Why Sidious Stopped Using TWO Lightsabers to Duel - Star Wars Explained

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Terminus: • 'Terminus' [Epic Cinem...

[@jasonindoe7540]

I figure he knew Maul and Oppress both had double bladed sabers so he used two. He knew whatever Jedi came for him would be wielding single blades.

[@ndcp2379]

Exactly and to block/parry/attack effectively he simply needed both of them. I also think he used one blade to disrespect the Jedi and show his superiority over them. Now if Yoda, and Obi also joined Mace and the others they would have gotten the second blade.

[@ked49]

Like how maul switched from one to two against obi wan and qui gon

[@MultiArchangel]

If Yoda was there, Sidious probably would have gotten bodied. No way he was fighting both Yoda and Windu at the same time.

[@ndcp2379]

@@MultiArchangel I agree. My initial point was that Sidious would have respected them enough for him to use both light sabers instead of just one.

[@ariesstorm9577]

Also I’m guessing using two blades would require significantly more space to wield effectively, space that was somewhat limited compared with the throne room on Mandalore.

[@InfinityOrNone]

My guess is that he had the two blades when he was up against Maul, not because he was better with two blades, but because he *wasn't.* Watching that fight, it's obvious that he's stunting from minute 1. If he was worried they might actually harm him, he would have started the fight with his biggest weapon: lightning. That he almost killed them both with a Force Push said everything he needed to know, so he then went into melee with a dual blade style entirely to "play with his food" as it were, showing off with pointless flash and still dominating the brothers without any real effort. He knew he could kill them whenever he wanted to. They knew he could kill them whenever he wanted to. Literally the only shot they even had was to go in melee and pray they got in a lucky hit against Sidious. He fought like that to humor them, to give them a taste of hope before he turned it into acid and despair. With Windu and Yoda, though, he'd have to take things _much_ more seriously.

[@landoftheninja]

You're 100% right. Irl fighting with 2 weapons isn't per say bad but unorthodox. You don't gain that much of an advantage using 2 weapons if any at all in certain situations. It's just one more thing to focus on in the fight. By dual wielding he is essentially showing them how much better he is.

[@SidorovichGaming]

It is still debatable if he lost the duel with Windu intentionally or not.

[@montoseblack2901]

Yoda and Windu were the only times he ever took a duel serious. He knew they could beat him through skill.

[@ItsBellers]

@@SidorovichGamingGeorge Lucas says windu won fair and square. Windu won fair and square.

[@thegreatestblood]

@@ItsBellers the same Lucas that often flip flops on what happens in the story? Besides even if that was true, windu won the fight cause sidious let him win loll.

[@Just_Pele]

It was a small space, two weapons require a lot of extra room to be most effective and can be a liability in that situation.

[@ariesstorm9577]

I had that same thought too, especially given the way in which he uses them on Mandalore. The only way he’d get away with using two would be a more grounded Makashi style of fighting.

[@lordcerrousV]

exactly, and fighting master windu and master yoda, it was almost like you could see that he felt there wasn’t enough space so he was wielding it very close to him

[@epyon1983]

That’s my thought also

[@Darthdoodoo]

The true answer is they cannot make it look good in live action but an animation they can make it look amazing

[@bourneytCODMroadto600subs]

Exactly!

[@sambo416]

What about episode two anakin had the coolest moment

[@NobleGuardianW]

I've always held the belief that if Mace and Palpatine had kept up the fight (without Anakin showing up) Mace would have eventually killed Palpatine, due to using a variation of lightsaber combat that Palpatine had no knowledge of. Windu invented Vaapad, so Palpatine had no way of knowing it. I think that in reality, he actually underestimated Windu. Windu also had a few force abilities that Palpatine didn't have like shatterpoint, and he was using Palpatine's darkness to boost his lightsaber technique. But idk if this is canon anymore because it's based on the Episode 3 novelization

[@darthoblivion2615]

But Palpatine already had him defeated before Skywalker arrived. There is a moment where Palpatine had his saber pointed at Windu's chest and just didn't end it. You can see the surprise and confusion on Windu's face at that moment. Palpatine was waiting for Anakin to arrive. He threw the fight so he could force Anakin to choose. Windu never had a chance, ever.

[@deejaydj6013]

@@darthoblivion2615 it’s already been stated the windu beat sidious fair and square. Sidious was generally fearing for his life. Also sidious having his blade pointed at windu doesn’t mean he won. force users are very fast

[@NobleGuardianW]

@@darthoblivion2615 that wasn't suprise and confusion. And Palpatine missed the killing blow.

