In “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” we see a very sad moment when Anakin Skywalker, who becomes Darth Vader, follows Order 66 and ends up causing the loss of many younglings in the Jedi Temple.
However, later on, Vader does something unexpected and saves some younglings from Palpatine.
This action probably isn’t because Vader suddenly cares about the younglings, but more about his position with Emperor Palpatine.
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The Secret Behind Darth Vader’s Protection of the Younglings
While Darth Vader was on Coruscant, following Palpatine’s order that Darth Vader must capture Jocasta Nu alive, a former Jedi Temple Librarian.
After capturing the Joscasta Nu, Darth Vader obtained a memory crystal containing a list of Force-sensitive children, detailing their names, locations, and birthdays.
During her capture, Jocasta, handcuffed, boldly told Vader he could use the list as he wished, but warned him that if Emperor Palpatine discovered the list, he might replace Vader with someone younger and more powerful.
In a twist, Jocasta revealed Vader’s true identity as Anakin Skywalker in front of his clone troopers. Reacting quickly, Vader used the Force to eliminate all the clone troopers present and ultimately killed Jocasta too.
Reflecting on his actions, Vader looked at the list of children’s names on the memory crystal. He then decided to destroy the list, keeping it a secret from Palpatine. This way, he made sure no youngling could ever take his place.
This act ties back to Sith’s Rule of Two, which states that only two Sith Lords should exist at any one time: a master and an apprentice, each bound to the dark side of the Force.
Yet, the story suggests Palpatine didn’t really follow this rule, hinting that Anakin Skywalker, who became Darth Vader, was just one of several apprentices Palpatine had.
Emperor Palpatine and His Apprentices
Darth Bane established the Rule of Two, dictating that only two Sith Lords should exist at any time: a master and an apprentice.
Yet, Emperor Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious, was known for bending this rule.
Initially, Palpatine was an apprentice to Darth Plagueis, but Palpatine eventually betrayed and killed his own master, taking Darth Plaueis’s place as the master.
Palpatine’s ambition led him to seek control of the galaxy, and for this, he sought powerful apprentices.
Palpatine first apprentice was Darth Maul, followed by Count Dooku.
However, when Palpatine encountered Anakin Skywalker, he saw a superior potential for galactic domination and took him on as Darth Vader.
Palpatine once revealed to Vader his views on his previous apprentices. He regarded Maul’s loss as significant and Count Dooku as merely a temporary substitute until a more fitting apprentice, like Anakin, could be found.
After Darth Vader’s death, detailed in the “Star Wars: Dark Empire” comics, the Rebel Alliance sets up the New Republic.
The Millennium Falcon, with Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO on board, flies to Coruscant. They’re on a mission to save Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, and Lando Calrissian, who’ve been under Imperial attack for several days.
Luke ends up on an Imperial prison ship heading to Byss. When he arrives, he’s shocked to find Emperor Palpatine alive, in a clone body.
Palpatine tells Luke that killing him is pointless since he can just come back in another clone.
Seeing the chaos Palpatine’s return could cause, and feeling helpless, Luke agrees to become Palpatine’s apprentice, hoping to find a way to defeat him from the inside.
