@Tank.: Honestly, I loved Windu. His death in Revenge of the Sith was one of the worst scenes in the movies, even though it had to be done for continuity's sake. Besides, attachments really are not bad things. The Jedi Order at the time was simply blinded by tradition. Luke basically undid everything that Atris passed down, as well he should have. As for his lightsaber form, I think that is one of the things that is so interesting about Windu. He is capable of utilizing a lightsaber form that is born out of darker emotions and dark aspects of the Force but still remain so close to the light. Not only that, but it was such an effective combat form. I really like his character.
@Silver2467: Windu is probably my least favorite iconic Jedi of that Era. Granted if you go into lesser known characters there are others.
I actually have another random question for you. Don't think of it as anything serious, just something I am cooking up for an RPG plot. If a dark side character was to try and learn how to achieve immortality. As this powerful darksider is very vain and does not want to lose their physical figure or beauty. Which of the Older Sith Lords do you think would be best to use as a stepping stone to learn this power. Sort of creating a Sith Vampirism trait through Sith Alchemy perhaps. (Old Republic era or older)
" @Silver2467: Windu is probably my least favorite iconic Jedi of that Era. Granted if you go into lesser known characters there are others.
We will have to agree to disagree on this. Windu is in my top five favorite Jedi.
I actually have another random question for you. Don't think of it as anything serious, just something I am cooking up for an RPG plot. If a dark side character was to try and learn how to achieve immortality. As this powerful darksider is very vain and does not want to lose their physical figure or beauty. Which of the Older Sith Lords do you think would be best to use as a stepping stone to learn this power. Sort of creating a Sith Vampirism trait through Sith Alchemy perhaps. (Old Republic era or older) "
If they are trying to keep their physical beauty, then Sion and Nihilus are out of the question. Nihilus no longer possessed a physical body and existed in his robes purely in his Essence Transfer state. Sion was immortal and immune to death (unless he allowed himself to die), but he was so severely scarred, presumably from the Great Sith War. So, they are not options. Sidious was more effective than either Nihilus or Sion in immortality, since Nihilus was a slave to his own power, and Sion was just a bloody, painful mess. But Sidious never wanted to exist forever in one body (and could not do so even if he wanted to since his dark side potency deteriorated his bodies so quickly) and made it clear that his Essence state is what he truly considered himself to be. So, he is probably not a good candidate either. Malak never learned Essence Transfer. Exar Kun used Essence Transfer but was restricted to Yavin IV until he possessed Luke's students. This is a touch choice. Most of the Sith who have accomplished immortality do not seem to fit the qualifications you described. Sidious arguably had the most effective Essence Transfer, but as I said, his bodies were expendable. You could, theoretically, just create a character that learned from Sion but perfected his technique so that this character did not have to thrive on pain but was still physically immortal.
"You could, theoretically, just create a character that learned from Sion but perfected his technique so that this character did not have to thrive on pain but was still physically immortal. "
Hmm, had not thought about this. I like that. Exar Kun was my original option as he dealt with Sith Alchemy.
The basic idea is this Mistress of the Darkside as she is known wants to keep her physical beauty and power. She's alive during the Sith Civil War but retreats from Korriban as she knew that she didn't have the power to confront Sion or Nihilius but wanted to serve neither. She was a seductress and their way of life was just hers. She goes in search of a way to keep her beauty, visiting Sith Tombs and all the holocrons she could find. The end result would be her turning herself into a Vampire. However instead of normal blood, she has to have the blood of a force sensitive, or else her power is not sated and she grows weaker. She would then create her own dark sect on Mustafar which would later be developed into the Blackguards.
"You could, theoretically, just create a character that learned from Sion but perfected his technique so that this character did not have to thrive on pain but was still physically immortal. "
Hmm, had not thought about this. I like that. Exar Kun was my original option as he dealt with Sith Alchemy.
There are others greatly superior to Kun in Sith alchemy though. I actually also thought of Simus, but I am not sure if he survived his duel with Ragnos as a result of Sith alchemy or if it was the result of the tank that his head was placed in.
The basic idea is this Mistress of the Darkside as she is known wants to keep her physical beauty and power. She's alive during the Sith Civil War but retreats from Korriban as she knew that she didn't have the power to confront Sion or Nihilius but wanted to serve neither. She was a seductress and their way of life was just hers. She goes in search of a way to keep her beauty, visiting Sith Tombs and all the holocrons she could find. The end result would be her turning herself into a Vampire. However instead of normal blood, she has to have the blood of a force sensitive, or else her power is not sated and she grows weaker. She would then create her own dark sect on Mustafar which would later be developed into the Blackguards. "
So, basically, taking blood that is rich with Midichlorians. Interesting idea.
I have a random question as well, from whom had Vader learned to be a force ghost, or to become one with the force when he died?.. He couldn't have learned it from Qui-Gon or Obi..
" So, basically, taking blood that is rich with Midichlorians. Interesting idea. "
Yuppers. And thanks :) These force vampires won't be like our normal ones as they won't be classified as undead. Otherwise they wouldn't have access to the Force.
@Precise: It came naturally to him, and not to be technical, but it was Anakin, not Vader. Although every Jedi will become one with the Force when they die, Force Ghost simply allows for a Force sensitive to be one with the Force but still manifest themselves in the physical world. But to do this, the Jedi has to have a love for something. Qui-Gon was a gray Jedi in the Rise of the Empire era because he disagreed with the Council on matters such as compassion and attachments. He believed that there was nothing wrong with it, and that it does not inherently lead to the dark side, which he was correct about. Qui-Gon had love in himself and, as such, became a Force Ghost. He taught this to Yoda and Obi-Wan, showing them that they were wrong about their traditional views on attachments. When Luke established his Order, he abolished the bans on marriage, the Youngling training ages, etc. But what turned Vader back to the light and made him Anakin again was his care for Luke. That being the case, when he died, he became a Force Ghost because of the care he had for Luke.
@Precise: In some ways, I think there is, but having compassion is a key factor in accomplishing it. That is the reason that Force Ghost has been lost for so many years. In Tales of the Jedi, virtually every time a Jedi died, they were shown to become Force Ghosts, disappearing while leaving their robes behind, similar to the way Obi-Wan did in A New Hope. But because of the restrictions on marriage and attachments that were laid down originally by Atris (although I am not sure she finalized those institutions), that technique is impossible. I believe there does have to be a technique along with what I mentioned, but it probably is not too complex a technique, given how common it used to be among Jedi. Also, considering that Anakin was the Chosen One, although he lost probably at least half his full potential, certain things still probably naturally came to him, similar to how everything came naturally to Luke.
@Silver2467: I'm curious though. How do you feel about Yoda, because i've seen that most people either love him or hate him for various reason. One states that Yoda knew his foresight was going down so he should have mentioned that to his fellow jedi. Others mention that he shouldn't have gone in exile but lead a rebellion. etc..
@Precise: I love Yoda. You really cannot be a true Star Wars fan and dislike Yoda. He even has a species that is almost completely unique to him, and his species is simply known as "Yoda's species." There was Yaddle, who was a Council member who appeared in The Phantom Menace (among some other EU works), who was of Yoda's same species, and there was Vandar who was a Jedi Council member during the Jedi Civil War about 4000 years before Yoda who was also of the same species. But aside from them, there have been no other like Yoda, and neither of the other two were as prevalent as Yoda either. Lucas made it clear that he wanted Yoda to be unique; so he basically banned the creation of any more of Yoda's species. But anyway, Yoda's species aside, I love his character. Wise, powerful, and important in Star Wars as a whole.
