Darth Plagueis

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The novel opens with the murder of its titular character, revealing the end before the story truly begins. How did this narrative choice affect your reading experience?

2. What was your reaction to the novel’s deep dive into Sith philosophy and their thousand-year “Grand Plan”? For those who have read other Star Wars Legends novels, such as James Luceno’s Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, how does this book expand on or change your understanding of the dark side?

3. In what ways did this story change your perspective on Palpatine as seen in the films?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Plagueis’s entire life is driven by an obsessive quest for knowledge and power over death. Think about a time you pursued a goal or a particular area of knowledge with intense focus. What did you learn from that experience about the potential rewards and dangers of single-minded ambition?

2. What did you think of the twisted mentorship between Plagueis and Sidious? Reflect on a positive mentor-mentee relationship in your own life. How do the principles of trust and guidance in a healthy mentorship contrast with the paranoia and manipulation that define the Sith’s Rule of Two?

3. What does the novel’s focus on double lives reveal about the nature of power? How do characters use their public personas as both a shield and a weapon throughout the story?

4. What do you think of Plagueis’s belief that he can transcend the Sith’s cycle of betrayal? Does his attempt to evolve past the Rule of Two make him seem more naive or more visionary, and why?

5. Sidious uses his resentment toward his father, Cosinga, as the fuel for his transformation into a Sith Lord. While most of us don’t turn to the dark side, we all face moments where we must deal with difficult family dynamics. How does the novel’s extreme depiction of this struggle shed light on the more common challenges of forging your own identity?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The guide notes how the Sith exploit the Galactic Republic’s corruption and bureaucratic gridlock to dismantle it from within. How does the novel draw on historical empires, including power, corruption, and decadence?

2. What’s your take on Plagueis’s view of midi-chlorians as “interlopers” to be controlled, rather than as symbiotic partners? How does the novel’s presentation of scientific experimentation resonate with modern debates about technology, nature, and the desire to control biological processes?

3. How does the novel portray the influence of powerful corporate entities on government? To what extent do you think these influences reflect the nature of real social structures?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The story is told almost exclusively from the Sith point of view. How does this perspective shape your experience as a reader by immersing you in the logic and ambitions of Plagueis and Sidious?

2. How does Plagueis’s intellectual and scientific approach to the dark side make him a more complex or compelling character than other villains you’ve encountered?

3. How does the novel’s location in the wider narrative and mythology of Star Wars affect your understanding of events? In what ways does this play on expectations and where does it subvert them?

4. In what ways does the motif of masks and hidden identities function as the central tool of the Sith Grand Plan? Consider how both Hego Damask’s financial empire and Palpatine’s political career are used to conceal their true intentions and corrupt the Republic from within.

5. How does the arrival of Anakin Skywalker, a boy apparently conceived by the Force, serve as a direct challenge to Plagueis’s worldview?

6. The Rule of Two, established in the Darth Bane trilogy, is the narrative’s central doctrine. Considering Bane’s story, how does Plagueis’s attempt to evolve beyond the Rule of Two compare with its original intent?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you are Hego Damask and need to write a job description for your ideal apprentice. What qualities, skills, and personality traits would you list as essential for a candidate who could help you execute the Grand Plan? How would you subtly phrase the description to attract someone like Palpatine without revealing your Sith identity?

2. Picture yourself as a Jedi Knight assigned to investigate the mysterious death of Senator Vidar Kim. Without the benefit of hindsight, what clues or political patterns might have led you to suspect Palpatine or Hego Damask? What obstacles would you face in trying to uncover the truth within the corrupt Senate?

3. If you could design a monument to commemorate the legacy of Darth Plagueis, what form would it take and why?