DFirst1

Question: Did Darth Tyranus know that Sidious was going to betray him?

DFirst1

Chosen answer: Nope, you can see the surprise on his face when Palpatine orders Anakin to kill him. He then realises Anakin is Sidious' new apprentice. He fully expected to defeat Anakin.

lionhead

I read that Palpatine/Sidious had given Dooku/Tyrannus a fake plan: Tyrannus thought they would kill Obi-wan, then convince Anakin to join the two of them.

I think that is partially right. Though I would sooner think the plan was to incapacitate Obi-Wan, which Dooku did and then focus on Anakin to get him to the dark side. Dooku had a chance to kill Obi-Wan but didn't. Besides, if Dooku did kill Obi-Wan it is almost sure Anakin will kill Dooku for it.

lionhead

If I remember correctly, at the moment, the plan was described in the book "Labyrinth of Evil" by James Luceno. Although, I don't know how many books are canon now.

Chosen answer: Yes, the Sith Rule of Two requires that the master kill the apprentice and claim a new one, or the apprentice kill the master and become master himself.

Then why didn't Vader do anything about it?

DFirst1

He quite famously threw the Emperor down a shaft. :-) Presumably he was still benefiting from the relationship. The Emperor knows how it goes too - they would have stayed in partnership until the deciding moment came, both thinking they'd be the one to triumph, but ultimately one of them would be wrong.

I mean prior when Palpatine is torturing Luke.

DFirst1

While Anakin without the suit could have been more powerful than the Emperor, as Darth Vader, he is definitely not more powerful and would easily be defeated if he attempted anything. The Emperor's force lightning would damage his suit easily.

Do you mean during the timeline in the Original trilogy that Darth Vader knows that his master is going to replace him? Just like what happened to Dooku, whom Anakin killed in front of Sidious.

DFirst1

The rule of two is a Sith philosophy, so yes he knew. According to the rule the master will always be seeking a stronger apprentice, while the apprentice will seek to become the master.

Answer: The reason why Vader didn't do anything is a character decision. Likely Palpatine being a master of manipulation beat into Vader's head that Vader need him in order to function as a leader.

Chosen answer: That's one way to look at it. The Sith sought to grow stronger, and when a potentially stronger apprentice comes around, the "upgrade" is too tempting to pass on.

Answer: I think Palpatine/Sidious had always plans, along with some alternate plans. He needed to be prepared in case things didn't happen as he wished. Maybe he intended for Darth Maul to be a placeholder for Anakin. After Maul was killed, Dooku was the new placeholder. However, there was also a chance that Anakin could be killed - maybe in a Clone Wars battle - or he might refuse to turn against the Jedi. Palpatine probably had something in mind for those situations.

Question: Did Snape know that Draco and Harry were the masters of the Elder Wand?

DFirst1

Chosen answer: No, Snape never knew this. Draco had briefly become the Elder Wand's master when he disarmed Dumbledore on the Astronomy Tower and prior to Harry disarming Draco at Malfoy Manor. Draco never knew that he commanded the Elder Wand and never physically possessed it. Harry figured out later how the wand's allegiance had changed, making him its master.

raywest

7th Sep 2017

Star Wars (1977)

Question: When Han and Luke are rescuing Leia, why didn't Luke use his lightsaber during his mission on the Death Star?

DFirst1

Chosen answer: It's possible that he wasn't experienced enough with it, or at least felt like he wasn't, to be of any use. Remember, in the first film, Luke's total experience in handling the lightsaber was only a few screen minutes before he, Han, Chewie and Obi-wan attempted the rescue. It's also quite probable that Obi-wan warned Luke NOT to carry the lightsaber during the rescue attempt; it was, after all, Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber. If Luke (Anakin's son) boarded the Deathstar armed with Anakin's lightsaber, that peculiar disturbance in the Force could potentially lead Darth Vader straight to Luke, rather than to Obi-wan.

Chosen answer: By this point the witch king is indeed stronger than Saruman. However Saruman's power had been declining ever since he chose to follow Sauron.

lionhead

Question: Why can't Dooku sense Obi-Wan on Geonosis? In ANH, Vader could sense Obi-Wan on the Death Star.

DFirst1

Chosen answer: For one thing Vader is significantly more powerful than Dooku. Vader also has a strong emotional connection with Obi Wan and thus it is easier to sense him.

BaconIsMyBFF

How come? Tyranus, Obi Wan and Vader are all force sensitive. So we could expect Dooku might have sensed Kenobi.

DFirst1

There's nothing in the film to suggest he did. In A New Hope, Vader specifically mentions sensing Obi Wan. In Return of the Jedi, Luke specifically mentions sensing Vader. There is no mention that either Obi Wan or Dooku could sense the other on Geonosis. Dooku being able to sense Obi Wan would go a long way to explain the hilarious ease of Obi Wan's capture, but it can't be said that he could sense him just because he can use the force and force users can do that. We aren't shown it and he doesn't mention it.

