Although the Jedi were at their most powerful during the prequels, they still didnt know Palpatine was a Sith Lord. Here's why they failed.

The Jedi Order may have been at the height of its power during theStar Wars prequels, they still didnt know Palpatine was a Sith Lord the whole time. When his true nature is revealed in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, its too late for the Jedi Council to stop his plans and avoid their utter destruction. The fact that Palpatine was able to hide his identity in plain sight and without any fears of discovery is a true testament to his abilities in the dark side of the Force.

Palpatine's rise as the Emperor didnt happen overnight. Sheev Palpatine was born to an influential family in Naboo and, as a young man, he was quick to amass an incredible amount of political knowledge, turning into a cunning and astute politician and risein the ranks of Naboos governance. At some point in his life, he became Darth Plagueis apprentice. From his dark master, he learned incredible powerful secrets of the Force, including how to harness the full power of the dark side and perhaps reach immortality. The two worked together for years to unlock the ultimate secret to cheat death, but once Palpatine realized his master had outlived his usefulness, he murdered Plagueis in his sleep.

Related: Star Wars Reveals The First Time Yoda Sensed Palpatine Could Be Sith

At the same time as he became Darth Mauls master and continued amassing strength, Palpatine kept his public persona clean, forming alliances and preparing the ground for his master plan of toppling the Republic and creating a new Sith Empire. As he grew more powerful, both in the political arena and as Darth Sidious, Palpatine carefully and masterfully used his ability to sense the thoughts and feelings of those around to manipulate and shape events to his advantage. He was even able to hide his own mind and intentions even from Master Yoda, clouding the Jedis ability to sense the dark side.

Palpatines ability to sense the future probably helped a great deal to stay hidden from the Jedi Order. He was extremely talented at sensing the future and seeing the different paths ahead, so he could easily predict multiple outcomes and avoid ones that led to the discovery of his true identity. Along with his cunning and manipulative skills, he had the perfect combination of powers in order to appear innocent while working in the shadows to destroy the Jedi. However, the history ofthe planet Coruscant might hold another element that worked against the Jedi.

According to the novel Tarkin, below the Jedi Temple on Coruscant lies an ancient Sith shrine overflowing with corruptible energy of the dark side. Originally, the Jedi thought that by placing their temple on top of it, their light energy would neutralize the influence of the dark side, however, that wasnt the case. Its possible the influence of the shrinecontributed to the Jedis weakened ability to use the Force, which Mace Windu mentioned in Revenge of the Sith. It was like the perfect storm: Palpatines strong dark side powers and the shrines energies blocked the Jedi Order from seeing the truth as Palpatine plotted their destruction right in front of them.

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Star Wars: Why The Jedi Didn't Know Palpatine Was a Sith Lord - Screen Rant