The Power to create and extend life...

Sidious would probably be the only person, other than himself, on which he would use those powers. So why would Sidious kill his master? Let's review what Palpatine actually says on this matter. Referring to Plagueis he says, "He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice killed him in his sleep." It can be safely assumed, even if Palpatine is lying to Anakin, that an apprentice would only kill his master if either 1. Plagueis had taught Sidious those powers, 2. He did it because he needed to gain rank through the rule of two or lastly, 3. Palpatine thought that Plagueis had used those powers on him as one of "the ones he cared for." Once the apprentice was convinced that the powers had been bestowed upon him or that the power had been used upon him, he felt safe to kill his master. The power to keep people from dying, which is mentioned repeatedly in ROTS and first used in ATOC, seems to be a power to extend natural life to unnatural lengths, rather than a power to prevent others from killing you. Sidious thus was able to kill Plagueis and, later, Vader was able to kill Palpatine.

Second, assuming he was telling the truth, he claims that Plagueis could create life: "so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midichlorians to create life" and that his "mentor taught me everything about the Force." Thus, again assuming some truth, Sidious either could extend life or thought his own life was unnaturally extended by his master and implied that Plagueis, and later by extension he ("taught me everything about the Force"), had the power to create life. Whether he has it or not, he offers the power to "save" (not create) life to Anakin: "Learn to know the dark side of the Force, Anakin, and you will be able to save your wife from certain death" and "Know the power of the dark side. The power to save Padme." He neglects to mention that this power is to extend life, not prevent death. He does not wish to share the power to create life, if he indeed has it, because that would create a potential army of Sith and endless threats to him and destructive conflict (Sidious wishes to "have peace", i.e, stability for himself and his rule).

Up to the point of Sidious' revelation and Anakin's transformation, he maintains that he has this power. As Mace is threatening Palpatine, he continues to claim, "I have the power to save the one you love." Once Anakin commits to being a Sith, Sidious quickly changes his tune ("To cheat death is a power only one has achieved, but if we work together, I know we can discover the secret"). Why does he do this? Because he knows full well that Anakin/Vader has the potential to exceed Sidious' own powers, a fact about which he brags to Yoda, and, if either Sidious or Plagueis created Anakin, it is his destiny; he is pre-destined and designed to be extremely powerful. If he ever teaches Anakin the full extent of his powers, he would destroy his master utterly, as happened when his own master taught him "everything about the force." Once Anakin becomes a Sith, Sidious has to change his tune and lie out of his teeth because he does not want to suffer his master's fate. When Anakin was still a Jedi, his training and the Jedi code would have likely prevented him from killing the Chancellor. He didn't kill Palpatine when he had his saber ignited and had the chance, although he did, in revenge and upon order of the Chancellor, kill Dooku, who was both a rebel of the Republic and traitor to the Jedi. In addition, Anakin now knows the truth about the true history of the Clone Wars and Palpatine's plots and background; thus, Palpatine has to keep Anakin on a tight leash so he won't betray him to the Senate. How better to do this than to string him along with promises of greater power, without actually revealing that power.

It is against the Emperor's interests to teach Vader what he knows, because it would lead to his own demise, either physically or politically. This brings us to Mustafar where Anakin is severely reduced in potential, according to Lucas, and where he attempts to kill Padme, obviating the supposed reason he turned to the Dark Side in the first place. The Emperor saves him, informing him that he has killed his wife, thus entrapping Vader into an empty servitude solely for power and the Dark Side rather than for love. The Emperor now knows that Anakin has no need for life extension powers because the only ones he loved or to whom he had attachments are gone either through death or abandonment/betrayal (in his eyes). He is now completely in the Emperor's hand. This brings us to Kenobi's quote, "The Emperor knew as I did, if Anakin had any offspring they would be a threat to him." The Emperor didn't want any attachments for Vader other than to the Emperor himself and the Dark Side because it would re-ignite Vader's desire to know all the powers of the Dark Side and to supplant him as ruler of the galaxy ("my Empire"), which is precisely what happened in ESB. Palpatine also thinks that Luke will be subject to the same temptations to power that seduced Vader ("His compassion for you will be his undoing"). Thus his interest in turning Luke.

