200
votes
Accepted
What did Padmé die of?
Medically healthy humans don't die for no good reason
But she wasn't "medically healthy".
She was suffering from - at the very least:
Twin birth. That's a pretty stressful thing to happen to a ...
- 336k
76
votes
Accepted
Why did Palpatine pick 'Vader' as a name for Anakin?
Per the Matthew Stover novelization, the name "Vader" was plucked from the Force itself (emphasis mine):
Darth Sidious laid a pale hand on Anakin's brow. "Then it is done. You are now ...
- 158k
73
votes
Accepted
Why did Mace Windu and the Jedi Council refuse to raise Anakin to the rank of Master?
Why can't Anakin be a Master?
Anakin's appointment was political, not spiritual. Historically the Jedi elected their own leaders by consulting the will of the Force and by mutual consent. Anakin, on ...
- 608k
65
votes
Accepted
What is the name of the move that Obi-wan uses to remove Anakin's limbs?
The severing of several limbs at once is referred to in the Star Wars: The Jedi Path - A Manual for Students of the Force as Mou Kei, a variant of Cho mai (the severing of an arm) and Cho mok (the ...
- 608k
64
votes
Accepted
What was Chancellor Palpatine watching in the theater?
The (fully canon) factbooks Star Wars in 100 Scenes and Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know identify it as a graceful aquatic ballet performed by a Mon Calamari troupe at the swanky ...
- 608k
63
votes
Why did Darth Vader need extra equipment (lenses) to clear his vision?
It's not clear if Vader actually needed the lenses on his helmet to see properly. Given that he had to cover his burned flesh anyway, the helmet lenses offered other benefits, such as viewing ...
- 3,981
63
votes
Why were Luke and Leia split up and given to two different families?
This is addressed in the film's official novelisation. Obi-Wan suggests that they be split up as allowing the discovery of both (at the same time) would be an intolerable error on their part.
“We ...
- 608k
59
votes
Is Palpatine's execution of Order 66 legally justified?
No... but it almost is.
If we are to take some Legends material into account, Order 66 was buried in a set of Contingency Orders for the Grand Army of the Republic that outlined protocol for a series ...
- 13.3k
58
votes
Accepted
Why does General Grievous say “Ah yes, the negotiator?”
Because that's his nickname out in the galaxy.
Obi-Wan's diplomatic skills, specifically his reputation for preventing and
stopping battles without using a single weapon, earn him the
appellation &...
- 608k
56
votes
Why did Darth Sidious have Darth Vader kill the trade federation?
Two things.
Who was killed?
The scum Vader killed on Mustafar were not just the Trade Federation - they were the military and economic leaders of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the ...
- 15.5k
55
votes
Why was C-3PO's memory wiped, but not R2-D2's?
This is mentioned in the film's official novelisation.
Echoing @Envite's answer, the fact is that C-3PO opened his fool mouth at the wrong time;
“I’m placing these droids in your care,” the ...
- 608k
55
votes
What did Padmé die of?
Life force is a proven thing in Star Wars, remember what was said in ANH about all living things, apparently distinct from physical bodies - see the ghosts like Ben Kenobi. Maybe the droid was saying ...
- 817
55
votes
Accepted
How did Anakin think the power to cheat death would be helpful?
Anakin is desperate and gullible
In universe, Anakin is not very bright, and he trusts Sidious implicitly. He describes Sidious to Obi-Wan as "a mentor and a friend". Sidious has had more than ten ...
- 36.3k
54
votes
Accepted
Was killing Dooku actually the 'Jedi way'?
Obi-Wan was unconscious when Anakin killed Dooku (Obi-Wan had been knocked out earlier in the fight), so he didn't see that Anakin executed Dooku. Obi-Wan praised Anakin for his victory over Dooku ...
Null♦
- 67.7k
54
votes
Why were Luke and Leia split up and given to two different families?
In-movie logic: Darth Vader will be looking for twins, not single children, and splitting the pair makes it more likely that one would remain free in case Darth found the other.
What is less logical ...
