Happy Mardi Gras, Ya’ll. I’ve got a couple of new images here and again we’re still on the villains.
So when last we spoke we met the Mandalorians and their esteemed leader Count Dooku. We found out that Dooku is really the Sith Master, Darth Plaguies. We also found out that Plaguies has a secret apprentice named Darth Maul to whom Plaguies has taught many of his secret techniques to. Maul serves his Master as an elite assassin.
But who is Darth Maul a secret from?
Well, everyone but Darth Plaguies for sure, but most importantly the other Sith under his tutelage. That’s right! More Sith. That’s something I was very disappointed in with the Prequels, not enough Sith. Now I know this was done to establish the only two rule and explain why in the OT there was only the Emperor and Darth Vader but I firmly believe that this could have been done differently.
A quick lesson in the FORCE.
Number 1 you will not hear me say Midichlorians ever. Never.
Number 2 The FORCE is with everyone. Even the tree and the rocks… yes even the tree. (In other words, the FORCE is not as rare a power as it was in the Prequels.) I think that all creatures have the FORCE it’s just in different levels and ways. Some may not even know they have a slight control over the FORCE and just chalk it up to “luck” (Mr. Solo). Some have a slightly better control (like politicians) who are able to use it in a “charismatic” sort of way… and even to control. Military leaders who are noted as tactical geniuses on the battlefield. Jedi and Sith have the most control. Leaps and bounds above all others. The thing about it is, is that if no Jedi or Sith detects that one is strong in the FORCE and teaches the ancient techniques one’s powers go un-honed. (Just as if there were no Ben Kenobi in ANH, Luke would have remained a moisture farmer on Tatooine.)
Number 3 no explanation is sometimes the best one. In other words, I was perfectly fine not knowing all of the “details” of this ancient power. It was more fun that way.
Count Dooku had a vast military at his disposal on Mandalore, but it was not enough to defeat the Republic and her numerous systems. He began retaking old Mandalorian territory unprotected by the Republic. Millions of systems fell to kneel before him. Following his own masters teachings he was able to seduce some system leaders into the Sith order.
The first was the easily lured ruler of the Chagri system, Mas Amedda. Amedda had ties to a planet called Geonosis which homed a tremendous droid foundry. For decades Amedda had kept the Geonosians enslaved on their own world creating a droid army for his home planet of Champala. Dooku saw the usefulness in Champala’s grand mechanized military. He promised Amedda more systems to Lord over in return for his help in the coming war. Mas Amedda agreed and became one of Dooku/Plaguies apprentices Darth Tyranus.
Around the same time, Dooku/Plaguies also recruited a General to lead the Champala droid army. The planet Kalee shared the same system as Mandalore. The two planets in close proximity of one another had always been at war in some form or another for millennia. This everlasting conflict had spawned warrior like cultures on both planets. The Kaleesh were extremely brutal warlords and had produced many worthy opponents in the eyes of Mandalore, but none so worthy as the Kaleesh Warlord General Qymaen jai Sheelal.
Dooku met Sheelal in battle and easily defeated the Kaleesh warrior, but instead of killing him he seduced him with the promise of dark power from the teachings of the Sith. Fevered by the thought of such power and prowess in battle Qymaen jai Sheelal agreed to become Plaguies apprentice and High General transforming to Lord Grevious.
Knowing that the Jedi would eventually enter a Galactic War on behalf of the Republic, Plaguies sought to place a spy within the confides of the Order. The spy would supply him with sensitive information and try to keep any Jedi leads under wraps even if it meant assassination. Eeusu Estornii was that Jedi. She had been swayed by Plaguies and became a slave to her own ambition. She was Darth Uhbris.
Mandalore relied on Cloning to supply warriors for their militaries unlike the Republic who saw the practice as barbaric and used droids instead. At that time Utapau supplied Mandalore with her clones. The relationship between the two worlds was always somewhat shaky so in order to insure the high quality and training of the Clone Warriors Dooku/Plaguies installed a leader more sympathetic to his cause. Tion Medon was motivated by wealth and soon became Governess of Utapau. When called upon by her Master she was known as Darth Strega.
Darth Plaguies’ master plan was to destroy the Republic and the Jedi from inside and outside. His own Master had conceived the plan but Plaguies had killed him and taken his place at the head of the table. He took the plan and made it his own. He placed all of the pieces on the game board but one. He needed an agent inside the Republic hierarchy. He finally found this agent in the form of a Senator from Naboo named Palpatine. Decades went by as Senator Palpatine became a well-known and out-spoken leader in his territory. When the election for Supreme Chancellor of the Republic came up Palpatine entered the race. He was assured a win by his Master and once in place Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious would enter the war and run the Republic military defense and the Jedi into oblivion.
Secrets Revealed…
The Three Face of Palpatine
Little did the Master, Darth Plaguies know that there was a Phantom Menace that would soon arise. Plaguies’ Master’s plan was a shroud. The plan was conceived by the Master before him and passed down. Once the plan for revenge was revealed the original teacher disappeared. This teacher was an ancient evil, a Sith Lord who had learned to cheat death and extended his life. With the election of Palpatine to the office of Supreme Chancellor, Plaguies had sealed his own fate… for Palpatine was the architect of the game. He was the ancient Sith Master.
Palpatine had watched the Sith attempt to enact revenge on their enemies time and again. Eventually the Sith would destroy themselves from within. The group would split and a power struggle would ensue leading to more singular descent and eventually extinction. Palpatine saw the solution. The only way to continue Sith rule was to have only two… a Master and an apprentice. This would insure balance and control would be held solely by one Master and one only. Sidious was able to seduce the powerful Jedi Mace Windu to the Dark Side and made him his secret apprentice.
Palpatine/Darth Sidious knew that Darth Plaguies and his elite Sith Lords would soon begin to destroy one another and that the last thing he was expecting was the Republic Forces to fight back. Plaguies assumed Sidious would spread the Republic droid army thin with Jedi Generals leading the troops. He also knew that the battle droids the Republic used were ancient in their own right and would never withstand the Mandalorian Clones or Champala’s IG series battle droids. In order to seize power the Republic’s army would have to be rebuilt, but first Palpatine would tear it down.
After the droid army was all but decimated Palpatine would have to implement a galaxy wide draft for soldiers. He knew the citizens of the great Republic would reject this order so he had a secret Clone Army for the Republic lying in wait. The citizens would have no choice but to accept the clones or send their own people into battle. With the Republic armed with highly trained, living, breathing troops, Mandalore would be blind-sided and a great Clone War would befall.
More secrets to come…
