Revenge of the Sith is filled with so much action, drama, and suspense that it’s hard to keep up with all the subtle moments. One in particular that may have slipped past us was when Palpatine almost killed Anakin. It’s a brief moment but quite revealing in terms of Sidious’s plans.
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Palpatine Almost Killed Anakin
In this short video, we see the moment when Palpatine almost killed Anakin. It occurred when Anakin visited Palpatine in his office and began to talk to him about joining the dark side. Anakin ignited his lightsaber, which sparked some doubts in Sidious’s mind about his master plan. Almost hidden in that moment was how Palpatine twitches his left hand as if to pull out his own lightsaber.
It’s a quick moment, but it makes sense when we later see Sidious use the same move against Mace Windu. So, it was part of his usual way of defending himself. Further, it’s quite plausible that Palpatine was willing to kill Anakin, given how much he planned for contingencies.
As we know, Sidious ultimately designed the Contingency if he died to guarantee the Empire’s rebirth. As a master manipulator who lusted for power and wanted to keep it at all costs, he foresaw the need for “a backup plan” for the Empire. This Contingency Plan reflects Palpatine’s willingness to go to any lengths to ensure the outcome he desired.
This accompanying article follows similar logic with respect to Anakin. Palpatine was “wise not to hang his entire plan on whether Anakin turned” and smart for not drawing his lightsaber, which may have pushed Anakin into a duel. We may also agree that having Anakin on board was only “icing on the cake” since Palpatine already had control of the Senate and was poised to launch Order 66.
The slight moment in Palpatine’s office is thus surrounded by context clues that make it quite plausible that Sidious would have killed Anakin.
Would Palpatine Have Killed Anakin Immediately?
Yet, even if Palpatine pulled out his lightsaber in his office, it doesn’t mean he would have immediately killed Anakin. Sidious may have intimidated or injured Anakin to convince him to join him.
Palpatine preferred his plan A, the one in accord with the Rule of Two and his desire to have Anakin as his apprentice. That explains why Sidious didn’t draw his lightsaber right away and also supports the argument that he probably wouldn’t have killed Anakin immediately.
Since Palpatine highly valued Anakin for his Chosen One abilities, he would have done all he could to keep him alive, as we witnessed with the birth of Darth Vader. Without going too far into Palpatine’s manipulations, we can recognize the time and effort Sidious spent in “grooming Anakin” and his belief that he could subvert the “will of the Force” and use Anakin for his purposes.
Even with his backup plans and willingness to sacrifice his Plan A, Palpatine would have preferred not to do so.
Palpatine Was Close to Killing Anakin
In that hidden moment in Palpatine’s office, Sidious came close to killing Anakin, kind of. That is, Palpatine was willing to risk not drawing his lightsaber to complete his control over Anakin, but if it came down to it, he would have used it. Yet, Palpatine probably would have defeated Anakin and continued to woo him to the dark side.