77
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 ...
- 165k
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 ...
- 718k
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 ...
- 718k
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 ...
- 4,853
62
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 ...
- 718k
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 ...
- 13.5k
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 &...
- 718k
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 ...
- 16k
53
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 ...
- 21.1k
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'...
- 4,853
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 ...
- 718k
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
...
- 718k
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 (...
- 53.7k
40
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 ...
- 119k
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 ...
- 718k
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 ...
- 4,813
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 ...
- 53.7k
30
votes
Was Mace Windu technically committing treason or not?
The novelisation has a very slightly different version of the conversation with Windu and Palpatine. It would appear that their stated reason for arresting him was flawed, hence their arrest procedure ...
- 718k
27
votes
Accepted
Did Anakin try to look for Darth Plagueis' apprentice?
The novelization indicates that Anakin actually isn't terribly interested in searching for Plagueis' apprentice directly; his priority is finding the quickest route to saving Padmé, which in this case ...
- 165k
27
votes
What was Chancellor Palpatine watching in the theater?
The Mon Calamari Aquatic Ballet, performing Squid Lake, according to the Star Wars Wiki, which cites Star Wars: Galactic Atlas and Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 13: Burning Seas, Part I as its ...
- 2,133
26
votes
How did Sidious retrieve his lightsaber after losing it in his battle with Mace Windu, before his battle with Yoda?
He didn't.
Sidious actually had at least two identical or near-identical lightsabers, which he kept concealed in his office on Coruscant during the Clone Wars era. One in particular, the example he ...
- 8,438
25
votes
How did the clones know it was Palpatine?
The film's official novelisation indicates that the frequency was reserved for Palpatine.
“Yes, sir.” A silent buzzing vibration came from a compartment
concealed within his armor. Cody frowned. “Go ...
- 718k
24
votes
Was Mace Windu technically committing treason or not?
I can provide an answer for the Legends continuity.
Windu and his fellow Jedi were authorized by Yoda (per the Revenge of the Sith novelization) to carry out the arrest of the Supreme Chancellor. ...
- 8,438
22
votes
Why does General Grievous say “Ah yes, the negotiator?”
The "Negotiations" are a euphemism for fighting.
The theme of "Negotiations" with relevance to Anakin and Obi-Wan appears in both The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. At ...
- 12k
22
votes
Accepted
Why would Palpatine seek the secret of immortality if the Sith could do this?
I don't think there is any evidence that all the Sith knew the power of transfering their spirit. First, I don't recall Palpatine saying that every previous Sith Lord had transferred their spirit to ...
- 119k
22
votes
Why were Luke and Leia split up and given to two different families?
Because they wanted to avoid the Sith sensing their presence
Remember, Anakin was born off the Force; his powers were not what the Jedi expected to be. Qui-Gon even says that Anakin's midi-chlorian ...
- 26.9k
21
votes
Accepted
How does General Grievous survive in space?
Per the official novelization, Grievous' organs were enclosed and pressurized:
Grievous, though, had no need to breathe, nor had he any fear of his body fluids boiling in the vacuum-the pressurized ...
- 165k
20
votes
Accepted
Did Palpatine use the Force to convince Anakin to kill Count Dooku?
Looks like this was more of subtle psychological "nudge" than Force mind trick .
From the novelization of "Revenge of the Sith" by Matthew Stover:
This is the death of Count Dooku:
...
- 11.4k
20
votes
Accepted
Who is the woman next to Palpatine during his speech?
Sly Moore.
According to the canon reference guide Ultimate Star Wars, Sly Moore was the Chief of Staff for Palpatine during the final days of the Republic, and continued to serve in an advisory ...
- 20.5k
19
votes
Accepted
Why didn’t Palpatine just stop his own lightning?
At least in the case of his duel with Mace Windu, he seems to offer an explanation:
Don't let him kill me.
I can't hold it any longer.
The implication seems to be that if not for his lightning ...
- 45k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible