Yeah, the implication in the novel is that Palpatine was a vessel for all the Sith before him:
Kill me and my spirit will pass into you. As all the Sith live in me. You will be Empress. We will be one.
He raised his perfect, healed hands, and called on all the dark power of the Force and the Sith who had come before him, and pulled their life from their very bodies.
A scavenger girl is no match for the power in me. I am all the Sith!
SW.com confirms the same:
https://i.imgur.com/Vnq8fM4.jpg
"Though Sidious was a vessel of all the Sith's power..."
...As for the "when and how": it's fully unknown at this point.
Originally posted by Sheev
I wonder if when a Sith apprentice kills the master, they basically absorb their essence (like a highlander style quickening)?So master A is killed by apprentice B. Apprentice B inherits the power of A. When apprentice C kills B, they inherit the power of A+B..... And so on and so forth up.
It would become almost impossible for an apprentice to kill their master after a few generations of that.
Originally posted by SheevWouldn't this imply that Sith apprentices aren't just above their own master, but above every master in history? Yeah, I really doubt that's the case.
I wonder if when a Sith apprentice kills the master, they basically absorb their essence (like a highlander style quickening)?So master A is killed by apprentice B. Apprentice B inherits the power of A. When apprentice C kills B, they inherit the power of A+B..... And so on and so forth up.
If indeed Palpatine was a vessel for every Sith that has ever existed, it's more likely that he gained said power through some sort of advanced/esoteric ritual, imo.
I completely disagree. The idea that the Banite Sith cultivated mystical power over generations and passed it on from master to apprentice upon death is freakin sweet. It's way cooler then just some random ritual. It also would help justify the Rule of Two even more as having many Sith around could dilute this power (which is also a nice call back to the EU Jedi vs Sith comic about Bane).
As for how the apprentice could kill the master, that's simple. They do so through trickery and deceit. Palaptine killed Plageuis in his sleep after all. The only real issue I see, and admittedly it's a doozy, is how could Yoda and Mace contend with such a being?
Originally posted by ares834
I completely disagree. The idea that the Banite Sith cultivated mystical power over generations and passed it on from master to apprentice upon death is freakin sweet. It's way cooler then just some random ritual. It also would help justify the Rule of Two even more as having many Sith around could dilute this power (which is also a nice call back to the EU Jedi vs Sith comic about Bane).As for how the apprentice could kill the master, that's simple. They do so through trickery and deceit. Palaptine killed Plageuis in his sleep after all. The only real issue I see, and admittedly it's a doozy, is how could Yoda and Mace contend with such a being?
So obsessed with Rule of Two as the standard definition and philosophy of what a sith lord and order should be. 🙄
Originally posted by ares834Yeah. If Palpatine was packing the power of every Sith in history as of RotS, that makes the Sith of old seem laughably weak -- as it would imply that Mace/Yoda all by their lonesomes were not just on par with Palpatine, but on par with every Sith, ever. Doesn't sit well with me.
The only real issue I see, and admittedly it's a doozy, is how could Yoda and Mace contend with such a being?
Or it could be possible that the essence of the master did cyclically pass into the apprentice upon their death... but perhaps the apprentices(or masters, for that matter) had no idea that the transfers were taking place, and said spirits essentially laid dormant within them over the years. Palpatine would then discover this fact at some point after RotS(when he really dove into advancing his knowledge/power) and proceed to awaken the spirits within himself via some kind of ritual..?