" @Precise: I love Yoda. You really cannot be a true Star Wars fan and dislike Yoda. He even has a species that is almost completely unique to him, and his species is simply known as "Yoda's species." There was Yaddle, who was a Council member who appeared in The Phantom Menace (among some other EU works), who was of Yoda's same species, and there was Vandar who was a Jedi Council member during the Jedi Civil War about 4000 years before Yoda who was also of the same species. But aside from them, there have been no other like Yoda, and neither of the other two were as prevalent as Yoda either. Lucas made it clear that he wanted Yoda to be unique; so he basically banned the creation of any more of Yoda's species. But anyway, Yoda's species aside, I love his character. Wise, powerful, and important in Star Wars as a whole. "
Everything here is right; IT'S FREAKING YODA! How could anyone not love Yoda?
" @Precise: I love Yoda. You really cannot be a true Star Wars fan and dislike Yoda. He even has a species that is almost completely unique to him, and his species is simply known as "Yoda's species." There was Yaddle, who was a Council member who appeared in The Phantom Menace (among some other EU works), who was of Yoda's same species, and there was Vandar who was a Jedi Council member during the Jedi Civil War about 4000 years before Yoda who was also of the same species. But aside from them, there have been no other like Yoda, and neither of the other two were as prevalent as Yoda either. Lucas made it clear that he wanted Yoda to be unique; so he basically banned the creation of any more of Yoda's species. But anyway, Yoda's species aside, I love his character. Wise, powerful, and important in Star Wars as a whole. "
Everything here is right; IT'S FREAKING YODA! How could anyone not love Yoda? "
"The physical increases are the result of mastery in the Force. Maul could increase his speed at least five times that of normal speed and withstood a Force Lightning from a Nightsister (albeit, Nightsisters are relativity pathetic when compared to true Sith). "
Sadly I do not have access to the scans that come after this. =(
"The physical increases are the result of mastery in the Force. Maul could increase his speed at least five times that of normal speed and withstood a Force Lightning from a Nightsister (albeit, Nightsisters are relativity pathetic when compared to true Sith). "
Sadly I do not have access to the scans that come after this. =( "
No problem. I have read that comic; so I know what happens.
To the thread, this is still one-sided in Palpatine's favor.
@Silver2467: I still find it funny that this topic was over on page one. But it still managed to get to 11 pages. With a civil debate! (granted it was not on subject lol)
This is a joke right? Dude Darth Sidious has destroyed a ship the size of an entire fleet with Force alone. Does anybody care to show a more impressive feat by Darth Maul? Didn't think so.
Not only that, but unlike the 'other siths' he managed to survived being chopped into half, and actually so immersed himself into the dark side that he grew a spider's lower body, made completely of the dark side. No other sith, not even Sidious, much less Dooku, have done that.
Not only that, but the last two episodes of season 4 of Clone Wars clearly prove that Maul is superior to Kenobi AND Ventress in both the Force AND Lightsaber Combat. Both Kenobi and Ventress turned tail and RAN AWAY from the dark brothers in episode 24.
So, Vader is clearly superior to Dooku as shown in Revenge of the Sith.
Kenobi is clearly superior to Vader as shown in ROTS as well.
Maul is clearly superior to Kenobi as shown in Clone Wars season 4.
Thus, it means to anyone with half a brain that Maul is superior to Dooku AND Vader as well. (note, this is pre suit Vader, which was stronger than post suit Vader as stated by Lucas himself)
So, we have thus proven that Maul is the second most powerful Sith in the SW universe during the time of the movies at least. Whether he is more powerful than Sidious remains to be seen.
And spreading misinformation as you do is not acceptable:
@Andhaira said:
Well, in case y'all don't know, Maul is back. :)
I already know this. And what does this have to do with this thread?
Not only that, but unlike the 'other siths' he managed to survived being chopped into half, and actually so immersed himself into the dark side that he grew a spider's lower body, made completely of the dark side. No other sith, not even Sidious, much less Dooku, have done that.
No. Just no. Show me Maul instantly possessing others via Essence Transfer involuntarily, mind-wiping twenty billion beings effortlessly, simultaneously and instantaneously and draining twenty billion beings effortlessly while travelling across the galaxy. Much less creating Hyperspace Wormholes which rip through space-time continuum, teleport beings across the galaxy and wipe out entire fleets, moons and the surfaces of planets:
Not only that, but the last two episodes of season 4 of Clone Wars clearly prove that Maul is superior to Kenobi AND Ventress in both the Force AND Lightsaber Combat. Both Kenobi and Ventress turned tail and RAN AWAY from the dark brothers in episode 24.
Which is laughable. Comparing Obi-Wan and Ventress to Palpatine is just ridiculous.
So, Vader is clearly superior to Dooku as shown in Revenge of the Sith.
And he is superior to Maul also.
Kenobi is clearly superior to Vader as shown in ROTS as well.
No, he isn't. If you had read the novelization, you would realize that Anakin was still torn at this point and Obi-Wan also won via miscalculation. There is no "clear superiority" here anywhere.
Maul is clearly superior to Kenobi as shown in Clone Wars season 4.
No. The Clone Wars series are inconsistent, and even so, it was only when he goaded Obi-Wan to switching to a form he used less often and was less effective against his own.
Thus, it means to anyone with half a brain that Maul is superior to Dooku AND Vader as well. (note, this is pre suit Vader, which was stronger than post suit Vader as stated by Lucas himself)
That means, that Maul is inferior to both of them. Using ABC logic does not, in any way, reinforce your point. Show me some feats, not talk. And Lucas only stated that Vader lost potential, not directly weaker. Overall, arguing such, I could make points for both sides but would ultimately support pre-suit, but still......
So, we have thus proven that Maul is the second most powerful Sith in the SW universe during the time of the movies at least. Whether he is more powerful than Sidious remains to be seen.
And so you have proved nothing with your moot points.
Palpatine is clearly stated to be the most powerful Sith Lord in history:
Vader imagined the power that could be his if he crushed Palpatine and established his own rule over the Empire. But first, he would need his own apprentice. By himself, he could not hope to defeat the most powerful Sith Lord the galaxy had ever known.
--Taken from Vader: The Ultimate Guide
Yoda went after Palpatine in the empty Senate chamber, but could not defeat the most powerful Sith Lord in history.
--Taken from The New Essential Chronology
When the Sith finally emerged from a thousand years of watching and waiting, they numbered—in accordance with the tradition set down by Darth Bane—only two. The most powerful of these was Darth Sidious, an ice-cold, diabolically calculating genius equipped with the strength of the dark side of the Force, as well as an enormous wealth of Sith artifacts, equipment, and knowledge.
--Taken from The Dark Side Sourcebook
Inside the spacious interior of the Galactic Senate chamber, Yoda challenged the Emperor. The two engaged in a spectacular duel—a contest between the most powerful practitioners of the Force’s light and dark sides.
--Taken from The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
The key to Luke's turning is the moment when he and Leia realize the Emperor is no longer defined by his physical form, but has become a chaotic nexus of dark energies that swell and burst open the fabric of space, tearing apart everything in the vicinity, human and machine.