[@sharpshot6111]

@@darthoblivion2615 Windu is a bad match up for old man palp. I don't think he was playing opossum at all. He was going all out. Windu just had the right style to beat him. You see this in combat sports all the time. The better fighter doesn't always win, it's about the match up.

[@zacharyhunt3939]

Nah, it was stated that windu would’ve won

[@Blazeyblazeyblaze]

That scene in the clone wars when he dueled savage and maul was epic

[@jackwagon6691]

I feel like you can’t say that the arrival of the Jedi in his office caught him off guard, after Anakin literally has him at sword point and tells him he’s going to turn him in… if he wasn’t expecting the Jedi to show up after that conversation he’s an idiot. It always seemed to me that he was ready and waiting for them. In the books he was also recording the conversation making it look like the Jedi were guilty of treason. I believe already in The Revenge of the Sith his 2nd lightsaber was cannon, maybe he should have used it since if Anakin hadn’t shown up it looks like Mace had that fight. Thanks for the video

[@YodaTheAfroMan]

I agree, i think he used one against the jedis to humiliate them he wanted to prove that he was far superior to them.

[@jdndodnfblnssiquhfnqoo2747]

Of course he knew they would come. He studied the plans of the death star and preparef himself for a meeting with the IBC. So Palpatine was sure he win this and he know he would turn anakin to the dark side, otherwise his behavior would make no sense.

[@jeffbrownstain]

Disney is not canon

[@bolg892]

@@jeffbrownstain Relevance lol?

[@jeffbrownstain]

@@bolg892 Disney is not canon

[@ethancolebarrett]

My theory is Palpatine was toying with Maul and Savage. It was like a boxing match, where he out on his gloves (the lightsaber he took on four jedi) because he saw it as a well coordinated move. With Maul and Savage however, he pulls out two, and the gloves came off. He did it not out of hubris, but to remind his apprentice how outmatched he is in terms of lightsaber combat. Palpatine obviously relished this fight, cutting loose amd going as all out as he wanted against his former apprentice. All to send a message to put Maul in his place... under Palpatine's heel.

[@EclypsiFire]

It’s not a theory! It is clear that sidious is playing with them. They are powerfull but they are not match for the true one sith lord. Sidious was litteraly toying with them. He kill savage first just to make maul souffert. Them he tortured maul with lightning

[@whoami4352]

Maul was actually doing pretty decent even Sidious himself had to keep using the force on him because Maul was keeping up with the lightsaber hits, but him and Savage both did better than the first 3 Jedi killed in episode 3

[@Bo_OnXbox]

Wrong. Palps was playing with them at first. Savage was always a burden to Maul. You can see it when he was fighting Obi wan. Maul kept on defending Savage. The moment he got hurt maul hurled kenobi pretty far away. When it was Maul vs Palp one on one you can see it that palps actually starting taking him serious. Heck Maul was able to kick Sidious in the face when dueling. Only Mace Windu was able to kick him. I for one believe whenever palps starts struggling with lightsabers he starts using the force. It was stated in books that palps started using the force because he knew If his fight with Yoda dragged on he’d lose the duel. Maybe he wouldn’t have lost a duel with maul but he sure didn’t wanna keep dueling him. Remember maul has beaten palps before when he was starving for a month and and no sleep. Maul was not just a killing machine. Palps had actually planned to keep maul as his apprentice.

[@siddm11]

its like when you play a different spec when youre running thru low level shit, just to practiice lol.

[@Pun116]

​@@EclypsiFire George Lucas has already ended this debate. Windu won that duel. Stop wasting people's time.

[@neptuno5439]

0:55 I just now noticed how Maul uses form 3(or at least, the stance), meaning he doesn't believe he can beat Palpatine în direct combat, even with his brother's help, and is going to play defense and hope to find an opening(or am I just imagining it?)

[@Bo_OnXbox]

Mauls IQ is underrated I never noticed that. He’s quite talented indeed.

[@landonletterman831]

I feel the reverse is true He took his time, and played with Maul and his brother. He rushed to kill the Jedi, both to reduce their number, and to throw it in their face how quickly one Sith could decimate a *team* of Jedi masters, _on the council_

[@roberticvs]

I most liked Palpatine's "death augur" as he launches himself at the master Jedi in his office. In fact, I think he should have flown around the room and augured all of them for the entire fight, even chasing Kit Fisto and Mace Windu up and down the hall as a Sith drill.

