The Jedi Order’s lack of action in the Star Wars prequel trilogy has always been a bit bewildering, but 20 years after Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, it finally makes sense. While Palpatine was likely using Force concealment, one of the many Force powers in Star Wars, to hide his use of the dark side from the Jedi, his behavior was still extremely suspicious. Try as he might to present himself as a well-meaning senator and then chancellor, Palpatine increasingly obtained power in the Senate and exploited the Clone Wars to do so.

It’s always been more than a little odd that the Jedi would work so closely with Palpatine and not do more to curtail his grabs for power, although it does seem somewhat consistent with their limitations at the time. After all, when Padmé suggested Count Dooku was behind the attempts on her life, the Jedi insisted that couldn’t be true because Dooku had previously been a Jedi. Yet, there is a much better explanation for the Jedi not stopping Palpatine before Revenge of the Sith, and it makes so much sense.

Lucasfilm’s Dave Filoni Spotted A Line In Revenge Of The Sith I’d Never Seen Before

In All The Times I’ve Seen Revenge Of The Sith, I Never Thought About This Angle

George Lucas’ protégé Dave Filoni has provided the perfect explanation for the Jedi not intervening in Palptine’s plans before Revenge of the Sith. Speaking with IGN, Filoni explained:

“An interesting line in Revenge of the Sith to me was always ‘Our worst fears have been realized,’ from Mace Windu – [the fear that] the Chancellor is the Sith Lord. I think that tells you that the Council has some idea of what’s going on, but do they want to acknowledge it? How much can they press that? For all the reasons I’ve described… So you go to the Senate and tell them that he’s a Sith Lord, well, so what? How are they going to remove the Chancellor? They say in Revenge of the Sith that if they try and do that, it’s going to look like a coup, which is exactly what Palpatine wants. So the unfortunate thing for the Jedi Council I think is that, while I tried to show that they were more aware of the trap that had been laid for them than we thought, they were definitely struggling to figure out a way to get out of that trap.”

This explanation from Dave Filoni elucidates the very reason the Jedi didn’t stop Palpatine (or weren’t able to) before he completely showed his hand in Revenge of the Sith and confirms that they weren’t ignorant—their hands were just tied.

Filoni is correct. There was no way for the Jedi to successfully accuse Palpatine of being a Sith, particularly without concrete evidence. Well before Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine had orchestrated things so that any such accusation from the Jedi would just seem self-serving and suspicious. Nevertheless, based on Dave Filoni’s comments, the Jedi had long feared that Palpatine could be the Sith they were looking for, but they didn’t see a path forward.

This is also undoubtedly why Mace Windu believed Palpatine was “too dangerous to be kept alive.” Mace was aware that, with Palpatine’s goal being to cast the Jedi as traitors, there was no good outcome if he was able to speak to the mᴀsses. They were fighting an impossible battle, and they knew that well before Revenge of the Sith. They were just woefully unable to stop him.

The Republic Had Already Fallen By The Time Of Revenge Of The Sith

The Jedi Made Mistakes, But It Was Already Too Late

The sad truth is, even before Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine had already gained control in every way that mattered. He may not have officially formed the Empire yet, but the fate of the galaxy and of the Jedi had already been sealed. Although this is in some ways brutal to realize, it does make the Jedi’s prequel trilogy story a bit better.

The Jedi have gotten plenty of heat in the years since the prequels. Luke Skywalker himself spoke about the hubris of the Jedi. It’s true that the Jedi, especially the Jedi Council, weren’t blameless in all that transpired with the Clone Wars, the fall of the Republic, and even their own demise, but this line from Revenge of the Sith and Dave Filoni’s explanation suggest they may not be as flawed as many believe. They were playing chess with a Sith Lord who, in addition to being one of Star Wars’ most powerful Sith, was a legitimate mastermind.

The Jedi Knew Who The Sith Really Was, But They Didn’t Dare Admit It To Themselves

This Truly Was Their Worst Fear, And They Weren’t Ready To Accept It

The other interesting aspect of Mace Windu’s Revenge of the Sith line is the fact that he refers to Palpatine being a Sith Lord as the Jedi’s “worst fears.” In addition to this being odd because fear was so anтιтhetical to the way of the Jedi, this verbiage suggests that the Jedi weren’t ready to accept that they were right about Palpatine being a Sith. The reason was likely two-fold. For one, this would mean admitting that the Sith were back, which was something they were clearly very hesitant to do at this point in the Star Wars timeline.

On the other hand, if the Jedi were indeed as aware as Dave Filoni has said they were, then they would have understood that this truth could mean their demise. Clearly, other Sith, like Darth Maul, were able to be stopped, but Palpatine was simply too powerful at that point, and the revelation that he was a Sith Lord really was the worst-case scenario. It may be little comfort at this point, but this explanation of the Jedi’s lack of action in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith at least resolves this long-standing Star Wars complaint.