Does Mas Amedda Know Palpatine Is a Sith?

I have a confession to make. Not only did Mas Amedda fail to make an impression on me, but I just learned his name.

He was just the blue guy that showed up and yelled “order.” Which, it turns out, may have been one of the reasons that Palpatine kept him around.

Mas Amedda is a classic example of a person with good intentions, who does more harm than good. He wasn’t a Force user.

In truth, Palpatine didn’t need to keep him alive. Yet, the Sith Lord made him the second most powerful person in the Empire.

(For military purposes, at least.) This is very shocking as the Emperor is the worst kind of racist. But he chose Mas Amedda to be part of his inner circle.

Join me in learning about this unassuming yet vital character (Why couldn’t this guy have been a supposed Sith Lord? He’s scarier looking than Jar Jar Binks.)

Does Mas Amedda Know Palpatine Is A Sith?

Yes, but he didn’t find out until after Palpatine was the Supreme Chancellor. Mas Amedda was the Vice-Chair for Finis Valorum when we’re first introduced to him in episode one.

He joined politics to help people. All people. But the higher he rose, the more he realized that those with power rarely helped anyone.

This forced Mas Amedda to make a hard choice. He was the second most powerful person in the Republic.

He had a duty to listen to everyone and make sure that everyone got their say. He wanted to be neutral in all things.

Finis Valorum wasn’t a bad Supreme Chancellor. He was just indecisive and often bowed to the wealthy.

He was a genuinely nice man who wanted to help Queen Amidala (Padame) with her plight against the Trade Federation. Palpatine was one of his many allies at that time.

And that kindness would lead to his downfall along with Mas Amedda (helping) the Republic by keeping it in a gridlock. When Amidala tries to appeal to the Senate for help, Valorum cannot aid her.

The representative of the Federation (Lott Dod) declared that she had no evidence and that she must submit to a delegation to investigate the matter. (Dot wasn’t in the wrong for demanding evidence, but he’d have to get rid of the delegation if one was sent.)

Instead of making his own decision, Valorum turned to Mas Amedda, who was interrupted by an unknown third party. We can’t hear what they’re saying, but Amedda would have wanted to go along with the delegation idea since that’s proper protocol.

But this is where Queen Amidala unknowingly falls into Palpatine’s trap and calls for a vote of no confidence. And despite all of his intentions, Valorum finds himself being quickly voted down.

Palpatine kept Mas Amedda as Vice Chair, and Amedda watched as this new Chancellor began to be just like all of the previous ones. Amedda decided to attempt to manipulate Palpatine as he had with Valorum, but he didn’t know who he was dealing with.

It’s unclear why Palpatine decided to reveal his identity to Amedda. The Vice-Chair wasn’t charismatic, and he didn’t covet power.

He had a reputation for justice and a desire to serve. Upon learning the Chancellor was a Sith Lord, Amedda pledged his loyalty and believed he was helping to make the galaxy a better place.

He was at Palpatine’s side when he issued Order 66 and rarely left the Emperor’s presence.  When Palpatine declared the Republic was now the first Galactic Empire, he was there.

And received the new title of the Grand Vizier. Though he wound up with very little power, this title made him the rightful heir to the Empire.

One of the things that interested me the most is that Amedda was spared during Operation Cinder. Similar to Order 66, droids would attack several Galactic planets as punishment for letting him die. 

Surely, Mas Amedda should have been a priority target given everything he knew, yet he was spared. This shows that the Emperor wanted the galaxy to fall apart without him, and Amedda tried to control Coruscant. 

Sadly, he quickly lost control of it and tried to surrender himself to the Rebels. But they refused because he wasn’t worth the trouble of taking prisoner.

If he wanted to have any chance at freedom once the war had ended, he had to reclaim control of the Empire and surrender it to them. But this was easier said than done.

Amedda was captured by Gallius Rax after he considered jumping from the highest balcony of the Imperial Palace. Amedda was forced to be a figurehead until a group of children known as the Anklebiter Brigade liberated him.

(They would kill Amedda until they saw how wretched he was.) This time, Amedda was able to buy his life with the Rebels.

He surrendered the planet and what remnants of the army that remained. He spent the rest of his life as a figurehead for the new provisional government. 

Mas Amedda would be known as a willing supporter of the Emperor and a coward.

In Conclusion

Mas Amedda wasn’t the worst character in Star Wars, but he still played a part in the Republic’s downfall. He may have been one of the few aliens that Palpatine liked, but we might never know.

Thank you for reading and remember: Always trust your instincts.