- 17.1k
49
votes
Accepted
How did the Republic have enough clones for... anything?
Yes, there is an explanation if you read a few pages on the starwars.wiki. The Grand Army of the Republic(GAR) was the main fighting force at the beginning of the clone wars, it was comprised entirely ...
- 1,278
47
votes
Accepted
Why did Obi-Wan allow Leia to get adopted by such a high profile figure?
The Revenge of the Sith novelisation covers this, albeit in quite an indirect way. Simply put, both Obi-Wan and Yoda consider Bail Organa's proposal and then decide that this is an opportunity that's ...
- 608k
47
votes
Did Count Dooku know about Order 66?
Yes.
In the The Clone Wars episode "The Unknown", a clone trooper's control chip malfunctions and prematurely triggers Order 66, leading him to shoot a Jedi. When news reaches Dooku, he realises what'...
- 3,981
47
votes
Accepted
Why didn't anyone in the Galactic Senate raise a motion against the formation of the Empire?
This is addressed in the official novelisation. In short, the vote was a done deal and the "2000" were already being systematically rounded up. Bail was in favour of raising a vote against the Empire ...
- 608k
45
votes
Accepted
Why did Anakin turn to the Dark Side?
Because Sidious manipulated him
From Revenge of the Sith:
ANAKIN: What have I done?
ANAKIN sits.
PALPATINE: You are fulfilling your destiny, Anakin. Become my
apprentice. Learn to ...
- 111k
43
votes
Accepted
What is Obi-Wan referring to when he says "five thousand"?
There's a little bit of extra dialogue in the script that would suggest that he's reading off their temperature (in degrees?)
OBI-WAN: Careful . . . we're heating up-twelve thousand . . . thirteen
...
- 608k
40
votes
What did Padmé die of?
According to the (Disney Canon) "Star Wars in 100 Scenes" book, she died from losing the will to live. Apparently that's a thing you can die of in the Star Wars universe. The book also mentions that ...
- 608k
40
votes
Accepted
Why were Anakin and Obi-Wan the only Jedi who were assigned to rescue the Chancellor?
There's a few plot points here to consider
First, the Jedi DID send more to try and save Palpatine. Note that the Tartakovsky cartoons are no longer official canon, but the events they depict are (...
- 47.2k
39
votes
Accepted
Why would Windu say the Senate would decide the fate of Palpatine?
Quite simply, Mace believes in the rule of law. He does not think that the Jedi should unilaterally act against the Chancellor. We can see this trait in a few of his other defining moments. When ...
- 111k
35
votes
Why was C-3PO's memory wiped, but not R2-D2's?
Quite clearly, C-3PO is unable to shut up, while R2-D2 is quite able to keep a secret.
- 4,557
35
votes
Accepted
What happened to Count Dooku's lightsaber?
Anakin left Dooku's lightsaber beside his corpse in General Grievous' quarters in the spire aboard the Invisible Hand.
This part of the ship was destroyed during their catastrophic landing (you can ...
- 608k
34
votes
How did Anakin Skywalker survive Order Sixty Six?
According to the film's script, the orders to kill Jedi were given individually, to each clone commander (and for obvious reasons, Chancellor Palpatine never issued that order to whoever Anakin's ...
- 336k
34
votes
Why did Mace Windu and the Jedi Council refuse to raise Anakin to the rank of Master?
Watch the video again and you'll see why. Jedi believe in emotionless serenity; they don't let their emotions cloud their judgment. Anakin was a powerful Jedi but he was still far too passionate and ...
- 4,856
33
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Darth Sidious detect Yoda inside the Galactic Senate building before Yoda walked into his office?
There's a lot in play here
Sidious thought Yoda was dead (he literally says "Master Yoda, you survived" in reaction to seeing him). Order 66 had seen to the death of most of the Jedi since ...
- 47.2k
31
votes
Why didn't the Jedi use Order 65?
Since the Jedi believed Palpatine was a Sith Lord, they considered him too dangerous to entrust with the vital functions of a Chancellor. From the film Revenge of the Sith:
Windu: "We just ...
- 16.3k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible