After Darth Sidious, Darth Vader may be the next most powerful Sith. After all, Anakin had the highest known midichlorian count.
Yet, Sidious easily defeated Vader. In comparison, Sidious struggled to defeat Yoda, who had a lower count than Vader.
How was Sidious able to overpower Vader so easily but struggle with Yoda? Read on to find out.
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Midichlorian Count and the Force
Midichlorian count correlates to Force abilities since higher counts are linked to Force potential.
Anakin is the best example of this correlation because he had the highest known count at over 20,000 per cell.
Midichlorian count (M-count) thus provides us with a shortcut to determining who is the most powerful in Star Wars.
Based on M-count, the Sith could be collectively more powerful than the Jedi.
According to these calculations, the Sith have higher median and average M-counts than the Jedi do.
Hence, the Sith hold stronger connections to the dark side of the Force and use it to defeat the Jedi.
That logic makes sense up to a point. Sidious deceived the Jedi, exterminated most of them, and took control of the galaxy.
His midichlorian count was never tested, but fans have estimated that it ranks second to Anakin’s level: 21,500 for the Emperor compared to 26,000 to 28,000 for Anakin.
We could say that Sidious was more powerful because of his high count.
Yet, that is where the confusion comes in. If Anakin/Vader had a higher midichlorian rate, how did Sidious overpower him so easily? And, Palpatine had a much harder time fighting Yoda, who is estimated to have a count somewhere above 15,000 per cell.
Based solely on M-count, the logic becomes flawed.
How Did Sidious Overpower Vader So Easily
Midichlorian count is important to explaining a Sith or Jedi’s power, but several other factors are too.
Many fans believe that the Sith are more powerful than the Jedi, but that is not necessarily the case.
As one post on this discussion board stated, neither the Jedi or Sith are “inherently more powerful” than the other.
The basis of power “comes down to individual skill and mastery of the Force.” These are wise words to interject into the analysis here.
In the Darth Vader comics, Vader traveled to Mustafar to confront Sidious about Padme’s death and the birth of his son.
Sidious also wanted answers from Vader about not getting Luke Skywalker to join the dark side at the end of The Empire Strikes Back.
The Emperor ended up attacking Vader, with Sidious overcoming Vader as if the latter had no power at all.
The most likely reason why Palpatine could win so easily is based on his relationship with Vader.
As many Star Wars fans know, Sidious sought to keep Vader under his control, and Vader had become subservient to him.
As this article conveys, Palpatine orchestrated this subservience and did not transmit to Vader such powers as Force lightning. So, Vader’s mastery of the Force was below Sidious’s.
Another explanation is that Vader’s powers had diminished after he failed to bring Luke to the dark side.
By the Return of the Jedi, Vader appears to have lost some of his Force power because of his conflicted feelings over Luke and the light side.
If that were the case, Sidious would prevail by leaps and bounds. That is, until the end of that movie.
Why Didn’t Sidious Overpower Yoda?
In Yoda’s case, even with a lower midichlorian count than Vader and Sidious, we see a stronger connection to the Force.
We might call the lightsaber duel between Yoda and Sidious a draw in Revenge of the Sith, with Yoda ultimately retreating.
Sidious struggled to defeat because Yoda was the top Jedi Master who had attained Force abilities that allowed him to deflect Sidious’s Force lightning with only the palm of his hands.
The buildup of energy from sending the lightning back at Palpatine brought an explosion that dropped Yoda to the bottom of the senate chamber.
Even with a lower midichlorian count, Yoda had climbed the ladder of Jedi power through meditation and training.
He only quit the fight after the explosion separated him, with his energy being spent and Sidious’s troops on the way.
Sidious and Midichlorian Counts
Darth Sidious defeated Vader because of his power over the latter. Midicholorian counts are important but do not always explain how battles will work out.
The same goes for Yoda, who had mastered the Force in a way to better contend with Palpatine.
Todd Wahlstrom is a creative and analytical freelance writer and life-long Star Wars fan. He has covered such topics as Darth Vader, the Jedi, Boba Fett, and AT-AT Walkers. Todd has published a non-fiction book, holds a Ph.D. in history, and enjoys hiking, running, and reading about science.