Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Adam Christopher’s Star Wars: Master of Evil
The Clone Wars reshaped the entire Star Wars galaxy, with Count Dooku at the center of the entire multi-year conflict. As Darth Tyranus, Dooku served as Darth Sidious’ most essential agent. However, it’s worth exploring what Sidious’ apprentice did and didn’t know about his master’s full “Grand Plan”.
Despite serving as the public leader of the Separatist movement, Dooku did much to advance both sides of the war on Palpatine’s behalf. That said, a brand-new Star Wars story has created confusion as to the full extent of Dooku’s knowledge of what was actually going on during the Clone Wars he helped orchestrate.
Count Dooku Was Instrumental In Starting The Clone Wars For Palpatine
Count Dooku easily played the most crucial roles when it came to starting the Clone Wars. Acting under Palpatine’s instructions, Dooku built the foundations for both sides of the war long before the first Battle of Geonosis. Both the clone troopers of the Republic to the Separatist droid armies existed because Dooku set them in motion.
As Tyranus, Dooku co-opted Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas’ secret plan to create a clone army for the Republic. After Sifo-Dyas was killed, Dooku stepped in and ensured that the Kaminoans continued the project, presenting himself as their legitimate client.
This allowed Darth Sidious/Palpatine to shape the clones into a hidden Sith weapon against the Jedi from the very beginning via implanted inhibitor chips (presented to the Kaminoans as a top-secret safeguard).
To keep the Jedi from discovering the army early, Dooku removed the existence of Kamino from the Jedi Archives. This act prevented the Order from learning about the clones until Palpatine determined that the time was right. It also protected the war’s planned timeline, according to Palpatine’s design.
Dooku also built the Confederacy of Independent Systems, uniting corporations, planetary governments, and disillusioned leaders with an alternative to what he truly believed was the Republic’s corruption and the complicit Jedi Order. However, it still secretly operated under the Sith’s control.
Dooku also oversaw the creation of General Grievous, along with numerous other efforts to both escalate and prolong the Clone Wars until the time of his master’s choosing. It was largely through Dooku that Palpatine built the perfect environment for his rise as Emperor of a new Imperial regime.
How Much Did Dooku Actually Know About The Clone Wars’ Aftermath?
While Dooku understood much about the Clone Wars’ structure and was instrumental in its origins, it’s clear that he never fully grasped the final details of Sidious’ endgame.
The established Star Wars canon has confirmed that Dooku was aware of the clones’ hidden programming, including Order 66. His involvement with their creation ensured he understood that the soldiers carried a secret protocol that would one day eliminate the Jedi, clearing the way for the Sith to finally rise and rule.
As seen in The Clone Wars animated series, Dooku repeatedly sabotaged potential peace deals, as well as any outcomes that might help end the conflict too early, demonstrating that he knew the war needed to continue until Sidious’ sequence of events reached completion. Clearly, his actions were aligned with his master’s precise timetable.
Most importantly, we have several canonical sources that confirm Dooku knew the Separatists were destined to lose. Despite viewing the Republic as a failing institution, he believed Palpatine would help bring order with a new regime, one he assumed he would help rule at his master’s side (and perhaps one day rule himself once he naturally betrayed Sidious, according to the Sith’s Rule of Two).
Of course, Revenge of the Sith opens with Count Dooku’s demise during the Clone Wars’ final days, confirming he never realized he was always just another pawn. After all, Palpatine had been grooming Anakin Skywalker as a new Sith apprentice for years.
Dooku naturally believed he would survive the transition from Republic to Empire, having seen enough of the post-Clone Wars future to stay loyal to Darth Sidious, but not enough to understand how expendable he actually was. That said, a new Star Wars story contradicts what we thought Count Dooku knew in a pretty surprising way.
A Brand-New Star Wars Story Claims Dooku Believed The Separatists Would Win
Adam Christopher’s new novel Star Wars: Master of Evil introduces an unexpected contradiction in regard to Dooku’s full Clone Wars knowledge.
While the book is primarily about Darth Vader in the aftermath of Revenge of the Sith, the book’s prologue is centered around Count Dooku during the Clone Wars, seeking a rumored locus of dark side energy for Darth Sidious. Within it, a passage describes Dooku as believing the Separatists were destined to win the Clone Wars, not the Republic:
“There was a war on. A war that Dooku and the Separatists would win, paving the way for the rise of Darth Sidious and the reign of the Sith. Yes, perhaps one day he would return, and perhaps he would have his master at his side. Or perhaps, he would be the master then. Dooku chuckled at the thought.”
This directly opposes earlier canonical Star Wars projects, which confirm Dooku expected the CIS to fall according to his master’s design. The confusing implication here is that Dooku seemed to know far less about Sidious’ full plans than what’s been presented in previous projects.
If Dooku genuinely believed the Separatists would triumph, Sidious must have withheld major details from him. This interpretation clashes with most canonical material, which portrays Dooku as someone well aware that the CIS would only serve a temporary purpose, and that the Separatist worlds would eventually rejoin the new Empire. As such, this new line feels very misaligned with the greater Star Wars continuity.
After all, a Republic victory offered a smoother route to power for Palpatine. He already controlled the Republic through his position as Supreme Chancellor and all the additional powers he’d managed to claim through his vast corruption of the Senate (which Dooku knew about). Turning a victorious Republic into a Galactic Empire required far less effort.
The idea that Dooku thought the CIS would win just doesn’t fit his master’s strategy, while also undermining Dooku’s role as a leading figure behind the Clone Wars’ role in the Sith’s Grand Plan. As such, this contradictory line in Star Wars: Master of Evil should likely be read as an anomaly to be disregarded as a minor mistake.
Star Wars: Master of Evil is on sale now from Lucasfilm Publishing
- Died
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Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
- Alias
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Darth Tyrannus
- Alliance
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Jedi, Sith
