The Star Wars saga would have played out very differently had Dooku become the Sith Lord, rather than Palpatine. Darth Sidious believed himself the greatest of all Sith Lords, but in truth he was largely the beneficiary of all those who had come before him. A thousand years ago, Darth Bane had reinvented the Sith based upon the Rule of Two. He had reimagined them as Machiavellian schemers who operated in the shadows, working in secret to undermine the Jedi and the Republic.
In keeping with this, recent Star Wars tie-ins have suggested Darth Plagueis was the true mastermind of the Star Wars saga – not Palpatine. So many of Palpatine’s strategies and secrets originated with his master, including his decision to position himself in the political arena, confident the Jedi would be blind to his influence as he ascended in the Senate’s ranks. Even Palpatine’s most sought-after power, the ability to conquer death, was learned through Darth Plagueis. Palpatine may have killed his former master sometime before the prequel trilogy, but it seems as though he simply continued to act in accordance with Darth Plagueis’ plans – and reaped the rewards of doing so.
Recent tie-ins have seemed to imply Darth Plagueis could easily have chosen another in Palpatine’s stead. The latest Star Wars anthology, Stories of Jedi & Sith, subtly hints Dooku – the man who became Palpatine’s apprentice – was drawn away from the Jedi by the dark side. Palpatine was not yet Sith Lord at that point, raising the possibility Plagueis considered Dooku as an apprentice instead of Palpatine. It’s fascinating to imagine how differently galactic history would have played out had he made that choice.
Dooku Was An Ideal Sith Apprentice In Any Star Wars Timeline
It’s important to begin by understanding why Dooku would be so appealing – both to Darth Plagueis and, ultimately, to Darth Sidious. There are actually striking similarities between Dooku and Anakin Skywalker, because both were considered prodigies among their own generations of Jedi. Dooku was even trained by Yoda himself, a rare honor given the Grand Master was seen as the greatest and wisest of the Jedi. And yet, for all his connections to Yoda, Dooku chafed under the Jedi Council’s leadership. Matters were worsened when Dooku learned of his historic connections to Serenno; attachment drew Dooku to the dark side, twisting and corrupting him. This naturally led him to begin researching the secrets of the dark side, and Dooku’s fierce intellect meant he would have learned at a remarkable rate.
When Dooku left the Jedi – potentially under Darth Plagueis’ influence – he reclaimed his ancestral title as Count of Serenno. This actually placed him in a position of real political importance on the Outer Rim, because Serenno was a country of historical significance. Just two centuries ago, the Republic Senator of Serenno, Izzet Noor, served as representative of the entire Outer Rim – and there have been hints he made a bid to become Chancellor himself. The Sith had settled on using politics to defeat the Jedi, so Dooku – a major political influencer and powerful Force-sensitive with a predilection towards the dark side – was perfectly suited to becoming a Sith Lord. Presumably, Darth Plagueis decided Palpatine was simply even better positioned, but it is not difficult to imagine a scenario where he made a different choice.
Dooku Would Have Established Serenno As A Rival For Coruscant
The Sith plan had been proceeding for a millennium, and the dark side was ascendant. Galactic politics had soured, with power centered around Coruscant while Rim-Worlds were neglected. In the main timeline, this allowed Palpatine to engineer the Separatist movement and the Clone Wars. In this altered timeline, Dooku used Serenno’s influence to foment similar division. He would have sought to establish Serenno as a rival power base for Coruscant, although Dooku’s greater ambition – the goal of placing himself on the Emperor’s throne – would probably have meant he took to the Senate himself. Ironically, he’d have been considered incorruptible as a senator, simply because he was a former Jedi. As seen in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clonesnobody believed a former Jedi – still less Master Yoda’s former Padawan – could be under the influence of the dark side.
Dooku Could Have Caused A Schism In The Jedi Order In This Star Wars Timeline
Evidence is building that the Sith regularly used the dark side to probe the Jedi Temple, looking for those who could be tempted to the dark side. Dooku played a similar role, reaching out to old allies and former apprentices in an effort to undermine the Jedi, and in this altered timeline he would have been a far more dangerous force. He’d have been on Coruscant itself, making accusations in the Senate that the interests of the Outer Rim were being undermined and that the Jedi were too closely bound to Coruscant’s political will. Jedi would have been able to hear his appeals, and Dooku could even have potentially established himself as a rival to the Jedi Council. Dooku would have been able to cause a schism in the Jedi Order. Presumably, around this time, he’d have slain Darth Plagueis – as every Sith must kill their master.
It is difficult to say whether Dooku would have posed the same kind of threat to the balance of the Force as Palpatine, in part because the idea of ”balance“has never been especially well-defined. Assuming he did, however – and assuming that Anakin Skywalker would have been born and brought to the Jedi Temple even under this scenario – Dooku probably would not have been impressed by Anakin. Indeed, it’s entirely possible he would have rejected the Jedi’s newest prodigy, considering himself to be the real Chosen One. He’d never have been interested in Anakin, and would probably have taken another secret Sith Apprentice from among the Jedi he’d coaxed into siding with him. .
Dooku’s Clone Wars Would Have Been Very Different In This Star Wars Timeline
In the main timeline, Palpatine cut the Jedi off from the Force by generating conflict. Charles Soule’s novel Light of the Jedi revealed pain and suffering reduce a Jedi’s ability to draw upon the Force. The victory of the Sith would therefore always require war, simply to blind the Jedi to their ultimate ascension. Dooku’s version of the Clone Wars would have been very different, however, because – as noted in Matt Stover’s novelization of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – Palpatine engineered that war so it took place on planets he did not care about. Dooku cared too much for Serenno, and for the title he had inherited on his homeworld, so his version of the Clone Wars would not have taken place on the Outer Rim. Rather, he’d have orchestrated matters so they built to a head in the Galactic Core.
Many of the forces involved in Dooku’s war would have been the same, for the Sith had cultivated a relationship with the Trade Federation over centuries, and the Clone Army was created by a rogue element – a Jedi named Sifo-Dyas who had visions of the future and had them fashioned in the hopes they would give the Republic an edge against the Sith. But this timeline would have torn the Jedi apart, because many of them would side with Dooku. The Sith Lord would have even attempted to orchestrate matters so Jedi led both armies.
In the end, though, Dooku would have made one fateful mistake; his lack of interest in Anakin Skywalker would have proved his undoing, especially since this version of Anakin would have been trained by Qui-Gon Jinn. Qui-Gon had a better understanding of balance than any other Jedi; the Chosen One would have been much more centered in any timeline where Qui-Gon trained Anakin, perhaps even separating him from the Jedi to train him. In that scenario, Anakin would have entered the galactic conflict as the champion of a third way – one represented neither by Yoda nor Dooku. Anakin would have proved to be the light that shone in the darkness, ultimately revealing the truth of Dooku’s identity as a Sith. The Star Wars story would have been a whole lot less tragic – because the Sith would never have come to rule the galaxy in a timeline where Dooku was chosen instead of Palpatine.
- Rogue Squadron (2023)Release date: Dec 22, 2023
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