plagueis may have been capable of caring about others, saying that he was able to prevent people he cared about from dying. Whether this is actually true or simply part of Sidious' plot to turn Anakin Skywalker to the dark side is unknown.
Plagueis was a lover of all things otherworldly and arcane. He possessed a logical mind and was also strong willed, almost overwhelming Sidious during their battle of wills but eventually Sidious' will proved stronger.
Powers and abilities[]
Darth Plagueis was a very powerful Sith lord. As a Sith Philosopher he preferred to focus on the mysteries of the Force rather than combat. Plagueis was the only known user of Midichlorian Manipulation, an ability that required tremendous knowledge of the Force, and he managed to use this ability to concieve Anakin Skywalker.
Plagueis was obsessed with becoming immortal and therefore searched tirelessly for a way to cheat death. He discovered that Jedi could become Force Ghosts but this ability was achieved through compassion and love, feelings that very few Sith lords could feel. Therefore Plagueis was forced to find another way to cheat death, eventually learning the Essence Transfer power. Upon waking just in time to realize he was about to be murdered, he attempted to use this power against Darth Sidious and almost succeeded before Sidious managed to drive him out of his body and into the Force.
Though Plagueis focused mainly on the Force he was also an exceptionally skilled Lightsaber combatant. Masterful in both knowledge and technique, Plagueis trained Sidious in all forms and stances, sparring with him repeatedly over many years to develop the younger Sith's skills. Indeed, Sidious himself acknowledged Plagueis' skill with a blade, having only defeated his Master three times in their many sparring matches, despite mastering all the combat forms himself. Because of this, Sidious, although aware that he might manage to defeat Plagueis in a life or death duel, decided not to risk it and killed him in his sleep instead.