What are Star Wars About? Not What You Though!
For a long time, many thought Star Wars was the story of Luke Skywalker. Then, we saw that it was a tragedy of Anakin's involvement in the galactic conflict. Today, however, I am convinced that the most important character of this story is Palpatine.
Table of Contents
Lord Vader's father
In the end, as we know, Anakin became Lord Vader, who was to play a key role in the implementation of the Emperor's plans. As one of the most powerful Jedi, he helped to destroy the order, and then pursue the survivors and sow horror in hearts of the enemies of the Empire. Coincidence? The Emperor's cunning mind?
In Phantom Menace, we hear that Anakin was born, but had no father. His mother couldn't explain it. It sounds strange to say the least, but this matter became gained more meaning further on. In Episode 3, the chancellor told the legend of a powerful Sith Lord and his apprentice. They were supposed to learn to use the Force in such a way as to create life. The film does not say this directly, but the hint is quite obvious. The apprentice was Palpatine, and the immaculate conception was the work of him and his ability to manipulate the Force.
THE COMIC SAYS IT IN PLAIN ENGLISH
While the movies don't directly discuss the matter of Lord Vader's "fatherhood," Marvel comics Darth Vader #25 shows very directly how Palpatine used the Force to create Anakin. It seems to confirm that, from the beginning, the tropes cast in the films were well interpreted by the fans, and that the house of Skywalkers was created as a result of experiments with the dark side of the Force.
Lord Vader was the perfect tool for the Emperor. A project at least as important as the Death Star, and even more promising. After all, Luke was supposed to be even stronger than his father, and according to Palpatine's plans, was to take his place. But at some point, his tool escaped his grip, and made a decision that the Emperor had not foreseen, or that he'd simply downplayed.
Bracket
If we want to interpret Star Wars based on the six-part Saga, we get the story of a "monster" that came out right of the blue. Perhaps the last of a long line of Sith hiding from the Jedi, who decided he was powerful enough to challenge the entire galaxy. His plan destroyed the ages-old order, cost billions of lives, and turned the galaxy into a totalitarian state for more than two decades.
It's a story about how evil triumphs, and how something as incredibly prosaic as the love of father and son can defeat it. In the Emperor's throne room, Luke Skywalker says, "I am a Jedi, like my father before me." Despite all the evil Lord Vader has done, his son says – I am just like my father, and I am proud of it. I think Palpatine did not expect these words, and did not foresee the force they carried.
These six films present a consistent story: from the moment in which the "monster" comes out of the shadow and begins his machinations, until he is finally defeated. In this sense, it is a story about him, an entity that was willing to destroy everything for the sake of power.
And another bracket
Things become more confusing with the third trilogy, fom Disney. After the two, extremely derivative installments, the third one will probably turn everything upside-down. The last trailer reveals the return of the Emperor. More – we can even see a fleet of star destroyers – not the Republic's, not the Highest Order's, but definitely the Empire's. So, the return carries a big punch. It's planned and calculated, showing that the "monster" was even stronger and smarter than we thought.
It turns out that the Emperor survived, and will probably continue to implement his plan. Maybe he just changed it after Vader's betrayal, and maybe it was always his intention (though I doubt that was the intention of the writers from the very beginning). In any case, the finale of the new story will be the next chapter of the fight against the "beast." Another attempt to thwart her plans. As the name suggests, Palpatine will once again fight the Skywalker clan, which is his own experiment that turned against him.
Regardless of the fact that entire fleets and armies are involved in the conflict, this is a simple story about a servant who rebelled against a cruel lord, and about a lord who did not appreciate his slave. A very intimate story, you might say. Played in a quite unusual family. I don't know what the last chapter will look like, but nothing can change this. Star Wars will still be the story of a monster that appeared out of nowhere and set the world on fire.
DISCLAIMER
The text was created in collaboration with Electronic Arts, the publisher of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