[@brianhuffman2070]

I've never read the word augur used as a verb. Learn something new everyday

[@hitmixhyepock9405]

The old "Raiden" move

[@brianroberts783]

"I'll try spinning, that's a good trick!"

[@goldenbullet5077]

I love that, a lot of ships that have passed our dock haven’t landed or something that was cool

[@ariesstorm9577]

The fact is Darth Sidious has only ever used two lightsabers in any sort of fight or duel *once* In any other situation he has only ever used a single lightsaber: - blaster selection training on Hypori - assassination of the Grand Proctectorate - duel against Mother Talzin - duel against Windu and the other 3 Jedi Masters - duel against Yoda - during the Mission to Ryloth - while he never used it himself, Rahm Kota force pulled the lightsaber from Sidious’ sleeve as he charged at him onboard the first Death Star

[@traviscrum5860]

I like your newest format with the shorter merch part at the end and the cleverly worded intro

[@strainofhate6283]

Great video, I know I questioned this a bit but your explanation makes sense.

[@Gamerafighter76]

I’d like to think Sidious knew Maul was dangerous and unpredictable, and Talzin trained Savage in the same manner, so that’s why Sidious had both of his lightsabers; he could manipulate the Jedi to his advantage, so he only needed the one.

[@Ch35h1r3C47]

Honestly, Palpatine's lightsaber style in The Clone Wars is beautiful. He's a perfect combination of savagery (scarring the floor, aggressive moves) and flashy grace (very acrobatic and flowing movements, blocking behind himself). No one else in the whole series fights like he does, even other dual wielders. He makes everyone else look like amateurs.

[@crackerjack9916]

What about star killer?

[@Ch35h1r3C47]

@@crackerjack9916 Star Killer isn't in the Clone Wars. But yeah his fighting style is awesome too, but it lacks the fluid grace of Palps

[@davidkosiba624]

Palpatine's style is like a combination of Anakin's and Dooku's , powerful strikes and acrobatic while being elegant, which is ironic considering that the 2 is his last 2 apprentice too

[@Pun116]

​@@davidkosiba624 Where do you see Anakin and Dooku being acrobatic? Neither of their lightsaber forms are acrobatic; actually, both forms 2 and 5 avoid or lack it. If you want acrobatic, look to Yoda, a master of form 4.

[@iNsOmNiAcAnDrEw]

I like the 'he was not fully prepared' theory. It makes the most sense.

[@ariesstorm9577]

It is almost the inverse of Darth Maul using a single blade of his saberstaff: both events are situational. Just as Maul is known for his mastery of the saberstaff, it doesn’t mean he wasn’t skilled fighting with a single blade; Sidious is a master of the single lightsaber but is also skilled enough to use two when the situation calls for it. In Revenge of the Sith (the novel, specifically) it describes how Palpatine finally reveals his lightsaber that has been hiding in one of his statues for decades. This points to the idea that Darth Sidious has at least two back up lightsabers (the weapons that he used against Maul and Savage), with the Sith lightsaber hidden for decades being his first lightsaber and likely the one he has the closest connection with. In Son of Dathomir he again wields one of his backup lightsabers, so I wonder if he keeps one stored away on the Sith Infiltrator seen in that comic and the other he keeps on his person or hidden in his private quarters on Coruscant. Or did one of his backup lightsabers get destroyed at some point? It would have been interesting to see Maul destroy one of the lightsabers in their duel, forcing Sidious to stop playing and subdue his former apprentice with Force lightning. One final question I would ask is this: did Palpatine have any of his backup lightsabers with him when he was being held prisoner onboard the Invisible Hand and would he have used it if things hadn’t gone to plan?

[@goldenbullet5077]

I love the vids man keep up the great work

[@maxmcintyre5068]

I get the feeling that in revenge of the sith palpatine may have actually had his second lightsaber on him but only used the one

[@jinnd319]

To further insult the Jedi right? Palps is a hater first and Sith Lord second

[@karlingram5498]

Awesome content, as per usual Master...

[@ryanhernandez5632]

My original assumption was him using 0-2 lightsaber depended on how hard he wanted to flex a L/insult his enemies. For maul and oppress they used double blades. So him using 2 was to show them how much better he is. Same with the Jedi council, he used 1 because most Jedi only used 1.

