Palpatine’s lightsaber duel with Mace Windu is one of the most exciting action scenes in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, though it almost saw the future Emperor armed with a different lightsaber. Upon discovering that Palpatine is the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, Mace Windu – accompanied by Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin, and Kit Fisto – confronts Palpatine in his office, only for the Supreme Chancellor to draw a red-bladed Sith lightsaber and battle the Jedi. The film initially had Palpatine wielding a different lightsaber in this scene, however.

Palpatine was trained in lightsaber combat by his mentor, Darth Plagueis. Like all Sith Lords, Palpatine’s training included lightsaber combat, with the aspiring Sith Lord becoming one of the galaxy’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅliest duelists. As per Sith tradition, Palpatine would construct a red-bladed lightsaber, though he would also build several identical backup weapons in case one was lost or destroyed.

Palpatine Was Supposed To Use Anakin’s Blue Lightsaber

As seen in behind-the-scenes footage from Revenge of the Sith, Anakin was going to witness Palpatine’s duel with Mace Windu, and Palpatine would have wielded Anakin’s iconic blue-bladed lightsaber in the battle. Elements of this original version of the duel remain in the film’s final cut, as Palpatine can be seen wielding a red-bladed lightsaber whose hilt resembles Anakin’s rather than his own weapon. There is even some Revenge of the Sith merchandise that depicts Palpatine with Anakin’s blue lightsaber instead of his red Sith weapon.

It was, ultimately, the right decision to omit Anakin and his lightsaber from Palpatine’s duel for several reasons. Having Anakin enter Palpatine’s office after the duel ended played into Palpatine’s schemes far better than having him witness Palpatine cut down three Jedi Masters and attempt to kill Windu. In a more superficial sense, it was also the right choice to give Palpatine a genuine Sith lightsaber rather than having him use Anakin’s Jedi weapon.

In Legends, Palpatine Once Had His Own Blue Lightsaber

Fascinatingly, Revenge of the Sith was not the first time Palpatine was depicted as wielding a blue-bladed lightsaber. In the original Legends continuity’s Dark Empire comics, by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy, the reborn Palpatine battles Luke Skywalker with a blue-bladed lightsaber that is said to have belonged to a Jedi previously. If Dark Empire were to be made after Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, however, Palpatine would likely have been depicted as using one of his red-bladed backup weapons.