--Taken from the Dark Empire endnotes
And then there was Palpatine, of course: he was beyond power. He showed nothing of what might be within. Though seen with the eyes of the dark side itself, Palpatine was an event horizon. Beneath his entirely ordinary surface was absolute, perfect nothingness. Darkness beyond darkness. A black hole of the Force.
--Taken from Revenge of the Sith
Palpatine has spent decades studying the most arcane and esoteric Jedi disciplines. It is believed that he has mastered nearly all the known powers, previously unknown powers, and devises new ones at his pleasure.
--Taken from the Dark Empire Sourcebook
Plagueis made a soothing gesture and explained in great detail what had taken place. Concluding, he said, "He threatened, too, to place you out of reach." All the while Plagueis spoke, Palpatine was storming through circles on the narrow path, shaking his head in anger and balling his fists. "He can't do this!" he snarled. He hasn't the right! I won't allow it!" Palpatine's fury buffeted Plagueis. Blossoms growing along the sides of the pathway folded in on themselves, and their pollinators began to buzz in agitation. FourDee reacted, as well, wobbling on its feet, as if in the grip of a powerful electromagnet. Had this human truly been born of flesh-and-blood parents? Plagueis asked himself. When, in fact, he seemed sprung from nature itself. Was the Force so strong in him that it had concealed itself?
--Taken from Darth Plagueis
And Maul and Anakin have equal reaction speeds, correct?
In fact, Anakin has seen sub-light speed movement in slow motion:
Obi-Wan was already making that exact move as Anakin spoke. But they were inverted to each other: breaking right shot him one way while Anakin whipped the other. The tri-fighters' cannons ripped space between them, tracking faster than their starfighters could slip. His onboard threat display chimed a warning: two of the droids had remote sensor locks on him. The others must have lit up his partner. "Anakin! Slip-jaws!" "My thought exactly." They blew past the tri-fighters, looping in evasive spirals. The droid ships wrenched themselves into pursuit maneuvers that would have killed any living pilot. The slip-jaws maneuver was named for the scissorlike mandibles of the Kashyyyk slash-spider. Droids closing rapidly on their tails, cannonfire stitching space on all sides, the two Jedi pulled their ships through perfectly mirrored rolls that sent them streaking head-on for each other from opposite ends of a vast Republic cruiser. For merely human pilots, this would be suicide. By the time you can see your partner's starfighter streaking toward you at a respectable fraction of lightspeed, it's already too late for your merely human reflexes to react. But these particular pilots were far from merely human. The Force nudged hands on control yokes and the Jedi starfighters twisted and flashed past each other belly-to-belly, close enough to scorch each other's paint.
--Taken from Revenge of the Sith
Yet Anakin cannot even see Sidious when the latter is fighting, and so Maul cannot either:
Anakin blinked and rubbed his eyes again. Maybe he was still a bit flash-blind—the Korun Master seemed to be fading in and out of existence, half swallowed by a thickening black haze in which danced a meter-long bar of sunfire. Mace pressed back the darkness with a relentless straight-ahead march; his own blade, that distinctive amethyst blaze that had been the final sight of so many evil beings across the galaxy, made a haze of its own: an oblate sphere of purple fire within which there seemed to be dozens of swords slashing in all directions at once. The shadow he fought, that blur of speed—could that be Palpatine? Their blades flared and flashed, crashing together with bursts of fire, weaving nets of killing energy in exchanges so fast that Anakin could not truly see them—but he could feel them in the Force. The Force itself roiled and burst and crashed around them, boiling with power and lightspeed ricochets of lethal intent. And it was darkening.
He could feel the end of this battle approaching, and so could the blur of Sith he faced; in the Force, the shadow had become a pulsar of fear.
-- Taken from Revenge of the Sith
And here are some other feats to support what I have said, that Palpatine blinkstomps Maul:
Outside, the wind picked up another notch, shrieking and groaning among the eleven chimneys as if to announce the arrival of a hideous guest. Dooku's comm console chimed. He glanced over, expecting the daily report from General Grievous, or perhaps a message from Asajj Ventress. He reached over to open the channel, ecognized the digital signature of the incoming transmission, jabbed the channel open, and snapped to his feet. "You called, my Master?" The hologrammic projector on his desk sprang to life, and the wavering form of Darth Sidious regarded him. As always the picture was oozy and unclear, as if light itself were uneasy in the presence of the Lord of the Sith. Dark robes, purple shadows—a patch of skin, pale and mottled under his hooded cloak like a fungus growing under a rotten log. From under heavy lids the Master's eyes, snake-cold and serpent-wise, regarded him. "What would you have of me, Master?" "From you? Everything, of course." Darth Sidious sounded amused. "There was a time when I wasn't sure if you would be able to overcome that...independent streak of yours. After all, you were born to one of the wealthiest families in the galaxy, with gifts and abilities far, far greater than any amount of wealth could bestow. Your understanding is deep; your will, adamant. Is it any wonder you should be proud? Why, how could it be otherwise?" Dooku said, "I have always served you well and faithfully, my Master." "You have. But you must admit, your spirit was not made for fidelity. After all, a man who will not bow to the Jedi Council, or even Master Yoda...I wondered if perhaps loyalty was too mean, too confining a thing to ask from so great a being as yourself." Dooku tried to smile. "The war progresses well. Our plans are on schedule. I have dealt out your deaths, your schemes, your betrayals. I have paid for your war with my time, my riches, my friends, and my honor." "Holding nothing back?" Sidious asked lightly. "Nothing. I swear it." "Excellent," Darth Sidious said. "Yoda came to the Chancellor's office this morning. He is going on a very special mission. Top secret." He laughed, a harsh sound like the bark of a crow. The wind rose again, shrieking around the mansion like a creature in torment. "When he arrives, Dooku...see that you treat him as he deserves." Darth Sidious laughed. Dooku wanted to laugh along, but couldn't quite manage it before his Master cut the connection and disappeared.
Dooku paced his office. With the end of Sidious' call, the storm had slackened, and the shrieking wind outside now only sobbed quietly under the gables of Château Malreaux.
--Taken from Yoda: Dark Rendezvous
"I have learned that Anger and Will, joined together, are the greatest Power. I have learned to meditate upon Anger and Will with clarity and precision, and I have learned to open the hidden reservoirs of Dark Side Power. Anger concentrated by Will in the vital center of the body creates a portal through which vast energies are released—the energies of the dark side of the Force. Standing watch with the mind, in my meditation of Anger, I have slain my enemies from great distances, through the dark side Power that permeates the galaxy. I have created lightning, and unleashed its destructive fire. Using this knowledge, I can unleash the dark side energies that are all around us, even to shatter the fabric of space itself. In this way, I have created storms. Through a simple act of Will, I can generate Force Storms, energy storms that are vastly destructive and virtually unstoppable. Although triggering such storms requires merely thought and inclination, I admit I am not yet able to completely control the phenomenon. Among my goals is to perfect this control."
--Taken from Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
"The churning energy mass of a Force Storm can consume everything it touches, for at its eye is pure hate. Just as a black hole devours a star, this storm can swallow armies and fold space."
--Taken from Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side
This is perhaps the single most destructive Force power known. This power allows the Jedi to twist the space-time continuum to create vast storms of force. The power also allows limited control of these storms. Capable of creating annihilating vortices, the storms can swallow whole fleets of spaceships or tear the surfaces off worlds.
