Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One. It was his destiny to bring balance to the Force and avenge the Jedi Order. His power was truly awesome, and he only became more powerful after his fall to the Dark Side. As Darth Vader, he was one of the strongest beings in the entire galaxy. But even then, he was never able to surpass his master, Darth Sidious.

A Sith Apprentice can only become the master when they murder the one who trained them. Darth Sidious slew his own master, Darth Plagueis, while he slept. Hatred is a cornerstone of Sith philosophy, so it is no wonder that Darth Vader harbors a deep and abiding hatred for his master, whom he blamed for many of his personal woes. Star Wars: Darth Vader #40 (by Greg Pak, Raffaele Ienco, Frederico Blee and VC’s Joe Caramagna) saw Vader return to Coruscant in his most recent attempt to unleash his wrath upon his master. However, Darth Sidious used the moment to reveal why Vader would never be powerful enough to defeat him.

Darth Vader's Hatred and Suffering

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The Sith draw upon their emotions to power their actions. They use anger, jealousy and above all, hatred, to give them strength. Pain often leads to hatred in the Star Wars Universe, and as such the most powerful Sith Lords are usually those with the most suffering behind them, making their hatred literally the core of their existence.

Darth Vader endured a great deal of suffering. As Anakin Skywalker, he was the Chosen One, blessed with an abnormally strong connection to the Force. However, the pain he endured in his life was enough to transform him into a powerful Sith Lord. The death of his wife, the loss of his friends and the mutilation of his body all combined to imbue him with a hatred few could rival. These qualities should have made him the most powerful Dark Lord of all time, easily able to slay his master. However, Darth Vader was never able to achieve this, largely because Sidious discovered a way to use Vader's hatred to his advantage.

Emperor Palpatine had a way to Stay More Powerful Than Darth Vader

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Darth Sidious always remained one step ahead of his apprentice because of his approach to hatred. Darth Vader’s most explosive attempt to stand up to him came in Star Wars: Darth Vader #11 (by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco). Darth Vader tracked Palpatine down to his secret base on Exegol. His hatred for his master rewarded him with new levels of power. He mentally dominated an enormous and terrifying beast called a Summa-verminoth. Yet, Darth Vader and his enslaved kaiju proved no threat to Darth Sidious. The role of hatred in a Sith Lord’s power points to Darth Vader potentially being the stronger of the two, but the opposite was unequivocally proven to be true. Sidious addresses this mystery in Star Wars: Darth Vader 2020 #40 in which he explains that while Darth Vader thrives on his own hate, Sidious draws power from the hatred of others.

A Sith Lord’s hatred is a self-fulfilling prophecy, as hate leads to suffering and suffering leads to more hate. As long as a Sith Lord can bear their own suffering, they can continue growing in power. Darth Sidious, however, has found a way to master this cycle by drawing power from the hatred he inspires. As a Sith Lord, he inflicts suffering on his apprentice. As the Galactic Emperor, he inflicts suffering on billions. He then uses the power he draws from the hate he generates to create even more suffering, granting him a never ending source of power.

Paplatine’s ability ensured that he would always be several steps ahead of his apprentice. The more Vader hated his master, the stronger Palpatine became. To the emperor, Vader was little more than a favored tool, and he always maintained a fair degree of control over his apprentice, using him as both a weapon and power source.

Darth Sidious Used Hate to Become the Most Powerful Sith Lord

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Darth Sidious wanted to end the cycle of Sith Apprentices slaying their masters. His use of hatred was the method he chose to achieve this. By placing himself out of the reach of his apprentice, there was no natural conclusion to his tenure as Dark Lord of the Sith. Theoretically, Darth Sidious could have been free to spend eternity at the top of the pyramid. He could have delved deeper and deeper into the mysteries of the Dark Side and finally achieved the true immortality he sought. He had already become the most powerful Dark Lord of all time.

Unfortunately, the same cycle of hatred that empowered Darth Sidious provoked him into risking all that he had built. The success he’d had drawing from Darth Vader prompted him to throw him aside in the hopes of gaining Luke instead. This would lead to his first destruction. He would later attempt to draw power from Rey and Ben Solo, which would end in much the same way. But whether Darth Sidious was ultimately successful or not, it is clear that he had perfected the Sith arts in a way no other was able to.

Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One. He eventually returned balance to the Force, at least for a time. But in the end, his view of the Force was too limited for him to fully master it as either a Jedi or Sith. For this reason, Darth Sidious remained at the zenith of galactic power, and he did so by mastering the hatred that had consumed so many others.

Star Wars

Created by George Lucas, Star Wars began in 1977 with the then-eponymous film that would later be retitled Episode IV: A New Hope. The original Star Wars trilogy centered on Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa, who helped lead the Rebel Alliance to victory over the tyrannous Galactic Empire. This Empire was overseen by Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine, who was aided by the cybernetic menace known as Darth Vader.In 1999, Lucas returned to Star Wars with a prequel trilogy that explored how Luke’s father Anakin Skywalker became a Jedi and eventually succumbed to the dark side of the Force.