Palpatine Was Never a Star Wars Jedi – And It May Explain His Power – CBR – Comic Book Resources

The Star Wars universe has been home to powerful users of the Force, both light and dark. That said, while names like Yoda and Luke Skywalker have often been first mentioned when discussing those highly skilled in the Force, it's impossible not to also mention Sheev Palpatine. That said, while Palpatine was a powerful Sith, he was never a Jedi that fell to the dark side. Instead, he was nurtured from a young age to channel his powers.

In Star Wars Legends stories, it was revealed that Sheev was actually highly skilled in the dark side and fostered a deep-seated hatred for his father, who didn't give him the necessary attention or affection. As a result, when he encountered Darth Plagueis, it was easy for him to embrace the dark and murder his family and guards before ascending further into his power. However, in the canon continuity, Emperor Palpatine's past was far more cryptic. That said, what was known was that he was a master manipulator from early on and worked with Plagueis during his initial ascent in Naboo. But it was his unorthodox history with the Force in these years that may explain his near-unlimited power.

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Part of why the Jedi would recruit children at such a young age in Star Wars was because they were most vulnerable to the power of the dark side. Being so young, such immense power without regulation could quickly turn them into something dangerous. Palpatine was an example of this as the Jedi never found him to train, meaning that he only ever had training in the dark side. However, while this was bad news for the Jedi, it made Palpatine a skilled Force user that had access to particular abilities that no Jedi could ever achieve. This may also be why he could fool the entire Jedi Order for years before his big takeover.

With a pure and direct link to the dark side, Palpatine could access a huge store of power that became devastating lightning. His version of Force Lightning was so powerful, in fact, that no other users in Star Wars could match him. He could also muster a dark aura that took the form of a powerful storm of dark energy. However, the most impressive application of his dark side Force abilities was his connection to dark side magic and incantations that allowed him to pierce the veil between his world and the World Between Worlds. Though it wasn't confirmed, considering so few Sith reached Palpatine's levels, it could be assumed his sole connection to the dark side made it easy for him to access its potential.

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One thing that Palpatine shared with his master was a desire to achieve immortality. To the Jedi, the best way to do this was to become one with the Force and live on through it. But for Palpatine, his desire to survive was more tangible as he didn't want to let go of his power. By following the lessons introduced by Plagueis, Palpatine mixed science and the dark side to achieve his goals. Using the strides made by the Kaminoans in cloning, the only thing Palpatine needed to master was Force Transference. By using the power of the Force Dyad of Rey and Ben Solo, he hoped to achieve a goal that his master had only dreamed of. While he failed in his attempts, the practice was all but a success and proved that Palpatine was serious when he cited the unlimited power of the dark side.

Emperor Palpatine may be the strongest dark side user in all of Star Wars, thanks to his persistence alone. But the catalyst for his skills may have come from a history that was never shared with the light side. From the moment he gained his abilities, it took no time for the dark side to take hold, and it changed him from a person into a vessel for evil that he welcomed. Because of his openness to the dark side and lack of internal conflict, as he was never a Jedi, Palpatine was nearly unstoppable for generations.

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Palpatine Was Never a Star Wars Jedi - And It May Explain His Power - CBR - Comic Book Resources