--Taken from Dark Empire Sourcebook and Tales of the Jedi Companion
"The Force Storm is truly an awe-inspiring demonstration of pure natural energy. After using the Force to open a hyperspace wormhole, tremendous shockwaves will ripple through the fabric of space. Due to the Force Storm's potential for abuse, the Council has recently classified it as a dark side power."
"The Reborn Emperor used this at Da Soocha. It has the power to kill worlds." —Luke
--Taken from The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force
Vast energy storms that connect wildly disparate spots across the galaxy, hyperspace wormholes are unpredictable and devastating. It was to the Rebel Alliance's detriment that Emperor Palpatine was able to not only control these storms, but to create them.
--Taken from Handbook Volume Three: Dark Empire
Mon Mothma: The energy storm that took Commander Skywalker, this is not an isolated event. Similar Storms have been detected in several systems.
--Taken from the Dark Empire audio drama
Palpatine's body was destroyed. Separated from his clones, Palpatine was forced to survive in the maddening, bodiless existence of the void. Through sheer will he retained his identity, crossing the gulf of space to again take up residence in his clone body.
--Taken from The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
Lightning blasted the clouds above, and lightning blasted from Palpatine's hands, and Mace didn't have time to comprehend what Palpatine was talking about; he had time only to slip back into Vaapad and angle his blade to catch the forking arcs of pure, dazzling hatred that clawed toward him. Because Vaapad is more than a fighting style. It is a state of mind: a channel for darkness. Power passed into him and out again without touching him. And the circuit completed itself: the lightning reflected back to its source.
Palpatine still made no move to defend himself from Skywalker; instead he ramped up the lightning bursting from his hands, bending the fountain of Mace's blade back toward the Korun Master's face.
Mace's blade bent so close to his face that he was choking on ozone. "Anakin, he's too strong for me—"
This was beyond Vaapad; he had no strength left to fight against his own blade.
--Taken from Revenge of the Sith
In the Senate Arena, lightning forked from the hands of a Sith, and bent away from the gesture of a Jedi to shock Redrobes into unconsciousness. Then there were only the two of them. Their clash transcended the personal; when new lightning blazed, it was not Palpatine burning Yoda with his hate, it was the Lord of all Sith scorching the Master of all Jedi into a smoldering huddle of clothing and green flesh.
--Taken from Revenge of the Sith
The end came with astonishing suddenness. The shadow could feel how much it cost the little green freak to bend back his lightnings into the cage of energy that enclosed them both; the creature had reached the limits of his strength.
--Taken from Revenge of the Sith
Cosinga took a step in Palpatine's direction, only to be hurled back against the bulkhead separating the communications room from the main cabin. A female voice from behind the closed hatch asked in distress, "What was that?" Nursing an injured shoulder, Cosinga looked suddenly like a trapped animal, his eyes wide with surprise and fear. He made a move to strike the handplate and open the hatch, but Palpatine thwarted his effort without raising a finger. Twisting violently around, Cosinga fell over one of the acceleration chairs, bloodying his face as it struck the armrest. A pounding began against the hatch. "Guards!" Cosinga shouted, but the word had barely left his lips when the bulkhead against which he was slouched buckled inward, heaving him face-first to the floor and driving the breath from him. Palpatine stood rooted in place, his hands trembling in front of him and his face stricken. Something stirred behind his incandescent eyes. He heard the pounding on the hatch and whirled. "Don't come in! Stay away from me!" "What have you done?" It was his mother's voice, panicked. "What have you done?" Cosinga pushed himself to his knees and began a terrified retreat, leaving smears of blood on the deck. But Palpatine was advancing on him now. "If the Force birthed you, then I curse it!" Cosinga rasped. "I curse it!" "As I do," Palpatine growled. The hatch began to slide to, and he heard the voice of the guard who had escorted him from the Jafan III. "Stop!" "Cosinga!" his mother screamed. Palpatine pressed the palms of his hands to his head, then in eerie calm streaked to the hatch, pulled the surprised guard through the threshold, and tossed him clear across the cabin. Raising his face to the ceiling, he shouted, "We're all in this now!"
Once more Sidious allowed his memories to unfold, and he relived the crimethe event, as he had at last come to think of it. His father's limp and blooded body. The smashed skulls of the bodyguards. His hands clenched around his mother's slender throat—but not really, only in his mind, strangling her with his thoughts. The lifeless forms of his siblings, slumped here and there...
--Taken from Darth Plagueis
He sprinted up the stairs to the next floor, where he heard a cacophony of human voices muffled by the thick door to a nearby room. Blowing the door inward with a Force push, he took a wide stance in the shattered doorway and positioned the blade of the thrumming lightsaber vertically in front of him. Through the weapon’s glow he saw a dozen or more Santhe guards in uniform seated around a table littered with food and drink containers gape at him in disbelief before reaching for weapons fastened to their hips or scurrying for others buried beneath the rubble of their celebratory meal. Sidious waded into the room, returning volleys of blaster bolts from those first to fire, then attacked, raising his left hand to levitate two guards into midair before running his blade through each of them.
--Taken from Darth Plagueis
As Sidious stepped away from the floating orb, he waved his fingers at a tapestry that hung against one wall. The tapestry slid silently up toward the ceiling and revealed an open doorway built into the wall.
--Taken from The Wrath of Darth Maul
Darth Sidious raised his right hand, palm outward. Before Maul could prevent it—even if he had chosen to do so—the long cylinder that was his double-bladed lightsaber flew from its hitch on his belt and went directly to his Master. But instead of grasping it, Sidious stopped the lightsaber in midflight, centimeters from his raised hand, and directed it to spin and rotate before him, leaving Maul to gaze at him in unabashed awe. Sidious bade the lightsaber to ignite. From each end blazed a meter-long blade of rubicund fire, hypnotic in the intensity of its burning. The free-floating weapon pivoted left, then right, eliciting a thrumming sound that was as menacing as it was rousing. "An exquisite weapon," Sidious said. "Tell me, my young apprentice, what were you thinking when you fashioned it? Why this and not a single blade, as the Jedi prefer?" "The single blade has limitations, Master, in offense and defense. It made sense to me to be able to strike with both ends." Sidious made a sound of approval. "You must bear that in mind when you go to Dorvalla, Darth Maul. But remember this What is done in secret has great power. A sword master knows that when he flourishes his blade, he reveals his intent. Be watchful. It is too soon to reveal ourselves." "I understand, Master." Sidious deactivated the lightsaber and sent it back to Maul, who received it as one might a cherished possession.
--Taken from Darth Maul: Saboteur
I am gasping, trying to suck in enough air to keep going. My vision blurs as Lord Sidious raises his lightsaber. I parry the blow, but my lightsaber suddenly flies out of my hand, torn by the power of my Master directing the dark side. I realize then that he has just begun to tap into his own reserves. Mine are played out.
--Taken from Episode 1 Journal: Darth Maul
Sidious shifted like a liquid shadow, maneuvering around his apprentice. Maul was suddenly up against the wall, gasping for breath as his vision blurred. His strength was evaporating. He turned fast to see Sidious. Sidious lashed out with his lightsaber. Maul parried the blow, but then his lightsaber suddenly flew from his hand. As Maul heard his lightsaber deactivete and clatter across the cave's floor, Sidious raised his own lightsaber and advanced.
