As Darth Vader and his Master spoke of the young rebel responsible for the destruction of the Death Star, a telling statement was made. Darth Vader, assured of his own defeat over former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, said, "He is just a boy, Obi-Wan can no longer help him." This mere statement spoke volumes of the Sith, demonstrating with clarity their very weakness. They did not, in all their strength and passion, truly understand the nature of the Force. The "Great Mystery" as Palpatine called it, was still elusive to them... as the Jedi had once been, the Sith now too would find themselves blind.

How much would have changed, if the Sith knew of the power that lay in the Force? How would their domination over the Galaxy have gone if they knew and understood the power of selfless sacrifice? In their tireless search for immortality it was Qui-Gon, not Palpatine; that would discover the path towards oneness with the Force. If this knowledge had been learned by the Sith, what could they have done with it? It is doubtful that the Sith, so driven by passion and hate, could truly understand the meaning of such sacrifice, or the power that such selflessness can have.



Wisdom Beyond Death


Through all of his clever manipulations, the heart of Palpatine's Plan was quite simple: destroy the Jedi. Little did he understand; that even in death could a Jedi could pass on his knowledge and help to keep the flame of the once noble Order kindle. This very fact would give the Jedi their last hope, opening the great mystery of the Force to them, and showing them the true power that lay within. Through this simple revelation were they able to train Luke, bringing him to understand the Force and giving him the tools necessary to bring his father back into the light.

Palpatine had done all he could to bring the Jedi crashing down, tearing apart the very fabric of what had made them strong for so many centuries. Yet for all his intelligence, he was blinded by what he did not understand. Even Anakin failed to understand this, not seeing how Obi-Wan could possibly help his son learn of the Force. The power and promise of the Sith blinded them to the simple truth of the Force, a truth that kept hope for the Jedi alive... even in the darkest of times.

In the end, the Sith fell to the same weaknesses that had brought down the proud and peaceful Jedi Knights. It is interesting to imagine what might have changed, if they could have only known of the power that lay hidden in the Force. If the Sith understood this, what more could they have done to keep their hold on the Galaxy?



More on Anakin:

http://blogs.starwars.com/sithmystery/8