Alright, so I’ve been rewatching Star Wars, and I gotta admit, one thing about Sidious, or Palpatine if you prefer, keeps bugging me.
Why did this guy keep blasting Force lightning even when it was getting tossed back at him?
He does it with Mace Windu in Revenge of the Sith, and then again with Rey in The Rise of Skywalker.
It’s like, “Dude, you’re frying yourself here!” So I dug into it a bit and came up with a few reasons that actually make this choice feel, well, pretty understandable.
Let’s get into it.
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Palpatine Was Just That Arrogant
First off, this guy was the Dark Lord of the Sith. Sidious didn’t see himself as just another Sith, he saw himself as the Sith.
So when his lightning wasn’t getting through Windu’s saber or Rey’s block, he probably figured he could just keep pushing until he broke through.
I mean, arrogance is basically a Sith core value. Sidious thought he was unstoppable, that no one could resist him forever.
In his mind, all he had to do was keep pressing, and eventually, his power would win out. I can almost hear him thinking, “This is unlimited power, you will give in!”
He Was Just Playing the Victim to Manipulate Anakin
If you look at the Windu scene closely, Sidious had another goal: Anakin.
By blasting away at Windu, even when it was getting reflected, he actually started to look weak, even a bit desperate.
This was all part of his plan to manipulate Anakin.
Sidious knew Anakin was already torn, and he figured if he played the “poor victim” card hard enough, he’d push Anakin right over the edge.
And guess what? It worked. Anakin bought it, stepping in to save him and sealing his own fate in the process.
Sidious knew what he was doing; it wasn’t just about beating Windu – it was about getting Anakin to make that dark choice.
I can imagine Sidious going, “Let me look just vulnerable enough, and then, bam, he’s mine.”
The Rage Just Took Over
Now, with Rey, things get even more interesting. By that point, Sidious wasn’t just your everyday Sith Lord.
He was a broken-down clone, half held together by dark side energy and sheer hatred. The lightning wasn’t just an attack; it was an outpouring of all his rage.
It’s almost like once he started, he just couldn’t stop. Sith lightning isn’t just some fancy weapon you can flick on and off – it’s raw emotion, raw power.
So when Sidious starts blasting Rey, he’s already at a boiling point. He’s got this whole “I am all the Sith!” mindset going, and once he lets loose, it’s like a runaway train.
He’s too angry, too far gone to think, “Wait, this is hurting me.” He’s beyond reason at this point; he just wants to destroy, and he’s blinded by his own fury.
There Wasn’t Really Another Option Left
By the time we get to The Rise of Skywalker, Sidious is practically falling apart, right? He’s this half-dead, zombified clone who’s somehow still kicking.
At that point, it’s not like he’s gonna pick up a lightsaber and duel Rey one-on-one. His only real option was Force lightning – it was his signature move and probably the only one he could still pull off without collapsing on the spot.
So, what does he do? He goes all-in with the lightning because, honestly, what else does he have?
It’s like he’s doubling down on the one thing he knows can dish out serious damage, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he can overpower her with sheer force.
It Made for Some Seriously Big Drama
I’ll say it straight: the lightning showdown was just epic to watch.
And honestly, if I put myself in the writers’ shoes, I get why they’d want that huge, dramatic visual of Sidious frying himself while still blasting Rey.
Yeah, maybe it doesn’t feel like the most tactical decision for someone as smart as Sidious, but from a story perspective, it gave us this climactic moment. It’s this huge, grand visual that feels fitting for a villain of his scale.
So yeah, maybe there’s a bit of “let’s give the audience a spectacle” going on here.
It may not line up perfectly with how Sidious normally operates, but you can’t deny, it’s memorable. That final scene just sticks with you.
In the End…
Sidious’s decision to keep firing lightning wasn’t as reckless as it might seem at first.
His arrogance, manipulation, emotional overload, lack of options, and, yeah, a bit of dramatic flair all played a part.
It might seem like a misstep, but if you look at it in context, it feels true to who Sidious is – a Sith who’d rather burn everything down, including himself, than back down.
And in a twisted way, that’s what made him one of the most unforgettable villains in Star Wars.