--Taken from The Wrath of Darth Maul
Suddenly, my lightsaber is gone. It flies from my hand across the room. It lands in the hand of my Master. I never see him enter. Not if he doesn't want me to. The smile of triumph fades from my face.
--Taken from Episode 1 Journal: Darth Maul
Sidious peered at Plagueis through the Force. "Oh, yes, by all means gather your midi-chlorians, Plagueis." He held his thumb and forefinger close together. "Try to keep yourself alive while I choke the life out of you." Plagueis gulped for air and lifted an arm toward him. “There’s the rub, you see,” Sidious said in a philosophical tone. “All the ones you experimented on, killed, and brought back to life... They were little more than toys. Now, though, you get to experience it from their side, and look what you discover: in a body that is being denied air, in which even the Force is failing, your own midi-chlorians can’t accomplish what you’re asking of them.”
The Muun’s eyes had begun to bulge; his pale flesh, to turn cyanotic.
Plagueis slid to the floor and rolled facedown. Death rattled his lungs and he died.
--Taken from Darth Plagueis
One of Emperor Palpatine's many dark side warriors was Sedriss, a young mercenary who displayed an aptitude for using the Force, if not any particular desire to join the ranks of the Imperial military. Various Imperial organizations tried to recruit Sedriss but found him insolent, insubordinate, and violently opposed to authority. He was awaiting execution for the deaths of a handful of Imperial officers when he was spirited away by members of the Inquisitorium, and dragged before the Emperor himself, who asked Sedriss simply, "Would you like to kill me?" The Emperor looked inside Sedriss's heart and in his own way cut to the core of Sedriss's problem. Sedriss could not respect anyone whom he knew he could easily kill—which included most of his superiors in the military. The Emperor made a bargain with Sedriss: They would duel, and if Sedriss won, he could take the Emperor's life. But if Sedriss lost, he would serve the Emperor with unquestioning loyalty, or suffer the most terrible, lingering, ignominious death he could imagine. Confident of his chances against the frail old man, Sedriss agreed—and was promptly crushed to the ground by the Emperor's power. Sedriss admitted that the Emperor had defeated him and promised to honor their agreement. The Emperor didn't desist. Sedriss felt his ribs collapsing, and swore that he would serve the Emperor. Still the Emperor did not stop, until Sedriss felt his heartbeat slowly coming to a stop and begged to serve the Emperor. When he was finally able to stand, he instead knelt—convinced that this was a superior who was truly superior to him.
--Taken from The Dark Side Sourcebook
Although Darth Sidious did not hear anyone enter his secret lair, he sensed a great malevolence flow into the room. From behind him, a deep voice spoke, "What is thy bidding, my Master?"
--Taken from Episode 1 Adventures: The Fury of Darth Maul
Sidious cast his hooded gaze across the room to a deeply shadowed area in which Darth Maul sat silent as a statue, his tattooed face lowered, so that all Sidious could see was the crown of vestigial horns that sprouted from his hairless skull. "Your thoughts betray you, my young apprentice," he remarked. "You are puzzled by my steadfast interest in the Neimoidians."
--Taken from Darth Maul: Saboteur
"You may be wondering: when did he begin to change? The truth is that I haven’t changed. As we have clouded the minds of the Jedi, I clouded yours. Never once did I have any intention of sharing power with you. I needed to learn from you; no more, no less. To learn all of your secrets, which I trusted you would eventually reveal. But what made you think that I would need you after that? Vanity, perhaps; your sense of self-importance. You’ve been nothing more than a pawn in a game played by a genuine Master. “The Sith’ari.” A cruel laugh escaped him. “Reflect back on even the past few years—assuming you have the capacity. Yinchorr, Dorvalla, Eriadu, Maul, the Neimoidians, Naboo, an army of clones, the fallen Jedi Dooku... You think these were your ideas, when in fact they were mine, cleverly suggested to you so that you could feed them back to me. You were far too trusting, Plagueis. No true Sith can ever really care about another. This has always been known. There is no way but my way.”
--Taken from Darth Plagueis
The fact that Palpatine was flustered, confused, possibly frightened was obvious. But when Shaak Ti attempted to read him through the Force, she found it difficult to get a sense of what he was truly feeling.
--Taken from Labyrinth of Evil
In the night, the shadow felt the boy's anguish, and it was good. The shadow felt the grim determination of four Jedi Masters approaching by air. This, too, was good.
--Taken from Revenge of the Sith
Blended into the herd, the animal Sidious had fixed his sight on would have been indistinguishable to normal beings. But Sidious had the animal in his mind and was now looking through its eyes, one with it.
--Taken from Darth Plagueis
"I know you're still upset about the snake that bit you," Sidious said, continuing around the watery orb until he had a clear view of Maul. "I know everything about you, Maul. Everything."
--Taken from The Wrath of Darth Maul
Even via hologram, the flickering figure of Darth Sidious, hideous in blue and shadows, seemed to strip his false youth away, leaving his bones brittle, his joints worn thin and knotted with tension. "These are the envoys from Troxar," his Master said. How could he know? Dooku didn't ask. Darth Sidious knew. He always knew.
--Taken from Yoda: Dark Rendezvous
"Not fast enough," Sidious said as a stone smashed into Maul's lower back. Maul crouched and grabbed the nearest rock. He no sooner lifted it from the ground than he felt it burning into his hand. He yelped as he reflexively opened his fingers and let the rock fall. How could the rock have generated such intense heat? He suspected it was his Master's trickery. "Oh, come now," Sidious said impatiently. "Almost any humanoid with fingers can do that."
--Taken from The Wrath of Darth Maul
Reeling, Ferus stood next to Vader as the Emperor approached them. Clouds had rolled in like a great gray carpet; a storm was brewing. The thickness of the air and the coming storm seemed to give a hard change to the atmosphere.
Ferus felt the blast of the Emperor's fury, though he remained calm. Palpatine came straight to Vader.
-- Taken from Last of the Jedi: Master of Deception
And there is still much, much more. And credit to Silver2467 for some of these quotes.
The short version: Palpatine murderstomps, flagged for being a mismatch.
darth sidious has been stated as being the most powerful sith lord in galactic history. vader had the POTENTIAL to be greater, but he lost around 1/2 of his midichlorians in the fight with obi-wan. darth vader was more powerful than darth tyranus who was credited as being one of three greatest jedi swordmasters after yoda and windu. darth tyranus trained general grievious and ventress who could go head to head with some jedi masters. while maul was an amazing swordsman he lacked the skill and force powers of tyranus. there is no way maul could defeat his former master, not even yoda who was considered the greatest jedi ever(with exception of luke) could defeat sidious. in other words, the emperor stomps.
