Prior to Revenge of the Sith, we knew that Darth Sidious was a master manipulator and a dab hand with Force Lightning, but the movie proved he knew his way around a lightsaber, too. Towards the end of the story, after belatedly realizing what’s going on, Macu Windu arrives to arrest Senator Palpatine alongside Jedi Masters Kit Fisto, Saesee Tinn, and Agen Kolar.
After revealing his red saber, Sidious effortlessly took down the three Jedi, though Mace Windu was a different story altogether. The purple saber-wielding Jedi put up a fierce fight, and Sidious was only able to dispatch him with Anakin’s help.
But should Sidious have really been able to wipe out those three Jedi so easily? A fan on r/StarWars doesn’t think so, pointing out that Kit Fisto, Saesee Tinn, and Agen Kolar were all battle-hardened veterans specifically noted for their lightsaber skills and in concert, should have easily taken down Sidious.
However, it seems that this may be an instance of the movie failing to communicate what was really happening in his scene. Replies point out that in an early version of the script Sidious was described as moving so quickly that the Jedi didn’t have time to react. The novelization also underlines that Sidious was supposed to be practically a blur, with the Jedi’s minds clouded by the intense power of the Dark Side emanating from him.
Either way, Sidious would then go on to triumph over Yoda in single combat, proving that he’s a fearsome adversary no matter which way you come at him. Sadly, after Revenge of the Sith Palpatine hung up his saber and let Darth Vader do most of the physical work, though as shown by Return of the Jedi, he could still bust out the Force Lightning when the moment called for it.
