Freedon Nadd
Senior Member
These are would seen those quotes that make Sidious *Teh Ubezt Sith*
Vader imagined the power that could be his if he crushed Palpatine and established his own rule over the Empire. But first, he would need his own apprentice. By himself, he could not hope to defeat the most powerful Sith Lord the galaxy had ever known.
--Taken from Vader: The Ultimate Guide
1.So we clearly speak from Darth Vader's point of view who has no idea about Exar Kun,Vitiate,Nihilus to form a true perception about raw Force power,heck it even says "Vader:The Ultimate Guide".
Yoda went after Palpatine in the empty Senate chamber, but could not defeat the most powerful Sith Lord in history.
--Taken from The New Essential Chronology
It says "in history",which translated gets as "at this moment",also you got another thing that he never fought another Sith Lord,except Tyranus. So just as Sigma said,it could mean as "political power".
Beyond the vision of the Jedi Knights, somewhere within the darkness, the greatest master of evil ever to use Sith power bides his time. As his strength grows, his plans begin to shape the course of the galaxy, and his snares await the unsuspecting.
--Taken from The Complete Visual Dictionary
"The greatest master of evil ever to use Sith power" does not make any indication of how powerful Palpatine really was compared to many past Sith Lords. Also, keep in mind that the Complete Visual Dictionary was released back in 2006. Hardly recent.
When Yoda crosses sabers with the movie's arch-villain, he doesn't launch into a pinwheeling display of acrobatics, as he did against Count Dooku in Episode II. Instead, Yoda faces the dark side's fury, channeled by the most powerful Sith Lord in history. "Rob Coleman wanted Yoda to feel the power of his enemy," says Wheless, "like a force he's never dealt with before."
--Taken from Insider #86: Yoda's Right Arm
Neither Rob Coleman and "Wheless" were responsible for Insider #86, which was also written in 2006. Rob Coleman worked for Industrial Light & Magic on both Episodes II & III, neither of which were (of course) part of the Expanded Universe.
Darth Sidious proved to be the grim culmination of a thousand years of Sith philosophy and teachings.
--Taken from Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
It clearly says a thousand of years,so yeah,only the Banite Sith,and it mentions anothing about power,only that he had the greatest knowledge in comparision with them.
When the Sith finally emerged from a thousand years of watching and waiting, they numbered—in accordance with the tradition set down by Darth Bane—only two. The most powerful of these was Darth Sidious, an ice-cold, diabolically calculating genius equipped with the strength of the dark side of the Force, as well as an enormous wealth of Sith artifacts, equipment, and knowledge.
--Taken from The Dark Side Sourcebook
So it clearly states that Sidious is the best just of the Banite Sith... Strange how it mentions besides *his strength* in the Force also the Sith artifacts,equipment and knowledge... So it is much more that his personal Sith power for his achievements.
Unknown to the Rebels, the Emperor had already laid the groundwork for the perpetual rule of his New Order. He had turned a Jedi into his new dark apprentice, the terrifying Darth Vader. Vader himself trained apprentices. And the Emperor created a corps of loyal, Force-skilled minions to maintain his rule. Most powerful of all, of course, was the Emperor himself.
--Taken from The Dark Side Sourcebook
A crystal clear comparision just between him and his Force sensitive subjects.