What amuses me about this thread is that Sidious already did stomp Maul. When Sidious abandoned Maul on Hypori to fend for himself for a month's time, Maul was injured and tired after the period he was sent there, but when Sidious arrived, informed Maul of a non-existent alternate apprentice who was to be Maul's replacement, and challenged Maul to a duel, Maul's ire was highlighted, a fact he exploited when he drew on his rage to fight at his peak while also suspending his physical pain and fatigue. Maul, bloodlusted, attacked Sidious as well as he could and as rapidly as he could, never relenting anything since he wanted to kill Sidious, but he never landed a hit on Sidious. Palpatine, on the other hand, held back to allow Maul to think he was more lethal than he actually is, and Sidious only struck at Mual a couple times and then simply allowed Maul to vent his frustration. All the while, Sidious only parried Maul's blows until Maul exhausted himself, at which point Sidious disarmed Maul. Finally, Sidious also proved he can fight faster than Maul can even see in this duel, he employed a training lightsaber while Maul wielded a genuine lightsaber, and he withheld all of his offensive Force powers except for TK which he only utilized to rip Maul's lightsaber from the latter's hand at the end of the match. In spite of all of this, Maul still stood no chance. On top of this, we have various other instances where Sidious has proven he can effortlessly breach Maul's Force aura by telekinetically pulling his lightsaber away from him and choking him; Sidious has proven he can hide his presence from Maul; and Sidious has proven on another occasion that he can fight faster than Maul can even see.
It was while he was trying to eat a tough-skinned lizard at the base of a cliff that two droids attacked. Maul defeated both droids but sustained a blaster wound to his thigh. Limping into a ravine, he found a large cave and hauled his body into it. Maul knew he had to recover before he could fight again. But without his survival pack, he had no healing bacta or bandages. The wound festered. The pain was blinding. He listened for approaching droids but heard none. The days blurred, but Maul was almost certain that a full month had passed since he had arrived on Hypori. As he fell into and out of restless sleep, Maul began to wonder if his Master had forgotten him. His wound became worse. The pain was beyond excruciating. He had no doubt that death would come soon. He thought he was hallucinating when he saw a cloaked figure appear at the mouth of the cave. It was Sidious. Maul could not believe his eyes. He felt not only relieved to see his Master, but genuinely glad. His Master would help him. Sidious moved into the cave. He came to a stop near Maul. Smiling as he looked down at his apprentice, he said, "Now it is time for your final battle." Maul wondered if he had heard correctly. He knew his Master must have been able to see plainly that he was not fit to stand. And yet he also knew his Master never tolerated weakness of any kind. Maul scrabbled at the cave's walls and pulled himself up. His balance was off. Searing pain shot through his leg as he lurched forward. Sidious handed Maul a lightsaber. Maul fumbled with the weapon and activated it. The cave's walls shimmered with light. Maul did not realize how parched his throat was until he rasped, "Where is the assassin droid, Master?" Stepping back from Maul, Sidious drew his own lightsaber and ignited its red blade. "I will be your opponent." Maul stared at his Master with disbelief. And then his disbelief changed to anger. He summoned up the dark side of the Force. He felt a burning sensation flicker and grow within him, a trickle of strength. He took a step toward his Master. Sidious sneered. "You cannot be as pathetic as you look." He raised his lightsaber and attacked. Maul parried the blow and reversed, coming at Sidious from the opposite side. But Sidious had already vanished, leaving Maul to lunge at the empty air. As Maul lost his balance, his body fell against the cave's wall. Sidious said from behind Maul, "You are that pathetic. You are weak. Not worthy of being a Sith Lord. I have misjudged you." Maul's anger turned to rage. He spun fast and swung his lightsbaer again, but again he failed to strike Sidious, who moved faster than he could follow. He fell against the opposite wall and gasped for breath. Sidious howled with laughter. "I expected your failure. I saw your weaknesses long ago. Your doubts in your own abilities. Your lack of faith in my teaching. Your inability to embrace the dark side. And that is why, over these long years, I have secretly trained another apprentice." Maul stared hard at Sidious. "Oh, poor Maul. All he ever wanted was a friend. Does it please you to know I have another apprentice? Does it make you fell less alone?" Still trying to catch his breath, Maul said, "More than one apprentice...is against the rules of the Sith." "You are right," Sidious said with a grin. "A spark of intelligence, at last." He gestured to the mouth of the cave. "My second apprentice is on the other side of the planet. He conquered all the assassin droids sent after him. He only sustained a flesh wound. He is healthy. He is strong. Unlike the pathetic weakling I see before me." Maul realized his opponent had not really been the assassin droids. He thought of all the punishment he had endured over the past month, and then of the unending punishments of his entire life. He thought of his true opponent, the unseen adversary, chosen by Sidious to become a Sith Lord. Maul felt robbed of his past and future. And then a rage unlike anything he had ever felt before swelled through him. The rage was so overwhelming that he thought it might consume him. No. I can direct it. My rage will consume my enemy. It will consume my Master. Glaring at Sidious, Maul saw the true face of his enemy. Sidious snickered. "Can you understand? Focus. If there can be only one apprentice, then one of you must die. Who do you think I have chosen to die, Maul?" Maul felt his rage flowing through his veins, pumping energy into every muscle. He felt so powerful that he believed he could accomplish anything. And more than anything else, he wanted his Master's blood. Maul sprang at Sidious. Sidious barely missed the first blow from Maul's lightsaber, an upward swing that aimed to rip Sidious in half. Maul swung again but Sidious deflected the blow and retreated. As Maul moved across the rough cave floor, sweat stung his eyes, but he did not stumble. He somersaulted through the air, his lightsaber whirling in the darkness. Sidious raised his lightsaber to parry the next move, which was so powerful it made him stagger backward. As Maul struck, he thought, I'm going to kill him. Sidious parried every blow, but Maul could tell his Master was working hard to keep him at bay. As Sidious backed up against the wall, he said, "You want to kill me? You want to kill your Master?" "Yes," Maul grunted. "You hate me?" "Yes!" Maul screamed through clenched teeth. Sidious shifted like a liquid shadow, maneuvering around his apprentice. Maul was suddenly up against the wall, gasping for breath as his vision blurred. His strength was evaporating. He turned fast to see Sidious. Sidious lashed out with his lightsaber. Maul parried the blow, but then his lightsaber suddenly flew from his hand. As Maul heard his lightsaber deactivete and clatter across the cave's floor, Sidious raised his own lightsaber and advanced. Maul knew he was about to die, but he did not cringe. As Sidious swung his lightsaber, Maul leaped forward, grabbing Sidious's wrist, and sank his teeth into his hand. Maul tasted blood and spat it back at Sidious. Sidious brought his lightsaber down on Maul. Maul waited for the pain and the shock of death. He was surprised when the lightsaber's blade bounced off his shoulder. Sidious cackled merrily. He stood and looked at Maul. Then he tossed the lightsaber aside. Maul realized his Master had been using a harmless training lightsaber. Maul leaned back against the cave wall. The rock bit into his back but he concentrated on the pain while his Master continued to laugh without mercy. When Sidious was done, he faced Maul and said, "Do you feel the hate?" Maul nodded. "Good. It is the source of your strength. You will hate me. No matter. Today you have delivered yourself into my hands. I have the power of life or death over you, Maul. Someday you will hold that power over another. It is the honor of the Sith. You will devote yourself to the idea of domination." "But...what about the other apprentice?" "There is no other apprentice." Maul was astonished. He didn't know what to say. "You have passed the test." Maul could still taste his Master's blood on his lips, but his rage was rapidly ebbing. He shifted his feet and realized he was standing on his lost lightsaber. He picked it up and shoved it into his belt. "From this day forward," Sidious said, "you are a Sith Lord. You have chosen a path of darkness, the path of power. You are Lord Maul. You are my instrument." "Yes, Master." Sidious smiled proudly. "Your rage. You enjoyed it? You enjoyed wanting to kill me?" "I took pleasure in it." Sidious laughed again, but it was not a mocking laughter. "You will do well, Lord Maul." Maul realized he no longer felt any anger toward Sidious. He felt only...loyalty.
