Darth Plagueis (novel)

"The principal story arc in 'Darth Plagueis' spans several decades. The challenge was to create a 'history' of a kind without eclipsing the characters who are in effect making history. Fortunately, the Star Wars universe is so large that I was able to research the book almost in the same way I would have a more traditional historical novel. As it progressed, I was forced to hew more closely to established lore, but even then it proved possible to shed light on what was going on in the wings behind the scenes."

- James Luceno

Darth Plagueis is an upcoming novel by James Luceno. It will tell the backstory of Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Plagueis. It was originally scheduled for release in October of 2008, but its release was canceled. Sue Rostoni has since stated that the book has been reinstated, with a release date of January 10, 2012.

Back cover
'''Plagueis was the most powerful Sith Lord who ever lived. But could he be the only one who never died?'''

Internal flap
''Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived. Possessing power is all he desires. Losing it is the only thing he fears. As an apprentice, he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith. And when the time is right, he destroys his Master—but vows never to suffer the same fate. For like no other disciple of the dark side, Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power. . . over life and death.'' ''Darth Sidious: Plagueis’s chosen apprentice. Under the guidance of his Master, he secretly studies the ways of the Sith, while publicly rising to power in the galactic government, first as Senator, then as Chancellor, and eventually as Emperor.'' ''Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, Master and acolyte, target the galaxy for domination—and the Jedi Order for annihilation. But can they defy the merciless Sith tradition? Or will the desire of one to rule supreme, and the dream of the other to live forever, sow the seeds of their destruction?"''

Plot summary
According to the excerpt given at the back of Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan, the novel begins just after Darth Sidious had killed his Master Darth Plagueis. Sidious experiences a moment where he feels a dramatic shift in the Force, which promises him that its dark side will use him as a tool just as he will use it as a tool for his own purposes. This moment in the Force is what promises Sidious that he will bring a great impact on the galaxy in the future.

The book then cuts back 48 years before Palpatine's reign as Emperor. Darth Plagueis and his Master Darth Tenebrous arrive on the world of Bal'demnic for cortosis, which is being mined unbeknownst to either the Republic or the Jedi Order. Tenebrous plans to use the cortosis as a weakness against the Jedi's lightsabers. However, when the mining probe droid begins digging at a pocket of explosive lethane next to the cortosis deposit, Tenebrous and Plagueis hurry to escape. The explosion occurs before they make it back to their ship, but Tenebrous is able to use the Force to contain the explosion from killing him and his apprentice while Plagueis makes sure that their ship isn't destroyed by the impact of the blast. But in the end, Tenebrous is severely wounded, and Plagueis finds himself with the opportunity to end his Master's life.

The audio excerpt depicts Plagueis's final moments with his Sith Master Tenebrous. With the Sith Master severely wounded, Plagueis tells his Master that he will put an end to the old order of the Rule of Two. Plagueis then breaks his Master's neck and observes his dying form in the Force in his attempt to manipulate midi-chlorians. However, Tenebrous dies before Plagueis is able to even at least prolong his Master's life for the sake of experimentation.

Behind the scenes
"In dealing with Plagueis' quest for immortality, I originally structured part of the book as a kind of race between him and Qui-Gon Jinn, they inadvertently sabotaged one another without either of them realizing they were pursuing the same goal. In the end, Qui-Gon succeeded by making contact with the Whills- the mysterious species of immortals George Lucas mentioned in an epigraph for the first Star Wars novel. As a result, the first version of the Plagueis novel was all over the place, way too long, and trying too hard to resolve every loose end."

- James Luceno

A Darth Plagueis novel was scheduled to be written by James Luceno and released in October 2008 by Del Rey about Darth Plagueis and his backstory. In an interview with Star Wars Insider magazine, Luceno said that he would like to write a future novel dealing with the search for immortality that both Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Plagueis embarked upon in their own separate ways. However, in a talk show interview in February 5, 2007, he indicated that the novel was currently on hold due to issues surrounding the revelation of Palpatine's backstory and Expanded Universe continuity concerns.

Cancellation
"I'm sure you've noticed that the Plagueis novel is not listed. It's true. The novel has been cancelled. We decided that this was not the right time to delve into Palpatine's back story and Plagueis's beginnings. You'll still see Jim Luceno around, though, as he's an author we are not willing to lose."

- Sue Rostoni

On March 27, 2007, Sue Rostoni revealed in her blog that the novel had been canceled, in an entry revealing an updated publishing schedule.

The announcements for the novel stated that Plagueis was a Muun. Leland Chee has confirmed that, since Plagueis's species did not originate in the novel, it is still considered his canonical species by Lucas Licensing.

The novel was replaced with Darth Bane: Rule of Two; however, Luceno has said he still hopes he can convince the powers that be at LucasFilm to let him write the novel, and cited sales of Millennium Falcon could help influence that.

Rejuvenation
"Plagueis was born into an historical setting that allowed him to bring many important beings under his influence, and to bring the re-emergent dark side fully to the attention of the Jedi Order."

- James Luceno

On July 27, 2010, Sue Rostoni stated that the book was indeed back on schedule, with a release date of February 28, 2012. This announcement came following a sales database leak, which the fan site New Jedi Order Encyclopedia published. Believing it to be a replacement for the canceled Imperial Commando 2, fans asked for clarification. Rostoni confirmed that the book was going to be published in 2012, but that it is not intended to replace Imperial Commando 2. The release date was later changed to December 27, 2011, and then again to January 10, 2012.

On August 22, 2011, it was announced on the Star Wars Books Facebook page that Matthew Stover will be writing a short story, entitled The Tenebrous Way, that ties into the book. It was published in the Star Wars Insider 130 on December 13, 2011.