Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Darth Maul – Black, White & Red #1!Emperor Palpatine has a reputation for being one of the greatest Sith Lords in Star Wars history, as he single-handedly did what the entire Sith Empire failed to do thousands of years earlier: eradicate the Jedi and conquer the Galactic Republic. However, unlike the Sith of old, Palpatine seems to have a total disregard for Sith doctrine, and only follows certain aspects of the dark religion that suit his needs. And now, Palpatine is confirming his position as a Sith heretic as he attempts to harness ‘the Netherworld of the Force’.
In a preview for Star Wars: Darth Maul – Black, White & Red #1 by Benjamin Percy and Stefano Raffaele, Darth Sidious is sending Darth Maul on a mission to capture members of a dark side cult called the Final Occultation, who are being transported on a prison ship. This story takes place before the events of The Phantom Menace, meaning Palpatine is still trying to increase his strength in the dark side any way he can – including learning the secrets of the Final Occultation.
As detailed by Darth Maul in the preview, the Final Occultation is “aided by chaotic forces from the Netherworld”, indicating that their connection to the dark side of the Force is different from that of the Sith, and is perhaps more in-line with the Nightsisters of Dathomir, given the more mystical undertones of ‘chaotic forces from the Netherworld’. In any case, the Final Occultation knows how to access dark power Palpatine does not, and Darth Sidious hopes to remedy that as quickly as possible.
One of the major selling points of accepting the dark side as a Force-wielder is total freedom from the rigged structure and seemingly absurd rules of the light side-wielding Jedi. A dark sider can tap into their raw emotions, they can be with whoever they want, and they can pretty much do whatever they want. One great example of the true nomadic freedom of accepting the dark side can be found with the dark side cult, the Knights of Ren, who are effectively traveling barbarians who take whatever they want anywhere they go.
The Sith exclusively use the dark side of the Force, but using the dark side of the Force doesn’t automatically make one Sith. The Sith, like the Jedi, is an ancient religion with strict doctrine, and while Palpatine follows enough of the Sith’s ways to technically be one, he also doesn’t mind bending the rules a bit for the sake of power. Attempting to access the Netherworld of the Force would be a rejection of Sith doctrine for the sake of harnessing the chaos of the Final Occultation – and it wouldn’t be Palpatine’s first time venturing into dark side magicks.
The miniseries Star Wars: Darth Maul – Son of Dathomir confirms that Mother Talzin (the leader of the Nightsisters) taught Palpatine certain spells and rituals using dark side magick. In fact, it turns out that they even made plans to rule the galaxy together, as Palpatine also offered Talzin certain knowledge of the dark side that only the Sith knew. It was a partnership, though one that was fated to end in betrayal and bloodshed, as Palpatine could never share the throne with another unless he was still in full control.
In the end, Mother Talzin was defeated by Palpatine, which allowed Darth Sidious to continue on his dark quest to conquer the entire galaxy as the Emperor. Though not before Palpatine learned everything he could from her, which gave him a deeper understanding of the more mystical aspects of the dark side that wouldn’t have been possible to learn from the Sith alone.
Like Darth Maul, who is now questioning Darth Sidious’ commitment to the Sith ways in the Black, White & Red preview, Darth Vader once called the Emperor a Sith heretic when he found out that Palpatine was building a strike-team of lightsaber-wielding cyborgs. However, Palpatine silences Vader by saying that he was just as much of an abomination as these other cyborgs, as Vader was more machine than man. While Palpatine’s point did end Darth Vader’s criticisms, it didn’t disprove Vader’s claim that Sidious was a heretic – in fact, it only strengthened it.
Emperor Palpatine regularly merges dark side energy with technology, and Vader himself is a shining example of that Sith heresy. While using technology to replace a lost limb, or something of that nature, is totally fine, Darth Vader’s case is a bit more extreme, as he would be dead if not for the tech keeping him alive. For a Sith, that would mean that he’s too weak to continue, and if Palpatine was a ‘true Sith’, then he would have left Vader to die on Mustafar following his defeat to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
While Darth Vader may have called Palpatine out for practices that any true Sith would consider heresy (despite essentially being one himself), the most heretical thing Palaptine has ever done was return to life, as revealed in The Rise of Skywalker. To be clear, cheating death is not new for a Sith, with Darth Sion being perhaps the greatest example of a Sith Lord who gained immortality through sheer will and power alone. However, it is the way Palpatine went about cheating death that makes him a heretic.
Darth Sion used the dark side of the Force to hold his rotting body together long after he should have died. Palpatine, on the other hand, used technological advancements like cloning and advanced life support systems that were infused with dark side energy (and perhaps Nightsister magick) to pull off the same feat. Both Sith cheated death, but one did so as a true disciple of the Sith, while the other used any means he could, including alternate avenues in the dark side and (most unforgivable of all) technology.
Darth Sidious wouldn’t venture into full-scale Sith heresy until after he became Emperor (at least, as far as Star Wars fans have been made aware), though his actions meddling in alternate avenues of power in the dark side that disregard Sith doctrine have been taking place even since before the prequel trilogy. And now, fans have been made aware of one more, as Emperor Palpatine attempts to harness ‘the Netherworld of the Force’ in Star Wars: Darth Maul – Black, White & Red, which only further proves the idea that he is a false Sith in Star Wars.
Star Wars: Darth Maul – Black, White & Red #1 by Marvel Comics is available April 24, 2024.
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