BaconIsMyBFF

Maybe Dooku sensed Obi Wan. But, I think it's part of the plan to get Kenobi captured. Because Dooku is going to reveal a "dark secret" to the Jedi.

DFirst1

Answer: Dooku knew that Obi Wan was spying him. But he did that on purpose, by luring him into a trap. As you can see in the film, he was captured so that Dooku would plant a seed with the Republic in order to ensure the Clone Wars began as Sidious and Tyranus planned.

DFirst1

Chosen answer: Obi-Wan used it until he made himself a new one. Then it was presumably turned over to the Jedi Temple.

Greg Dwyer

Chosen answer: Palpatine personally spoke to some clone commanders, Cody for example, so it wasn't just a blanket message/signal to all troopers. All he had to do was order the 501st Legion to follow Vader in the attack on the Jedi temple.

Sierra1

Question: Why was Boromir allowed to join the Fellowship of the Ring? Since he is vulnerable to the Ring's corruption.

DFirst1

Chosen answer: Virtually everyone was vulnerable to the Ring's power to some extent, even Frodo Baggins. Frodo's purity of heart and incorruptibility made him the least affected by the Ring and made him the only logical choice to actually carry it for the duration of the mission; but EVERYBODY was vulnerable to its seductive power, some just more so than others.

Charles Austin Miller

But prior when the Fellowship was formed, he was tempted by the ring. He even tried to convince the council that bring the ring to Gondor would destroy Sauron. So why did Gandalf or Elrond accepts Boromir as a member of the Fellowship?

DFirst1

Well, Boromir's younger brother, Faramir, would probably have been a better choice for the Fellowship, if he had been available. But Faramir wasn't available and Boromir was. Boromir also wasn't actually "chosen" for the Fellowship, he simply went along out of loyalty to Aragorn. Gandalf and Elrond may have suspected Boromir's weakness (possibly even as a threat to the Fellowship), but Boromir was a seasoned warrior whose skills in battle would be valuable on this incredibly dangerous mission. Also, you may recall that Boromir wasn't even nearly as weak or unbalanced in the actual Tolkein story; rather, director Peter Jackson made Boromir more of a loose cannon in the film, which is not how he was portrayed in the book. In other words, Jackson wanted an even more unbalanced element threatening the Fellowship from within, so he amplified Boromir's weaknesses.

Charles Austin Miller

Chosen answer: Because Snape had let it be generally known that Lupin was a werewolf. Previously only the Hogwarts faculty knew about this, and kept it secret. Snape still hated James Potter and Sirius Black for them mistreating him when they were all students at Hogwarts. Although Lupin never treated him badly, Snape still resented Remus for being friends with James and Sirius (Lupin was one of the four Marauders of the "Marauder's Map"). As Lupin told Harry, once the parents found out about his condition, they'd be contacting Dumbledore, protesting a werewolf teaching their children. It also fulfilled the curse that Voldemort had placed on the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position: no instructor lasts more than one year.

raywest

Question: Who is Dumbledore talking about "who made all the wrong choices"? Is it Voldemort or Draco? I don't think it's Draco, because he is the "Boy who didn't have a choice."

DFirst1

Chosen answer: He is talking about Tom Riddle, the boy who became Lord Voldemort. Riddle's evilness started at a very early age and he was never coerced into it by others. It was his choice alone to become evil.

raywest

Question: How did Megatron and Sentinel get up the building? Since their alternate mode is not an air transport.

DFirst1

Chosen answer: They either climbed, or got a ride on one of the flyers.

MasterOfAll

Chosen answer: Sauron lost the ring when his mortal form was destroyed and Isildur cut it from his hand.

Sierra1

Chosen answer: He was attempting to recruit Obi-Wan to join him to overthrow Sidious. If Obi-Wan had joined him, they could have defeated Sidious and Dooku would be the Sith master.

Sierra1

Chosen answer: He did. At the end of Attack of the Clones, he personally handed him the plans to the Death Star. He was wearing a cloak, not a mask. Until Ankin succumbed to the Dark side, he was his protege.

Question: Why did the scourging of the Shire never take place in the film?

DFirst1

Chosen answer: The film was already quite long and the plot was complicated with many characters. Adding the Shire scourge would be nearly impossible to incorporate without completely bogging down the story and the pacing. It was implied in one scene as a shadowy premonition that this could happen to the Shire if Sauron wasn't defeated.

raywest

Question: Who is the 2nd in command of Sauron? Is it the Witch King or the Mouth of Sauron?

DFirst1

Chosen answer: The Witch-king of Angmar is Sauron's second in command. The Mouth of Sauron serves more as an ambassador and messenger to Sauron.

Casual Person

Chosen answer: Théoden was intent on killing Grima out of revenge for what he had done. Since Aragorn is a very noble man, he would have felt that Théoden killing Grima for that reason would not have been a noble decision, especially for a king, to make.

Casual Person

Chosen answer: He might have done, if he'd gone alone (or only with his fellow hobbits), but the rest of the Fellowship, particularly Aragorn and Gandalf, knew Middle Earth so well that they didn't need one.

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