[@twelfthbrother559]

I can't help but disagree with majority of these. For starters, l just have to point out the fact that phalpatine was NOT looking at the death star plans when the Jedi came in, he was when Anakin came in alone. Anakin also told phalpatine, in their discussion, that he was going to turn him over, so he expected the Jedi to come. This is further supported when he talked through the force to Anakin when he was in the temple waiting. "You do know, don't you... If they destroy me, any hope of saving padme will be lost.". Moving on, I don't believe phalpatine feared savage at all. Savage was weaker than maul (although perhaps the Jedi and hence phalpatine's source of knowledge were not aware of this), proven through mauls dominance over him. Fact is, savage was no duelist expert, featuring heavy blows and semi- adequate force abilities, given to him through the night sisters, not neccesarily inherant. Now many could argue this, but let's leave the lore aside and not think too deep about the force, it's a can of worms. As far as your theory about phalpatine "playing" with the Jedi for lack of better term, as far as not being on a time crunch, I believe that is a fully plausible theory, probably my favorite. There is another comment in here that references space, as two lightsaber to properly wield requires room, something the Chancellor's office isn't overly abundant in.

[@rbrucerye]

Against Maul and his brother, he was playing with his food. Against the Jedi, he knew his strength was in the force and that he only really needed a single blade for defense and any opportunities that might happen.

[@barcelona2170]

For me personally, I think he simply had some fun with Maul and Savage. To be fair I think Maul actually did well blade wise but force wise was no match. When it comes to Windu I think he may have under estimated him. He struck down all of them. Windy said hold my beer and went toe to toe. Anakin (rightly so for story sake) saved Sideous. In fact I think if Yoda and Windu confronted Sideous (of course Yoda was on Kashyyk) would have lost easily. Yoda technically best him in blade to blade. Force powers Yoda matched but couldn't over power in. So many what ifs. As it stands Sideous clapped cheeks.

[@MrAwesome874]

imo, a combination of all three would make sense. Great video as always.

[@ArchonOfDoom]

MY favourite ablity of him is Force Hoodie. His hoodie just never falls off from his face.

[@LovesCoffee]

Epic video!! MORE! love palpy lore

[@titonfall2317]

Nice upload

[@troyspencer753]

Awesome video! This got me wondering on what Palpatine did with the three fallen Jedi bodies that were left after Mace fell out of the window.

[@sirwalterii_2nd]

when it comes to palpatine's dual with Mace windu I think palpatine was expecting them because just before that he revealed to Anakin that he was the dark lord of the Sith so the gig was up he knew Anakin was going to tell and he knew Anakin would eventually be his apprentice. since the gig was up he didn't have to be as careful which is why he may have been looking at the Death Star plans at that particular time while expecting trouble to show.

[@ShinxSparks]

It's also a good metaphor on how during the Clone Wars, Sidious used the rule of two (two lightsabers) to gain power in the Republic using Dooku as a proxy. After Dooku's death, Sidious at that moment during his attempted arrest didn't have an apprentice, hence the one lightsaber used to duel Windu. Remember Anakin wasn't accepted as an apprentice yet, and Maul is pretty much a loose end. It's not canon in any way, but it's funny when you see it from a different point of view.

[@taureanrage2065]

Interesting theory...... However, you've been talking with old Ben again, haven't you? You really should keep away from him.

[@SundayTopper]

I agree about, Sidious being caught off-guard in his office, about the fight with, Maul and his brother, I figured he (Sidious) wanted a second saber to shore-up his defensive abilities. He knew that going against two Sith would mean his opponents would be naturally inclined to be aggressive and try to over-whelm with attacks. Knowing this, Sidious, the tactician he was thought it a good idea to forgo a lil of his offense in favor of defense and his mastery of the force. Against the Jedi I do think he was caught off-guard by their arrival, but he probably would have opt'd for a single blade anyways. Jedi tend to be more defensive in their fighting styles and he wanted to cut them down as quickly as possible with a flurry after is initial stunning shout and so he used a two-handed style for shear power in his strikes. I believe the only reason that, Windu recovered as quickly from the shout as he did was because of, Vapaad. Since he is usually in that form he probably gains a bit of a mind-set from it and partly countered the power.

[@Thaumh]

There's also the Behind The Scenes explanation that they filmed Ep. 3 before the CG eps of Clone Wars were even started, and thus also Ian McDiarmid & his stunt double had not been trained for a dual-wield scene.

[@ItsqJude]

Can you try to make something on why he stopped usig a lightsaber in ESB

[@deathstroke3140]

Ian Mcdiarmid was already in his 60s when this movie came out. Teaching him to convincingly swing one lightsaber was hard enough.

