Are the Jedi blind to Palpatine being Sith Lord?

The Jedi can sense danger, Yoda felt much anger, agression, and hurt in little Anakin. They are suppose to have this sixth sense about everything. Seeing the future, feeling if something is not right. Yet no one can sense that Senator Palpatine is the Evil Sith Lord? How could Yoda be in the same room as he is and not feel one thing? Why?

Yoda, Mace, any Jedi should have been able to get the wrong vibes from his guy from the beginning. Or did he have some way of mind-manipulation to cloud the foresight? Any suggestions?

 

Yoda says "Hard to sense, the dark side is". Plus, Palps is the master at concealing his identity. He's that strong.

 

"The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see the future is."

 

I always thought it would have been better if under orders from Sidious, Dooku told Obi Wan that he himself was the Dark Lord of the Sith to draw the inquisition of the Jedi from his master.

But then again I'm very biased towards Christopher Lee. I feel that it was a crime that his character was essentially wasted in favor of pop culture induced cool ninja guy Maul and CG Robot guy Grievous. Afterall Lee was the only actor (Aside from Mcdiarmid) to really convince me that I was watching a Star Wars film, at least for a few moments anyway. Lee was one of the actors I aways invisioned as a Jedi after watching the original movies as a child.

I also think that Palpatine as Sidious shiould have been formally made clear in the final scenes of ATOC.

 

Yeah when I watch TPM and AOTC again I have a hard time to figure out how Palpatine manages to be Darth Sidious as a part-time job. Seems just like a hobby for him to train Darth Maul and command Vice Roi Gunray.

The movies didn't convince me enough if Palpatine was that powerful that he could "cloud everything by the Dark Side".


Dooku owned, on the other hand.

 

The Jedi's power's had diminished, as you can see throughout the PT. Even in ROTS, when Anakin and Obi-Wan get trapped in that bubble thing with Palpatine, at the begining when they are rescuing him, Obi-Wan says, how did we not see this coming, were better than this. I think Yoda was the only one that suspected something was going on with Palpatine though. In AOTC, at the begining, when Palpatine asks for Anakin, and Obi-Wan to guard Padme, Yoda gives him a very suspicous look. He knows there's something not right, but he can't put his finger on it, because of the cloud the dark side has put on his force powers.

 

Good stuff so far. What I find interesting is that in two films that the Jedi cannot sense anything with Palpatine.

But then in ROTS, we hear Mace say that the dark side surrounds Chancellor Palpatine. Not that they necessarily know he is a Sith when Mace says this, but one wonders from hearing this, what has changed that they now can sense the dark side around him?

I can only imagine that the reason was that Palpatine was allowing this to happen to allow the Jedi to suspect him of wrong doing, thus setting up his claim, particularly to Anakin that the Jedi were plotting to overthrow.

If this is not the case, how then did the Jedi begin to sense the dark side around Palpy?

Darth Sin!

 

The Jedi seem to be blind, and Yoda's quote of "The Dark Side clouds everything" certainly ponts to this but what about other things that have been said? Do you remember in TESB when Yoda says that the Dark Side is not stronger...only the easier, more seductive?? Wouldn't this contradict the ability of a Sith Lord being able to diminsh the Jedis ability to see the future? In addition, if this is true, then one explanation might be that the Jedi did sense Palpatine, were comforted by the prophecy that Anakin would destroy the Sith and used his relationship with Palpatine to draw Sidious out. It may seem a little far fetched to some but I actually think it makes sense...anyone else??? It would also make the Jedi more responsible for Anakin's turn to the Dark Side...just a thought.

 

The Dark Side really blinds!

An entire decade had passed by Ep2 timeframe. And so much evil treachery had been going on behind the scenes. So much planning and manipulating and corrupting.

"The Chancellor is a Sith Lord. He knows the force. I think he is the Sith we have been searching for." - Anakin

"Then our worst fears are true." - Mace

So, the Jedi feared it being so, but were still blinded to it's truth.

"Who could have done this?" - Obi-Wan

I'd say the most devastating and powerful trait of the dark side is its inherent ability to hide itself and be undetected...well unless revealed and right under your nose.

"The dark side I sense in you." - Yoda to Dooku

EDIT: spelling

 

As I said before and I say again, in TPM and AOTC the Jedi could not sense the dark side with Palpatine. But then in ROTS, we hear Mace say that they sense the dark side surrounding the Chancellor.

Now Mace did not say they believed Palpatine was a Sith, but somehow or another in this film they sense the dark side surrounding him.

So what changed that they could now sense the dark side around him that they could not before?

Was it because of Dooku's claim in AOTC that the Jedi began looking closely at the Senate as Mace said they should that they finally picked up on the dark side with Palpy?

Or was it because Palpy/Sidious was beginning the final phases of his plans to destroy the Jedi, so he then began to allow the "cloud" of the dark side to fall from around him knowing the Jedi would sense it and then they would become suspicious of him and investigating him that he could set them up as if they were attempting to overthrow him?

Thoughts??!


Darth Sin!

 

Or was it because Palpy/Sidious was beginning the final phases of his plans to destroy the Jedi, so he then began to allow the "cloud" of the dark side to fall from around him knowing the Jedi would sense it and then they would become suspicious of him and investigating him that he could set them up as if they were attempting to overthrow him?

Good stuff Darth Sin. That's definitely the impression I got. At the point that Mace says he senses the dark side surrounding Palaptine, it's as if Sidious is letting it be that way. As always, he has allowed the enemy to learn something that suits his plan (much like ROTJ & the plans for the 2nd death star). Up until the point where Mace says that, it seems that he and Yoda have only a vauge idea that something's up with Palps. By the time they figure it out, he's got all the pieces in place.

The idea that the Jedi are blind to Sidious and that their ablity to use the force keeos diminishing also ties in well with the idea of briging "balance to the force." Throughout Episodes 2 and 3, The Force is clearly weighted to the dark side, and even up through the OT.