Fans often think of Palpatine as invincible, including in lightsaber combat. Yet, his mentor Darth Plagueis believed there was a Jedi who could beat Palpatine in a duel. This Jedi was none other than Count Dooku. Read on to learn more and whether this was really possible.
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The Jedi Darth Plagueis Believed Was a Superior Duelist to Palpatine
This video relays that Darth Plagueis believed Count Dooku was the Jedi who was a better lightsaber duelist than Palpatine. Before the events of The Phantom Menace, Darth Plagueis warned Palpatine about a Jedi who could possibly beat both of them in lightsaber combat. Moreover, this Jedi, aka Dooku, was “not rigidly held to the doctrine of the Jedi,” making him more dangerous in a duel.
In James Luceno’s Darth Plagueis novel, Plagueis knew that Dooku was “one of the Order’s finest lightsaber masters”. Yet, what most captivated Plagueis Dooku’s “passion and restlessness” and discontent with the Jedi Order. These qualities made him stand out as a candidate for the Sith but also bolstered his aptitude for dueling.
Here’s exactly what Plagueis thought about Dooku.
Dooku prevailing over Palpatine in a fight seems probable at the time since Dooku was a Jedi master and Palpatine a Sith apprentice. So, we may agree that Dooku was potentially “the most gifted lightsaber duelist” among the Jedi. As such, Plagueis could be right about him being a threat to Palpatine, especially with Dooku’s passion and independent thinking.
If we take a closer look at a potential duel between the two of them, Dooku comes forth as a powerful opponent. Dooku was naturally “very gifted with the Force,” “a hard worker,” and used “an old school style” of lightsaber fighting that was extremely effective in one-on-one combat.
His lightsaber’s curved hilt combined with the “precision and efficiency” of the Form II style to make Dooku almost unbeatable. Since Dooku was such a master of his chosen form and possessed top-level Force powers, he could have been a superior duelist to Palpatine.
Many posts that go with this poll about a lightsabers-only duel between the two of them place Dooku as the winner. The setting would be in Palpatine’s office right before Order 66 when Dooku had “a large wealth of feats” to draw on while Palpatine would be “stronger, not a better swordsman.”
Would Dooku Defeat Palpatine in a Lightsaber Duel?
This list ranks Dooku in the middle of the best duelists before Order 66. Trained by Yoda, Dooku’s Makashi or Form II combat style was truly “an art form.” With the line of reasoning above, we can foresee a Dooku victory, Yet, for all his merits, Dooku would ultimately fall short of besting Palpatine in lightsaber combat.
Coinciding with the above rankings, we can see how Yoda was superior to Dooku, and that he lost or was held in check by Palpatine in their duel. Mace Windu was on par or better than Dooku. And, Sidious himself was more skilled since he trained in multiple lightsaber forms and could beat several opponents at one time.
Several fans here position Yoda, Windu, and Anakin above Dooku. Although Anakin beat Dooku on his rise to power and after Dooku’s peak, we can still see how he would have lost to Palpatine beforehand. Palpatine had his own advantages with the lightsaber.
Fans know that Palpatine only used his lightsabers on special occasions, but when he did it was with great effect. Confronting Darth Maul and Savage Opress was one of those times when he showed off his duelist skills.
From a broader Legends view, we could rank Palpatine at the top duelist spot, as with this list. We can recognize how he stalemated “a voraciously amped Mace Windu” and ably beat Kit Fisto as part of his accomplishments.
To be fair, the above list also recognizes Dooku’s victories over General Grievous, Asajj Ventress, Obi-Wan, and Anakin (the first time). Dooku was close then, but not quite better than Palpatine in lightsaber combat.
A Superior Duelist
Darth Plagueis thought that Dooku was a superior duelist to Palpatine, and we have good grounds for this argument. Yet, peering into this hypothetical closer, we arrive at Palpatine prevailing over Dooku in a lightsaber duel.