[@vadertheory8169]

You should do more free flow videos

[@LordWyatt]

Good thing he had his spare when Yoda came to confront him.

[@liamhamilton9086]

My thoughts on why he would sometimes duel with two lightsabers was along the lines of when he has to get serious. I generally don’t believe he was afraid of either of the two brothers before, during, or after the duel and much rather has himself very composed basing off of how flawless he made his moves look when operating with two lightsabers. If anything I kind of see his need for the second saber arising not only as a back up should he lose or misplace his original but for scenarios such as when he is overwhelmed, has grown weary or tiresome of his opponent(s), and or is bored/annoyed (We do know he has his fun at times but after a certain amount of time and toying he gets down to business one way or another). Another reason why I always saw it like this was because normally he was powerful enough to take down anyone he wished very readily and quickly, only requiring his second lightsaber or relying on his force abilities should he truly need them such as when he needs to show the galaxy who the true with lord is.

[@albin1121]

I think that he uses two in the duel with the brothers because there is more space while in the arrest duel with Windu he didn’t have as much space to wield them. I also think he understood that it whould end with a duel with Mace (and that’s why he took down the weaker ones first) and therefore did not need to block two lightsaber attacks at once.

[@brianjackson2541]

He felt he would catch them off guard where Maul knew how deadly he was

[@PaulSimon-ee3gg]

I agree 100% Sideous was smart so he would have planned accordingly. Anything Sideous perceived coming at him connected to Mother Tasim would always have been seen as a threat to Sideous's reign. In his eyes and I believe Sideous is quoted as much saying something a kin to he respected but doesn't understand the Nightsisters Magik or their connection to the force. So yes going to fight two Sith imbued with night sister magik. One he trained himself in Maul . Then as you said almost out of nowhere Maul is alive and seemingly in a position of some power already. In Maul's absence he could now have learned more of the Darkside than Sideous taught him originally. This could be backed up in Sideous's mind by the fact Maul had even taken on a new apprentice and sacked Mandolor fairly easily. So Sideous would have known Maul has taken Mandolor, quite easily, with his new monstrous Acolyte in Savage. Sideous may have had more than just another lightsaber up his sleeve too 😉 😉 . Sideous didn't have the finite details about all this new information on Maul and his Acolyte. For all we know Sideous could have also had a fleet of ships at the ready to drop out of Hyperspace to "defend" Mandolor from the evils of these monsters who have taken it. He could spin that in the Senate or sure. Their was no time he had to act immediately,blah blah blah. That way, if needed, Sideous could have brought the full might of the entire Empire down on Maul & Savage. But once Sideous was boots on the ground per say. Sideous realized he could handle this himself. Much better to take them out quickly and quietly. So he just took the 2 sabers into the fight. Only to be sure he would always have the advantage over both zabrak brothers.

[@wallacejohnson7083]

What is the footage towards the end when Sidius is battling yoda? When did this happen? How did they not recognize it was palatine prior to rots? Any info would be great, thanks 👍

[@samdickenson5852]

Uh, you got the scene where Sidious had the Death Star plans mixed up. He was looking at that when Anakin showed up. He knew the coucil were coming as he reached out to Anakin and said 'if the Jedi destroy me any chance of saving her will be lost.' He chose to only use one lightsaber against them obviously. Yeah, he probably thought the fellow dark users were a greater threat as he looked down on the light side.

[@OdiVonDobi22]

Count from Sesame Street voice:He should have used three, three lightsabers ah ah ah...

[@kirab4146]

random question for SW, what force technique did yoda use on the guards when he walked in on Sidious

[@BoredBricks]

Did the Force Scream work against Windu? Why not?

[@KenobiandDookuSoloTheSequels]

Think about it. In his duel with The masters Sheev uses one lightsaber and then it was thrown outside the window. But later with his duel with Yoda he has the same saber. This means that Palpatine knew that he would face both Yoda and Windu probably not at the same time, so he decided to keep each one for these two different occasions. However in his duel with Maul and Savage he knew that they had more than one blade and knew that he would face his former apprentice Darth Maul and the former apprentice of Dooku Savagem

[@bhollywood6856]

Beating maul and savage with a single lightsaber would be an extremely tall order

[@slicer940]

Well I’m also sure that the Jedi and Dooku both gave details on their fights with Savage to Sidious after their respective encounters. Dooku probably also told him that Savage is deceptively strong in the force if truly angered.