The Emperor's powers, and his withholding of them as demonstrated in ROTS, bring a whole new meaning to Luke's line in ROTJ: "Your overconfidence is your weakness." The Emperor expects that, given this new threat (Luke), Vader would remain loyal and defend him because the Emperor still holds all the cards - the power to extend life. He has realized since the events of ESB, that Vader would wish to supplant him given knowledge of his son and that Palpatine lied to him about Padme's death. His prediction to Vader that Luke would kill him also serves to fuel Vader's fire, although the Emperor believes he can overcome this given his powers, and further serves to bring about the final confrontation in which the Emperor believes he will prevail either way. He believes that absent Vader killing him, as Sidious did Plagueis, he would continue to live and rule indefinitely, thus his overconfidence. As his life once hinged on Anakin turning before Mace in Palpatine's office, it now hinges on Vader not turning in his throne room before his son, an outcome he fully expects will proceed as he has foreseen.

Vader knows the Emperor can kill Luke at will, but he still wants the Emperor to live either to impart this knowledge regarding life extension or to extract it from him ("You don't know the power of the Dark Side. I must obey my master"). In fact, Vader wants the Emperor to impart that very knowledge ("The Emperor will show you the true nature of the Force") to either Luke or Vader. That's why Vader defends the Emperor: so both Luke and Vader will live until such point as the Emperor is able to train either Luke or Vader in such powers. That way both he and Luke would be able to live and rule what he still believes is his rightful Empire and which was only denied him because of his problems with a slippery slope below the high ground. Only when he see his son's suffering and that he will lose him (as he did Padme and his mother) at the very hands of the man who claimed that he could save life does he realize that this material power and Empire is illusory and does not matter. Vader now realizes that by sacrificing himself he would truly save his son's life. He accepts that these attachments (power and everlasting life) are not what matter, and that he is free to kill the Emperor and resumes his role as father and husband and, if one believes in it, the Chosen One. It costs him his physical life, but that no longer matters.

In conclusion, Palpatine likely had some or all of Plagueis' powers, but realized it was not in his interest to impart them to Anakin in order to save his own life and power, which Palpatine admitted to Anakin in the theater that he feared losing. It was only when Vader's son appeared that Vader again wished to rule and gain those powers, but Palpatine again, wishing to hold on to power, refused to share them fearing his own demise as he did to his own master. When Vader realizes that he won't gain these powers and the Empire for himself and his son, and that his son will die instead, he knows that the Emperor has no loyalty to him and that he can gain no more from him. If Luke dies, it's back to the status quo and Vader suffers yet another loss of love. Vader then decides to kill the Emperor, save himself (from a certain point of view, his son, the galaxy and the balance of the force.)

More evidence to support this theory...

Remember after Anakin gets burned alive on Mustafar for a brief moment Palpatine kneels by his side and touches his forehead. He could have been using the power of Plagueis to extend his life.


"Star Wars Revenge of the Sith" by Matthew Stover

PG. 408

"The Sith lord lowered the limbless man tenderly to the cool ground above, and laid his hand across the cracked and blackened mess that once had been his brow, and he set his will upon him.

Live, Lord Vader, Live, my apprentice. Live"

In Return of the Jedi Yoda leaves us with the thought that such power can exist within the force.

"LUKE: Master Yoda, you can't die.

YODA: Strong am I with the Force... but not that strong."

Thus leaving you to think that Yoda might be aware of such power. But of course he becomes a Force Ghost at the end of the film.

Here is one last piece of evidence that was eventually cut from the ROTS screenplay. George Lucas ultimately scrapped this and you can obviously tell why. Just look for anything that jumps out at you that would seem familiar.

"The Making of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith" by J.W Rinzler Pg. 42

"Darth Sidious: I have waited all these years for you to fulfill your destiny(...) I have arranged for your conception. I used the power of the force to will the midichlorians to start the cell divisions that created you.

Anakin: I don't believe you.

Darth Sidious: Ahhh, but you know it's true. When you clear your mind, you will sense the truth. You could almost think of me as your father.

Anakin: Thats Impossible!

Darth Sidious: Nevertheless, you must decide..."