How Palpatine was defeated the first time

Despite being the strongest force of evil in the galaxy, Emperor Palpatine Still managed to face defeat in Return of the JediEven if this defeat did not last forever. At the time of his first defeat, Palpatine was without a doubt the most influential figure in the entire galaxy. He spent decades preparing for this role, launching a political career that would put him in the position of ​​power necessary to take full control when the time came. Palpatine even orchestrated the Clone Wars by playing both sides to grant each other emergency powers, and two armies.

All this masterminding, however, came crashing down the moment he was defeated on the second Death Star. The evil that Palpatine embodied was no match for the pure love between a father and his son, and in just a few quick moments, everything that Palpatine had spent his life building up came crashing down. It would take many years for Palpatine’s contingency plans to bring him back from the dead, and even then, his reign did not last long. How exactly did Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader manage to pull off this key defeat against an ingenious enemy?

Palpatine believed Luke would be a better apprentice than Darth Vader

He was strong both physically and in the force

One of Palpatine’s biggest weaknesses was that he could not stop gaining more power, as is a common side effect of those who embrace the dark side of the Force. While Anakin was originally the ideal candidate to be Palpatine’s apprentice as the Chosen One, and one of the strongest Force wielders in the entire galaxy, Anakin’s injuries on Mustafar which limited him to his Darth Vader suit took away much of that power, especially in a physical sense. Vader was in pain all the time, and that greatly affected how he was able to wield his power. Palpatine could not stand it.

Luke Skywalker thus became Palpatine’s perfect candidate to take his father’s place at Darth Sidious’ side. As the son of Anakin Skywalker, Luke was strong just like his father, and he was not limited physically like Vader was. There was also the issue of Vader’s own resentment towards his Sith Lord; Palpatine was no fool, and, of course, was aware that Vader intended to overthrow him at some point. Palpatine sought not only to beat Vader to the punch by taking Luke as his own apprentice, but also to cast Vader aside once and for all.

Essence transfer meant that Palpatine did not fear death

He simply cannot lose

Death wasn’t something Palpatine even had to think about because of essence transfer. This process, through the dark side of the Force, would allow Palpatine’s spirit to take on another host if he were ever defeated. That was the key; The person who killed him had to complete the act in anger and hatred, as it would allow them to become an ideal host for his spirit.. Palpatine, knowing the secrets he learned as a Sith apprentice, felt completely in control even when death was staring him in the face.

This is why Palpatine encouraged Luke to beat him down aboard the second Death Star. Palpatine knew that, no matter what happened, he would have a victory, both life and death. Had he lived, then Palpatine was sure he could turn Luke to the dark side. If he had died, it would have been the same result: Luke would have been his. Either way, Palpatine was certain that Luke Skywalker would soon belong to his Sith Lord, and that his power and influence would only increase – but there was a catch.

Palpatine’s visions of the future did not hint at Darth Vader’s redemption

His visions are clouded by light

Part of the reason why Palpatine was so sure of his victory in life and death was because of the visions he had of the future. The dark side gave him this insight, and It is very possible that a light side act such as Vader’s redemption would cloud Palpatine’s own visions.. That’s because Kanon has hinted at the opposite before, with the dark side clouding the Jedi’s own visions of the future. If the opposite were true, an act as benevolent as this redemption of the chosen one would cloud Palpatine’s dark side visions.

Working in tandem with this was Palpatine’s simple misunderstanding of the concept of love. As someone who has spent their entire life chasing nothing but power, Palpatine could never have predicted that something like love could have defeated him. It was not something he allowed himself to feel, a consequence of chasing his own ambitions. He never counted on love transforming Vader and giving his apprentice just enough strength and decide to finally defeat him. The oversight made Palpatine vulnerable, and it was not something he could have ever predicted.

Darth Vader’s love for Luke meant that he fulfilled his destiny as the Chosen One

The Sith were defeated by his hand

Vader’s actions thus became a long-awaited fulfillment of the chosen prophecy that he was destined to fulfill. The Sith are, by nature, an imbalance to the Force, as the dark side is a perversion. By eliminating his Sith Lord and finding the light within himself once again, Vader defeated the only two Sith left and brought true balance back to the Force. The Jedi may not have known for most of the years that there was an imbalance in the Force that existed in the shadows, but it certainly existed, and Vader was the one to end it.

The Sith technically did not return after this deedAt least not in the same way. While Palpatine was resurrected, it wasn’t a sure thing, and Rey defeated him again before he could do any real damage to the galaxy. Kylo Ren never achieved Sith status, and Supreme Leader Snoke was nothing but a proxy for the growing Sith Eternal Cult. This means that even after the rise of the First Order and Palpatine’s manipulations over time, Vader’s sacrifice still holds weight. Vader was still the one to finally destroy the Sith.

As Rey’s upcoming New Jedi Order movie is likely set to follow a brand new type of villain that has nothing to do with the Sith, Vader’s actions in Return of the Jedi will continue to be of the greatest importance. Palpatine is not an enemy that can be easily defeated, but between his own oversights and unforeseen circumstances he could never have predicted, Luke and Vader are able to pull it off. Palpatines first defeat in Star Wars Will always be the most powerful, because he never really came back from that fateful moment on the second Death Star.