[@chadflanaganCFC]

I think it has to do with who he expected to face, Palpatine didn't know who was all at mandalore my guess is he quite fairly expected to do battle against Mother Talzin as well as the Zabarak brothers so he brought with him a bit of overkill,whereas he knew exactly who he was going to face with the Jedi there was no need to be careful

[@minicle426]

What's that background music you use?

[@kkhackett]

First theory is Erroneous. According to the novelization of revenge of the sith, Palpatine/sidious “When he began his political career, he concealed this lightsaber within a neuranium statue of Sistros, having the piece fabricated around his lightsaber. The weapon remained hidden within the statue for at least two decades, waiting until Palpatine needed it. During this period, the Sith Lord was forced to use back-up weapons when he needed to wield a lightsaber. On one occasion, he even needed to wield his Master's lightsaber in conjunction of his own weapon. At another point he created a second lightsaber as a backup weapon” He knew the Jedi masters were coming. Hence why he ignited the weapon a short time before the masters came to arrest him.

[@sageg5036]

most likely answer: They wanted to fixed the plot whole of Palpatine losing it facing off Windu, but then having it again when facing off with Yoda

[@lightjones9894]

My theory was Palpatine was a little concerned fighting 2 very aggressive offensive duelist with 1 lightsaber opposed to 4 with rather controlled and not aggressive dueling styles. Well until he knew Mace Windu.

[@11bluekitkats]

I think he just used 2 sabers for the thrill that one time ever other time he hasn’t so it’s safe to say he doesn’t

[@alexleblanc6364]

They really did Kit dirty in that scene

[@KcutcheyXD449]

So I agree with the observation that it was double bladed lightsabers he was encountering in that situation but also the fact that he was dealing with Sith and not Jedi this are very aggressive typically which means you get better probability of both striking at the same time whereas the Jedi mentality was a bit more passive and not violent / aggressive so the probability of being straight from two different fronts at the single time was much less probable whereas like I said dealing with the Sith being more aggressive it would be more ideal to be able to address the encounter on two separate fronts as long as your situationally aware enough to do so that's just my 10 cents on it because I prefer dual wield combat myself being somewhat ambidextrous but I also trained single-handed as well but like many people talk about he wasn't a fan of lightsabers even though he was pretty okay at it so it would make sense for him to typically avoid using one let alone two using cheap Force tricks to get the upper hand on Yoda rather than going toe-toe with a saber

[@gregphillipsel9906]

Maybe he knew that they would come for him once the general was killed. He didn't expect for him to get so killed so soon.

[@Chris.Mendoza]

I really wish there could be a scenario where ancient Sith and Jedi somehow go into the future and there just be an all out war with Sith and Jedi fighting each other and have Sith have some in fighting as well and see how Sidious would handle them. I just wanna see him fight more and have more formidable opponents to face.

[@oliverlewis3126]

Also he didn’t have the element of surprise vs maul so maybe that’s why he brought two. The Jedi didn’t expect him to be so fast so he knew he would have an advantage from the start therefore didn’t need two

[@master-alucard3929]

Video idea what happened to his lightsaber once he lost it

[@lydiaives733]

It may also be that in the duel with the brothers he may have aimed to crush and demoralise them. With the Jedi masters id imagine he was ready and open to being engaged by the jedi. Using a single light saber is a symbol of his belief in himself being above the masters, showing off his elegance and prowess in light saber combat. Besting an opponent out manned and out gunned shows how little he regarded the jedi as a whole. With the brothers, may be that he wanted to show how truely out matched they are with pure ferocity and ruthlessness. Taking off the kiddy gloves so to speak

[@mathieubordeleau150]

After the rule of 2 was establish I wonder how many time there where "rivals" among the siths, It would make for interesting lore to explore.

[@charliethedesertrat3923]

Can you do darth maul’s lightsaber form explained please

[@BitedownPetey]

by sidious perspective he was going against a maul he trained specifically for fighting and a second maul on steroids, he also probably assumed they both used double bladed lightsabers

[@Spider-sf3uh]

As not many force users have mastered using 2 lightsabers to its max it could be that the reason Sidious chose only to use 1 was because he needed his full concentration knowing that Windu and Yoda were both extremely powerful duellists…my guess would be if he had duelled Dooku it would be the same he would have used only 1 lightsaber putting his full concentration into the 1 blade…when maul and savage were attempting to strike Sidious their intention was clearly to take him out as soon as where Windu was focussing on technique and if Sidious was holding a lightsaber with only 1 hand he would have quite quickly been disarmed early on by Windu

[@MichaelZodok]

Question? Why does Maul take the Soresu stance before battling Palpatine? 0.56

[@davidhaas3111]

I just figured it was an offense vs defense thing. He takes every advantage he has available to him into an expected battle but only bothers to carry one lightsaber as a self defense tool as was the situation against Windu. I also thought that he might have believed that against two sith assassins his superiority with lightsabers would be more effective than using the dark side against other dark side proficients, whereas he was confident that his understanding of both the dark side and the light would be more than enough to stamp out any Jedi who only knew the light.

