Is Darth Sidious Actually The Strongest Sith Of All Time? He Certainly Thinks So…
“Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design. “
“Of all the monsters I have created, I still regard Darth Vader as something of a minor masterpiece. No, he was not an entirely alchemical creation, but he was my monster nevertheless. Even though he failed to live up to his full potential, there was much pleasure in transforming Anakin Skywalker from a bright-eyed, tousle-headed youth into the greatest Jedi killer of all time. Yes, he ultimately turned against his Master, as monsters sometimes do, but that was my fault, not his. Given the opportunity to create Vader again, I would, and with zeal.”
“Even death kneels before me!”
“Now, you will experience my full potency. I live as energy. I am the dark side! “
We all know Sheev Palpatine (aka. the Emperor, aka. Sith Lord Darth Sidious) had an inflated opinion of himself. While it is true Sidious did some pretty sketchy things during his reign of terror over the galaxy, was he really as good as he thought he was?
It is true that Sidious crafted a well-thought-out plan to take over the galaxy. From manipulating the midichlorians with the Force to create his eventual student Anakin Skywalker to taking control of the Senate (“I AM THE SENATE!”) to his vast cloning program, Sidious had things under control. If I had powers such as his, I should think my ego would be inflated as well. After all, he convinced the greatest Jedi, the prophetic Chosen One, to turn to the Dark Side. He also killed Jedi Master Mace Windu with little to no effort.
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“Power! Unlimited Power!”
Let’s be honest, though. There are other Sith Lords who were more powerful. Let’s take a look at them.
Darth Vitiate killed his own father at the tender age of ten with a mere thought after stripping him of his power and torturing him. He just had to make murder that much worse, of course! He then set out on a path of destruction on his home planet of Medriaas, massacring thousands when other kids his age were still learning how to read and write.
Vitiate (still known by his birth name of Tenebrae) took three years to take control of his homeworld, which he renamed Nathema. He would rule it for roughly 1,500 years. During the Great Hyperspace Wars, Vitiate made his power play by calling all remaining Sith Lords to Nathema. When they arrived eight thousand strong, Vitiate took control of their minds, forcing them to participate in a ten-day ritual which annihilated every living thing on Nathema, except for Vitiate.
Darth Nihilus was a Sith Lord so powerful that he could devour the energy from Force users planetwide. His voice caused pain and death to anyone unfortunate enough to hear it. He also kept his consciousness alive by containing it in his armor, feeding off the Force energy of others with a hunger not seen by any other Sith Lord. He could reach through the Force as far as a whole star system away. His helpless victims never saw him coming.
Clearly, Sidious was powerful. No one can deny that. He was responsible for millions, perhaps billions, of deaths during his reign as Supreme Chancellor and Emperor. He caused the downfall of the Jedi Order, the destruction of the prophesied Chosen One, and wreaked havoc throughout the Galaxy. Sidious could not, however, destroy whole planets or drain every Force user of their powers. His powers lay more in the manipulative arts, whereas his Sith predecessors held more unnatural pathways in their walks on the Dark Side of the Force.
Sidious was powerful, but in the grand scheme of things, Darth Vitiate and Darth Nihilus were more powerful Sith Lords.
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Source(s): Culture Slate, Reel Rundown