Delving Into Palpatine’s Stealth Tactics

The wicked finesse of Palpatine, who managed to tiptoe around the Jedi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, continues to hold its impressive aura. However, the revelation offered by ‘The Acolyte’ adds a captivating cherry on top. While Palpatine’s skillful infiltration of the Senate and the Jedi had us guessing, the usage of cortosis by the Sith in ‘The Acolyte’ is adding vibrant colors to the picture.

Palpatine’s seamless immersion under the Jedi radar, despite his vibrant role in the Senate and close trysts with the Jedi, was a spectacle to behold. Various Star Wars episodes like The Clone Wars have unfolded the bewitching depth of Palpatine’s grand scheme. Nevertheless, the billion-dollar question of ‘how’ continues to loom, especially considering his vicinity to the most potent Jedi forces in the Star Wars universe. ‘The Acolyte’ not only hatches answers to the questions but in a spine-tingling manner that defies all prior expectations.

A Secret as Close as the Veil on His Face

The Jedi’s failure to detect the evil lurking behind Palpatine’s face reveals a gap in their Force, and the subsequent question naturally is – How did he manage it? During the Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Yoda’s power plummets enough for him to sense Anakin Skywalker’s distress on Tatooine during the Tusken Raiders incident, from Coruscant itself. In such a scenario, Yoda’s failure to sense Palpatine’s dark presence in the Force is curiously puzzling.

Chances are that Palpatine was banking on Force concealment, one of the force powers in Star Wars, which clouded his presence, making him virtually invisible in the Force. Coupled with the Jedi’s regular collaboration with him, his invisibility in the Force would make sense. But achieving it would be a feat, even for Palpatine, that the series has yet to confirm.

On the Trail of Cortosis: The Fresh Brew in the Force

In the midst of all unanswered questions around Palpatine’s force concealment, ‘The Acolyte’ steps in with bling. The show disclosed how Qimir, the series’ newest Sith, managed to elude detection using cortosis, a metal with the potency to short-circuit lightsabers and allow Force concealment. The finale bears a direct testament of this power when Qimir dons his helmet for concealment as Vernestra Rwoh, his previous Jedi master, arrives on Brendok.

Unsolved Mysteries: Jedi Ignorance and Sith Existence

Sparking speculation, Qimir’s helmet likely provides more than just concealing effects. Interestingly enough, until Jedi started to die, no one felt the impending dark cloud emanating from Qimir or from Darth Plagueis – a chilling evidence of successful Force concealment. This could also shed light on why the Jedi kept on reverberating the notion of Sith extinction, while they were lurking in the shadows all this time.

The Phantom Menace from Episode I had Ki-Adi-Mundi reinforce the thousand-year-long Sith extinction, implying the Jedi’s oblivion to the Sith’s rise. With Qimir’s entry, this was speculated to be a retcon. An interesting revelation from Leslye Headland, the showrunner of ‘The Acolyte’ was that it was cortosis on the unnamed Unknown Planet all along, making it the perfect hiding place for Sith.

The Unresolved Puzzle: Cortosis, The Unchosen Path

Given the power of cortosis in terms of Force concealment and Palpatine’s knack for subtlety, one tends to wonder why he didn’t opt for it. The catch lies perhaps in the nooks of Palpatine’s scheme. Even though cortosis could be the perfect camouflage, Qimir’s rush to put the helmet back on, as Vernestra lands on Brendok, suggests that the helmet’s concealment powers only work when worn.

While the helmet might have worked in few cases, Palpatine’s larger plan could not afford to bank on a helmet. His powerplay was not meant for the conquest by strength, rather by infiltration in the Senate and the Jedi Order, under the guise of an ardent politician. The charm that abated his plot would have been checked by a helmet. The Phantom Menace portrayed a likable and trustworthy Palpatine assisting Queen Amidala. Had there been a mask, his image would have suffered, arousing suspicions among the Jedi and hampering his proximity to them.

Even if Palpatine had designed a different mask from Qimir’s, it would have thwarted his master plan. His schemes for power and feigned trust required him to remain visible and not masked. Hence, despite the tantalizing allure of cortosis in Force concealment, it was an untrodden path for Palpatine, giving fans a thrilling twist in the Star Wars chronicles nonetheless.

Series Verdict

‘The Acolyte’ offers an exhilarating spin-down the Star Wars universe, poised at the peak of the High Republic Era. The investigations of a former Padawan with her Jedi Master, against the backdrop of waves of crimes and instigating darkness, are a captivating watch. The Wilson twins, Amandla Stenberg, Joonas Suotamo, and Dafne Keen, lead a mesmerizing ensemble, with a power-packed storyline by Charmaine De Grate and Kor Adana. Directed by Leslye Headland and Alex Garcia Lopez, the iconic Jedi Knight returns in 1 refreshingly tuning season, streaming now on Disney+.