[@coebaltraizure6137]

I feel like Canon goes through phases of not being able to decide how strong sidious is supposed to be.

[@Troy211]

It was more tactical because of the smaller area that he had to fight. Dual wielding can be situational.

[@wabash1975]

Funny, I saw a video claiming that Sidious kept his lightsaber on his desk in a small statue.

[@Flow_Plays_Minecraft]

He had a second lightsaber on him. But he didn’t need it during the battle with the Jedi masters, seeing how fast he disposed of them. After that it was a 1 on 1 fight and he could continue using a single blade.

[@dylanm6335]

After watching their fight for the first time, I thought he brought two sabers because he knew Savage and Maul would be a challenge to take down. Filoni has said that Savage is more powerful than most of the council since he lasted much longer than they did

[@emilpeterson7034]

He was basically a brute who overwelmed his opponents with power and fear. Sure he was dangerous but like obi-wan did was who did not fear him or maul jnew Savage was the easier target He lacked in experience in blade to blade combat and got his arm cut off when fighting 2v1 Maul was the far supperior force wielder in all regards to savage

[@Jinx_Skeel]

the truth is that the movie was made before and at the time no one thought of the possibility of 2 sabers for ol' boy palpy

[@dreadrath]

Putting aside Force Augmentation, there's really only three people in the series that come close to, or at most rival, Palpatine when it comes to SKILL in saber combat. Yoda, Dooku and Windu (I suppose we could also count Anakin, though that kinda depends on his state of mind)

[@Rose_Butterfly98]

I think it's because he knew he could beat Maul and Savage. He knew he was strong enough to easily deal with them one handed. Furthermore there were 2 of them, 2 sabers would give him better defense against 2 opponents. However, against Windu, he knew how strong the guy was, he knew he would need both hands on the saber at times to fight. It's also why when he used his force scream, he attacked the other Jedi first, he knew Windu had the highest chance to block his attack, he probably went from easiest to hardest to maximize his kill potential and reduce the number of opponents. At least in real life, dual wielding is not the best way to fight, it is the fastest way to beat multiple opponents that you know stand no chance against you, it's either that or do that Montante thing but it's really tiring to do that. But, if it's an actual opponent that poses a threat, or honestly just one opponent, using only one is much easier.

[@overknightacention39]

Notice how he also didn't use two lightsaber in his "force holicingaltion" with Yoda and Akakin at the end of the Clone Wars season 6.

[@colekimball4945]

I think he only used one blade because he didn't want to win outright. He wanted to put Anakin in the position of having to save him.

[@savagedarksider5934]

When did Luke first learn of the sith ? He was familiar with the dark side but when did he learn of the Sith ?

[@savagedarksider5934]

@@damaskholdings9140 I know the outside-universe reason;I was speaking about the in-universe reason.

[@theupsidedowngame9194]

It is a fair point that having two swords in real sword fights is generally just not as effective as one. Two swords can be useful against multiple opponents but palp dealt with the other so quickly it was probably just better of use the one blade to its full potential.

[@austinhall5363]

do we know anything about Windus backstory?

[@martinharris5592]

I would say, the purpose of that fight was as a precursor to turning Anakin. He would have been able to sus out through foresight, that this confrontation was necessary to converting Anakin. His purpose was not to win as quickly as possible, but to bring about this perfect nexus of circumstance. If he also knew that Windu was necessary to turning Anakin, that's why Windu survived, not because he was better than the other Jedi.