--Taken from The Wrath of Darth Maul
One battle with two assassin droids almost undoes me. I sustain a bad blaster wound to my thigh. I drag myself to a cave to hide. I have no bacta, no bandages. Yet I know I must recover before I fight again. The wound festers. It is a searing, blinding pain. I am too weak to forage for food. The days blur. I no longer know how long I've been on this planet. Surely it has been more than a month. Has my master forgotten me? I am close to hallucinating when Lord Sidious appears at the mouth of the cave. I am so glad to see him that my bones turn to water. I look at him hopefully. "Now it is time for your final battle," he says. Another battle? I can't even walk. Yet his power over me is so strong that I rise on my watery legs. The cave walls shimmer in front of my eyes. My balance is off. I fumble for my lightsaber and activate it. "Where is the assassin droid, Master?" I ask. My voice emerges hoarsely from thick, swollen lips. I need water. I would kill for water. My Master powers up his lightsaber. "I will be your opponent." I take a step toward him. I know this is my final test. I summon up the dark side of the Force. I take all my pain and anger and form it into a tightly packed ball. I set that ball aflame in my chest. I feel a trickle of strength enter me. That encourages me. I use that strength to stoke the fire inside me. "You cannot be as pathetic as you look," my Master says. He raises his lightsaber and attacks. I parry the blow and reverse, come at him from the opposite side. But he is already gone by the time I am able to make my attack. The lunge throws off my balance. I weave, the cave walls blurring. He laughs. "I take it back," he says. "You are that pathetic." He tells me I am weak, not worthy of being a Sith Lord. He tells me he has misjudged me. I attempt to attack him. The ball of anger inside me turns to howling rage. It is painfully obvious that he is playing with me. He can kill me in a heartbeat. Yet something in me will not accept this, even from my Master. My life force won't allow it. I struggle on, even in the face of his laughter. He tells me that he has expected my failure. He saw my weaknesses long ago. Secretly, over the long years, he has trained another apprentice. I have not been alone. I point out, gasping, that more than one apprentice is against the rules of the Sith. "You are right," he says. "A spark of intelligence at last." The second apprentice is on the other side of the planet. He conquered all the assassin droids sent after him. He did not sustain more than a flesh wound. He is healthy and strong. "Unlike the pathetic weakling I see before me," my Master says. I realize dully what this means. My opponents had not really been the droids. My opponent had been someone I had never seen. My enemy has been chosen by my Master. He will become a Sith Lord. He will receive the honor I was due. He will reap the glory I had punished my body and disciplined my mind in order to receive. A slow rage begins to burn through me. It is a terrible anger, no less fierce because it starts as a kernel of disbelief and then builds. I have never felt anything like it. I know it can consume me. No. I can direct it. My rage will consume my enemy. It will consume my Master. Yes, my Master is now my enemy. He is my betrayer. Hatred sears me, hardens me. "Can you make the next leap in logic?" Lord Sidious asks me contemptuously. "Try to focus, Maul. If there can be only one apprentice, then one of you must die. Who do you think I have chosen to die. Maul?" The rage rockets within me, pumping energy into my muscles. I can do anything. I can kill my Master. I want to kill him. My hatred is so huge it blots everything else but my desire for his blood. With a howl torn from the depths of my belly, I spring at him. He barely misses the first blow from my lightsaber, for even in my rage I have employed strategy, coming at him from below, hoping to rip him in two. He parries my next blow. Sweat stings my eyes as I move across the rough cave floor. I do not stumble. I am nothing but the pulse of my anger, pure energy, pure darkness. I streak across the cave floor and come at him again, somersaulting through the air. My lightsaber whirls in the darkness. When he parries the blow, he staggers. I am going to kill him. Every beat of my blood exults in my power. Every blow I deliver is meant to be the killing blow. I use reserves of strength I did not know I had. My blows are sure and precise, my footwork flawless. I gather in the power of the dark side. I feel my power clash with his. The air is thick, charged with our dark, titanic powers. He parries every blow. But I see that he has to work hard to keep me at bay. Triumph roars through me at my Master's weakness. He is not as powerful as he appears. "You want to kill me?" he taunts. "You want to kill your Master?" "Yes, " I grunt. "You hate me?" "Yes!" I scream out the word through gritted teeth. But I have been weakened by my ordeal, and my Master maneuvers me against the cave wall. I am gasping, trying to suck in enough air to keep going. My vision blurs as Lord Sidious raises his lightsaber. I parry the blow, but my lightsaber suddenly flies out of my hand, torn by the power of my Master directing the dark side. I realize then that he has just begun to tap into his own reserves. Mine are played out. I will not be able to deflect the next blow. It will rend me in two. In a blur of heat and pain I see the mighty power of my Master raised against me, see the lightsaber come toward me, see my death as clearly as a bone-white moon in an ebony sky. I lunge forward and sink my teeth into his hand. I strike like an animal, so quickly he doesn't have time to step away. I taste his blood and spit it back at him in contempt. Yes, he will kill me. But I will die with his blood on my lips. The lightsaber comes down. I wait for the pain and shock. I wait to die. My Master laughs. He tosses the lightsaber aside. It is a training saber. It does not harm me. I am alive. He will not kill me. My muscles fail me but I don't let him see it. I lean slightly against the cave wall in back of me. The rock bites into my back and I concentrate on the pain while my Master continues to laugh. I will never forget the sound of that laughter. There is no mercy in it. "Do you feel the hate?" he asks. I nod. "It Is the source of your strength. You still hate me," he says. "No matter. Today you have delivered yourself into my hands. I have the power of life or death over you, Maul. Someday, you will hold that power over another. It is the honor of the Sith. You will devote yourself to the idea of domination." Confused, I ask him about the other apprentice. But there is no other apprentice. It had been a lie. "You have passed the test," Lord Sidious tells me. I deactivate my lightsaber and shove it into my belt. I taste my Master's blood on my lips. The world is returning to me slowly. My rage is ebbing, but I have not fully grasped what has happened. My Master fixes his gaze on me, the ice-gaze that holds such power. "From this day forward, you are a Sith Lord. You have chosen the path of darkness, the path of power. You are Lord Maul. You are my instrument." "Yes, Master." "Your rage," he says. "You enjoyed it? You enjoyed wanting to kill me?" "I took great pleasure in it," I say. He laughs again. But this time, his laughter does not mock me. "You will do well, Lord Maul," he says. And my rage against him leaves, never to return. I am a Sith Lord. I am his instrument.
