A brilliant Star Wars theory suggests that Emperor Palpatine began his plan to create a clone body capable of holding his essence as early as Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Palpatine has been a common thread that linked the entire Star Wars timeline together since the franchise’s beginning in 1977. From his subtle political maneuverings in the prequel trilogy to his unexpected return in the sequels, Palpatine has been terrorizing the galaxy far, far away for quite a while. While his evil plans are usually overt, his more subtle cloning plot may have spread his reach even further than previously thought.
In the immediate aftermath of Order 66, Palpatine began a program to research and develop cloning technology. With scientific minds like Dr. Hemlock from The Bad Batch and Dr. Pershing from The Mandalorian, Palpatine began the process of discovering how to give a clone sensitivity to the Force. While most of his plan was explained after the release of Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, an exciting theory suggests that his cloning plan was set up years before the sequel Star Wars movies, in Revenge of the Sith.
Star Wars: Emperor Palpatine’s 20 Best Quotes
The Star Wars franchise is unmatched for quotable lines, and some of the best are spoken by the villainous Emperor Palpatine.
Palpatine Had No Intention Of Following The Rule Of Two
The Sith Rule of Two was a way for the Sith legacy to carry on in secret by pairing one Sith Lord with one apprentice, keeping their numbers down and hiding the threat they posed from the Jedi. It was one of the few rules that the Sith actually followed, but it meant very little to the Emperor. Palpatine always planned on breaking the Sith Rule of Two, as he wanted to rule the galaxy by himself, forever.
There was never any room in his plan for a successor to take over the Empire. Palpatine was too proud and arrogant to allow anyone, even his apprentice, to replace him, so he made plans to ensure he could rule forever. He had beaten the Jedi and established the Empire, and he didn’t want anyone else to enjoy the power he had created. Palpatine embodied the dark side of the Force, including the greed and jealousy that prevented him from implementing the Rule of Two.
Palpatine Knew The Secret Of Essence Transfer
Palpatine used the story of his Sith master, Darth Plagueis, and his knowledge of the secret to eternal life to seduce Anakin to the dark side. It turns out that this wasn’t a lie crafted specifically for Anakin, and Palpatine had actually learned the technique from his master. Essence transfer allowed Palpatine to essentially hijack another body and possess it, using it as a house for his consciousness. With enough bodies, Palpatine could live forever, but finding those bodies proved to be the most challenging part of his plan.
While essence transfer would allow Palpatine to live forever, it also came with a caveat. Whatever body he tried to possess needed to be strong enough with the Force to contain Palpatine’s power. People that could match Palpatine’s power with the Force were few and far between, and only one person at the time came close. With essence transfer, all Palpatine needed was a body that could house him, which he thought he had already found in the Chosen One.
Did Palpatine Intend To Possess The Body Of Anakin Skywalker?
Since Palpatine could hijack bodies as he saw fit and live forever, the only problem he had left to solve was finding suitable bodies. Palpatine’s clone body was deteriorating in The Rise of Skywalker, and it was because his essence had too much power for the imperfect body to contain. Anakin’s status as the Chosen One meant his body was more than powerful enough with the Force to contain Palpatine’s essence. In fact, Anakin may have been the only person in the galaxy who was strong enough for Palpatine to possess, as other bodies would have wasted away trying to contain his power.
Palpatine planned to use Anakin’s body to achieve his goal, but it wasn’t his first goal. He first had to seduce Anakin to the dark side so he could destroy the Jedi. Palpatine’s plans for Anakin proved that he only ever saw his apprentice as a tool to be used to further his own goals. Using Anakin’s body to hold his own essence would have been a way to use his favorite tool fully. Obi-Wan was able to stop Palpatine’s plans though, and he inadvertently saved Anakin from becoming a vessel for the Emperor by nearly killing him.
Obi-Wan’s Victory Meant Darth Vader Was No Longer An Attractive Host
When Darth Vader was injured after his duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi, he lost his three remaining limbs. He was fitted with cybernetic prostheses afterwards, but since he had much less organic body mass, his midi-chlorian count decreased, and he had a weaker connection to the Force. After Palpatine replaced his limbs with cybernetics, Vader was also in constant, almost unbearable pain. The state of Vader’s body made him a terrible candidate to house Palpatine’s essence, so he began looking for another way to live forever.
Vader’s injuries became the inspiration for Palpatine to start his cloning program. When his original host no longer served as a viable option, Palpatine shifted his plan from finding a body that could contain his power towards creating one. Having a way to create clones that were capable of holding his essence turned out to be an even better solution to his problem, as it would have created an endless supply of bodies for him to inhabit. The program was also clearly important to Palpatine, as it became one of the Empire’s top priorities throughout its existence.
Palpatine’s cloning plan has been the source of several interesting plots that have woven the different eras of Star Wars together. It has allowed for some of the best story lines in both The Bad Batch and The Mandalorian, and exploring it further makes the future of the franchise very exciting. While it is mostly depicted in newer Star Wars shows and movies, his cloning program could have built Revenge of the Sith into the overarching thread that now weaves the entire Skywalker saga together.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
- Release Date
- May 19, 2005
- Director
- George Lucas
- Cast
- Ewan McGregor , Natalie Portman , Hayden Christensen , Ian McDiarmid , Samuel L. Jackson , Christopher Lee , Anthony Daniels , Kenny Baker , Frank Oz , Ahmed Best , Temuera Morrison
- Franchise(s)
- Star Wars