[@kevin8639]

Mabe to symbolize at that moment there's one true sithlord. Make sense after dukus death he became the only one . rule of two was made to offset the balance of the force so he only needed one being the most powerful

[@marcoslaureano5562]

Sidious knew the Jedi were coming as he'd JUST told Anakin that he was Darth Sidious. Him looking at the Death Star plans openly even while the Jedi were arriving symbolizes that he KNEW his victory was assured. That's why I'll never buy that Windu legit won that fight. I'll even go as far as to say that Palpatine was the one who maneuvered that fight toward the ledge because he'd already seen what would transpire. Lucas said that Windu won for Sam Jackson's benefit. Jackson was extremely invested in the character of Mace Windu and George probably didn't want to alienate him in case he needed him to reprise the role some day. I believe Sidious almost always KNEW exactly how everything was going to turn out. "Everything that has transpired has done so according to MY DESIGN." Remember the shift in the force that he and Plagueis had perpetrated. It blinded the Jedi while the Sith could see clearly. I believe this is also how Palps knew that Savage would have a double bladed saber and that Maul would be wielding two sabers. So he carried one saber in each hand - one hand/saber for each brother - that's totally something Sheev would do just to embarrass his opponents. AND the fact that he could see so deeply into the future was why he only wielded a single saber against the Jedi - because he knew that weapon would need to be sacrificed in order to make Windu and Anakin believe that he'd truly lost the fight. And he was cool with losing it because he knew that ULTIMATELY his true RIVAL was Yoda and he perhaps could not see completely what would happen in his fight with Yoda - or he'd seen more than one outcome for that fight. But the fact that he'd seen a vision of it meant that he would beat Windu and the other Jedi. But whatever vision he'd seen of that Yoda fight - he was probably always wielding a single saber in it. This clear vision is probably why he is ultimately so arrogant and sure in ROTJ that Luke would join him. Just my two cents.

[@9paraclete]

My theory is closed quarter combat vs wide open spaces.

[@richardpage5812]

He feared Maul and Oppress?? He has a legion of forces under his command and he went their solo, if he was afraid of them he wouldn't have done that.

[@Jadensdivine]

Imo the maul and sidious fight was the best In the clone wars followed up by maul and Ashoka. Crazy how maul had barely any screen time in phantom menace and now he’s one of the most savage Star Wars character ever imo

[@thebatman6201]

I figure the movie came out first,and then when they made the show, they thought "itd be cool to show him with 2 sabers".

[@JO-iv7tl]

He gave up his last vestige as a sith apprentice/master that was his old fighting style. Instead focusing on the force and only keeping one lightsaber as a last resort. The lightsaber to him is more a symbol of power that distinguishes him from common people, instantaneously. With all other sith removed by his own hands he no longer needed the aggressive tactics of his youth.

[@Evilmarshmallow116]

I figured he brought out a second one just to flex on Maul and Oppress. When you get to Palpatine's level you don't even gotta bring your A game so he did a style he rarely uses.

[@tynancravy5589]

I figured it was because of Kit Fisto

[@adrianmartinez2451]

I so wish they had planned for him to use two in e3

[@jaredbanister6880]

Mace is a very physical fighter and Sidious may have wanted to wield one blade with his full strength. I don't doubt that he suspected that both Maul and Savage were using more then one blade which is why he took two. He was right too since Savage had a double bladed lightsaber and Maul had half of his old double bladed lightsaber as well as the darksaber. I also think he purposely went after Kolar and Tiin first knowing they would be the least prepared. Fisto and Mace were involved in more duals during the Clone Wars with Fisto having fought both General Grievous and Asajj Ventress before and Mace having fought Mother Talzin ( once ), beating Grievous ( twice in legends ), Dooku ( ran from Mace when they finally met again ), and Sora Bulq ( who helped Mace create Vaapad was beaten as well ). Overall it was logical as well as critical to kill the other Jedi first so because he couldn't risk taking on Mace as well as though three together. Mace fought Mother Talzin! He was an extremely dangerous threat and Sidious who helped kill Talzin knew not to risk it. He generally was surprised by when Mace arrived.

[@TJSnow-mh1qz]

I always thought it was because he lost the one in the fight with Windu. He used the other one when battling Yoda.

[@UniqueNarwhaI]

Idea: What if Nehdar listened to kit fisto and didn’t fight grevious

[@traba1023]

He only used one blade cuase in original script he was supposed using ankin light saber that he stole from him. Ankin was supposed orginal but reshot it and that if look some of scene palpatine is using ankin light sabe not his own

[@shirihotep3741]

Sidious was anticipating that the Jedi would be coming to arrest him after he admitted to Anakin that he was a Sith…

[@sicilianmammalian]

My theory is he switched to one blade after having dooku as a apprentice I imagine they sparred regularly just as obi wan and anakin did