--Taken from Episode 1 Journal: Darth Maul
Just arrived on the Hunters’ Moon, Sidious studied Plagueis as the Sith Lord and his droid, 11-4D, viewed a holorecording of a black-robed Zabrak assassin making short work of combat automata in his home on Coruscant, some hovering, some advancing on two legs, others on treads, and all firing blasters. Twenty years had added a slight stoop to the Muun’s posture and veins that stood out under his thinning white skin. He wore a dark green utility suit that hugged his delicate frame, a green cloak that fell from his bony shoulders to the fort’s stone floor, and a headpiece that hewed to his large cranium. A triangular breath mask covered his ruined, prognathus lower jaw, his mouth, part of his long neck, and what remained of the craggy nose he’d had before the surprise attack in the Fobosi. A device of his own invention, the alloy mask featured two vertical slits and a pair of thin, stiff conduits that linked it to a transpirator affixed to his upper chest, beneath an armored torso harness. He had learned to ingest and imbibe through feeding tubes, and through his nose. Seen through the Force, he was a nuclear oval of mottled light, a rotating orb of terrifying energy. If the Maladian attack had weakened him physically, it had also helped to shape his etheric body into a vessel sufficiently strong to contain the full power of the dark side. Determined never again to be caught off guard, he had trained himself to go without sleep, and had devoted two standard decades to day-and-night experimentation with midi-chlorian manipulation and attempts to wrest a few last secrets from the Force, so that he—and presumably his human apprentice—might live forever. His inward turn had enabled him to master the equally powerful energies of order and disorder, creation and entropy, life and death. "You have made him fearsome," Plagueis remarked without turning from the recording, as the athletic Zabrak cleaved a Colicoid Eradicator droid down the middle and whirled to cut two others in half. The yellow-eyed humanoid's hairless head bore a crown of small horns and geometrical patterns of black and red markings. "Fearless, as well," Sidious said. "Still, they are only droids." "He's even more formidable against living beings." Plagueis looked over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed in question. "You've fought him in a serious way?" Reconstructed vocal chords and trachea imparted a metallic quality to his voice, as if he were speaking through an enunciator. "I stranded him on Hypori for a month without food and with only a horde of assassin droids for company. Then I returned to goad and challenge him. All things considered, he fought well, even after I deprived him of his lightsaber. He wanted to kill me, but was prepared to die at my hand." Plagueis turned fully to face him. "Rather than punish him for disobedience, you praised his resolve." "He was already humbled. I chose to leave his honor intact. I proclaimed him my myrmidon; the embodiment of the violent half of our partnership." "Partnership?" Plagueis repeated harshly. "His and mine; not ours." "Regardless, you allowed him to believe that he is more skilled than he actually is." "Did you not do the same for me?" Plagueis's eyes reflected disappointment. "Never, Sidious. I have always been truthful with you." Sidious bowed his head in acknowledgement. "I am not the teacher you are."
--Taken from Darth Plagueis
Several years before the Battle of Naboo, Darth Maul received the final step in his training. His Master sent him to an Outer Rim planet covered with deserts, swamps, and mountains and ordered him to survive for a month against a legion of assassin droids. Maul persevered, but his final test was to battle his Master in a lightsaber duel. Sidious goaded Maul into opening himself to the vast power of the dark side, and in that moment Darth Maul became a Dark Lord of the Sith.
--Taken from The New Essential Guide to Characters
Sidious shifted like a liquid shadow, maneuvering around his apprentice. Maul was suddenly up against the wall, gasping for breath as his vision blurred. His strength was evaporating. He turned fast to see Sidious. Sidious lashed out with his lightsaber. Maul parried the blow, but then his lightsaber suddenly flew from his hand. As Maul heard his lightsaber deactivete and clatter across the cave's floor, Sidious raised his own lightsaber and advanced.
--Taken from The Wrath of Darth Maul
I am gasping, trying to suck in enough air to keep going. My vision blurs as Lord Sidious raises his lightsaber. I parry the blow, but my lightsaber suddenly flies out of my hand, torn by the power of my Master directing the dark side. I realize then that he has just begun to tap into his own reserves. Mine are played out.
--Taken from Episode 1 Journal: Darth Maul
Darth Sidious raised his right hand, palm outward. Before Maul could prevent it—even if he had chosen to do so—the long cylinder that was his double-bladed lightsaber flew from its hitch on his belt and went directly to his Master. But instead of grasping it, Sidious stopped the lightsaber in midflight, centimeters from his raised hand, and directed it to spin and rotate before him, leaving Maul to gaze at him in unabashed awe. Sidious bade the lightsaber to ignite. From each end blazed a meter-long blade of rubicund fire, hypnotic in the intensity of its burning. The free-floating weapon pivoted left, then right, eliciting a thrumming sound that was as menacing as it was rousing. "An exquisite weapon," Sidious said. "Tell me, my young apprentice, what were you thinking when you fashioned it? Why this and not a single blade, as the Jedi prefer?" "The single blade has limitations, Master, in offense and defense. It made sense to me to be able to strike with both ends." Sidious made a sound of approval. "You must bear that in mind when you go to Dorvalla, Darth Maul. But remember this What is done in secret has great power. A sword master knows that when he flourishes his blade, he reveals his intent. Be watchful. It is too soon to reveal ourselves." "I understand, Master." Sidious deactivated the lightsaber and sent it back to Maul, who received it as one might a cherished possession.
--Taken from Darth Maul: Saboteur
It was in the early days when Lord Sidious was secretly working to consolidate the strength of the Trade Federation. My mission was to go to the planet Chryya and ensure that their thriving spice business would be turned over to the Trade Federation to manage. I would accomplish this through threats and intimidation. I would not reveal my Sith powers unless I left my opponent dead. At first, I was successful. A few incidents convinced the frightened merchants to sign all the agreements. But then one merchant organized a protest. Before I could move against him, a groundswell grew among the people. Every citizen of Chryya destroyed their spice supplies rather than give in to the Trade Federation. They wrecked their economy for principle. I had not forseen this. In my experience, creatures are guided by their own comforts. I could not kill the entire population, so I had to leave and report my failure to my Master. He did not take it well. He raised a hand, and the dark side grabbed me by the throat and lifted me high. My breath was squeezed out of me slowly. Too slowly. I had time to feel every stretched-out moment of panic as I struggled to force even the tiniest trickle of air into my lungs. When I was close to passing out, I was dropped to the floor in a heap. My Master walked away. He did not address me or call for me for some time. The removal of his favor was worse than the punishment.
--Taken from Episode 1 Journal: Darth Maul
Suddenly, my lightsaber is gone. It flies from my hand across the room. It lands in the hand of my Master. I never see him enter. Not if he doesn't want me to. The smile of triumph fades from my face. "Do you think," Lord Sidious says, walking toward me, "you can ever relax your guard?" "No, Master." What a clumsy, weak mistake. I should be prepared for him to enter at all times. How could I have forgotten that, even for a moment? The lightsaber whirls in the air, twirling, held in my Master's hand. I can't track it, it moves so fast. But I know it's heading for me. Lord Sidious moves faster than my eye can follow. I smell heat and smoke. The laser traces the outline of my body, my face, my hands. The buzz is loud in my ear. One flinch, one involuntary twitch of a muscle, and I am dead. I do not flinch. At last, Lord Sidious deactivates my weapon. He tosses it toward me. The sweat on my palm almost causes me to drop it. "Do not let me see you relax your guard again," my Master says. His eyes burn. "You are valuable, yes. But you are not indispensable, Lord Maul. I can do without you." A flick of his robe, and he is gone.
--Taken from Episode 1 Journal: Darth Maul
Maul would lose every single time. He is vastly inferior in Force abilities, and his fighting skills are inferior as well. The fact that Sidious has already beaten Maul, while restraining himself no less, only further shows how one-sided this is. Flagged OP for mismatch.
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