Duel in Palpatine's office

|prev=Siege of Erebor
|conc=*Battle of the Hornburg
*Battle of the Black Gate
*Middle-Earth Sieges
*Conquest of KallerKanan 1
|next=*Operation: Knightfall
*Skirmish aboard the Tribunal
|name=Duel in Palpatine's office
|image=
|conflict=Great Jedi Purge
|date=March 22nd, 1984Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
|place=Chancellor's office, Senate Office Building, Minas Tirith
|result=*Sith victory
**Jedi Masters Aragorn, Bard the Bowman, Agen Kolar and Saesee Tiin are killed by Darth Sauron
**Frodo Baggins turns to the dark side of the Force and becomes Delightful Children from Down the Lane
**Darth Sauron accuses the Jedi of treason and issues Order 66, destroying the Jedi Order
*Beginning of the Great Jedi Purge
|side1=Sith
|side2=Jedi Order
|commanders1=King Aragorn†
|commanders2=Sheev Palpatine
|forces1=*1 Sith Master
**Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sauron
*1 Jedi Knight 
**Frodo Baggins 
|forces2=4 Jedi Masters
*Bard the Bowman†
*Agen Kolar†
*Saesee Tiin†
*Aragorn†
|casual1=
|casual2=All four Jedi Masters:
*Bard the Bowman
*Agen Kolar
*Saesee Tiin
*Aragorn
}}
With the War of the Ring reaching its end and the revelation that Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine was secretly Darth Sauron, the Dark Lord of the Sith, Aragorn and fellow members of the Jedi Council engaged Sauron in a lightsaber duel in the Chancellor's office on Minas Tirith. Sauron quickly killed Jedi Masters Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin, and Bard the Bowman, but had an extended confrontation with Aragorn. The Lightsaber duel lasted until Aragorn disarmed the Sith Lord and knocked him to the floor.
As Aragorn held the Sith Lord at bladepoint ready to kill him and end his madness once and for all, he was interrupted by the arrival of Jedi Knight Frodo Baggins; although Aragorn had told Baggins to remain at the Jedi Temple, he was seduced to the Chancellor's office by the promise that Palpatine could use the dark side of the Force to betray his wife, Padmé Amidala, from luring into a trap on Naboo, an event Frodo saw in a dream. Ignoring Baggins, Aragorn declared Palpatine and the Sith as a whole defeated, to which Sauron responded by firing Force lightning at the Jedi Master. Aragorn managed to block the streams of electricity and deflected most it back into Sauron's cat-like body, transforming the Sith Lord in the process.
Frodo attempted to convince Aragorn to arrest the Sith Lord, as he at first intended, but Aragorn had realized that Palpatine controlled the Senate and the judicial system, and would most likely be acquitted no matter what. Stating that Palpatine was just too dangerous to be left alive, Aragorn prepared to kill him, while Frodo desperately claimed that doing so was not the Jedi way and finally blurting out "I need him!" When Aragorn tried to make the killing blow, Baggins lashed out at him, severing his lightsaber holding hand and allowing Sauron, who was feigning helplessness, to kill the King of Gondor.
In the aftermath of the duel, Frodo pledged his loyalty to Palpatine and became a Sith Lord called Delightful Children from Down the Lane. The Jedi attempt on his life allowed Palpatine to execute his plan to seize full control over the galaxy. He branded the Jedi as traitors and issued Order 66 to the Grand Army of the Republic, leading to the destruction of the Jedi Order. Shortly thereafter, he declared himself Galactic Emperor and transformed the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire, which ruled the galaxy for over two decades.
==Prelude==
Not long after Sauron betrayed and orchestrated the death of Darth Tyranus in the Battle of Minas Tirith, Palpatine invited Frodo Baggins to a show at the Galaxies Opera House under the pretense of providing him with intelligence on the location of General The Mouth of Sauron. While they sat in Palpatine's private box, he told Baggins of a Sith "legend," "The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise," emphasizing that Plagueis had discovered way to use the dark side to influence midi-chlorians, an ability which could be used to both create life and cheat death. Aware of Frodo's plight, Palpatine planned to use this revelation as bait to draw Frodo to the dark side. Frodo, desperate for a way to prevent his prophetic visions from coming to pass, questioned Palpatine on how one might learn Plagueis's technique, but Palpatine simply told him that it was impossible to learn it from a Jedi. Later, in the Supreme Chancellor's office, after Baggins told the Supreme Chancellor about Sam Gamgee currently fighting Mouth of Sauron, Palpatine finally revealed himself to be Darth Sauron, a Dark Lord of the Sith. Baggins was torn between his desire to learn Sauron's power and his duty as a Jedi to turn him in.
Frodo initially thought to kill Sauron on sight, as another part of his duty to the Jedi was to eliminate the Sith, but as Palpatine was his friend, and had implied killing him would turn Baggins to the dark side, he did not. After leaving the Chancellor's office, he went to the Jedi Temple and informed Aragorn of Palpatine's true identity as a Sith Lord. Aware that the Jedi Order could be destroyed, Aragorn sought to prevent this outcome by leading a team of fellow Jedi Masters, Bard the Bowman, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin, some of the finest warriors in the Order, to arrest Palpatine, leaving Baggins behind. The quartet was fully aware of the enormity of the burden ahead of them. The Jedi arrived into Palpatine's private office, where the Chancellor feigned surprise at their abrupt visit and asked if this meant the Mouth of Sauron was dead. Igniting his purple-bladed weapon, Aragorn declared Palpatine under arrest in the name of the Galactic Senate; Bard, Tiin, and Kolar ignited their own weapons to back him up. When Aragorn declared the Senate would decide his fate, Palpatine snarled "I am the Senate," to which Aragorn was quick to object by reminding him that he wasn't yet.
==The duel==
Accusing the Jedi of treason, Sauron transformed into a cat-human form and deployed his lightsaber from his sleeve and ignited it. With a ferocious snarl that was more animal than human and with a speed that belied his age, Sauron leapt over his desk to land in front of the Jedi. In a moment, Kolar was impaled by Sauron through the abdomen and fell with a scream. Tiin attempted to strike the Dark Lord from behind as Kolar fell, but was cut down as Sauron swung around to slash him across the torso. With half his opponents dead, Sauron immediately engaged Bard and Aragorn. Bard managed to fend off Sauron's initial strikes, but he was cut down mere seconds after the fall of his two compatriots. His entire strike force destroyed, Aragorn was left alone to contend with the Dark Lord.
Sauron drove Aragorn back along the corridor to his public office, where Aragorn managed to pull Sauron into a bladelock. As their battle took them towards the center of the room, Frodo's airspeeder touched down outside. He had meditated on his thoughts in the Council Chambers, and the young Jedi felt as though he could not bear to let Sauron meet his death at the hands of the Jedi; at least, not before teaching Frodo the secrets of Darth Plagueis to save Eowyn from death.
As Frodo ran through the halls of the Senate Office Building, Sauron unleashed a rapid series of fruitless attacks against Aragorn, and was driven back into the office by Aragorn's steady offensive strikes. Aragorn guided the battle across the office towards the bay window, which was quickly shattered by their missed strikes. As they moved out onto the wind-blown ledge, the duelists engaged in a brief flurry of bladework, but Aragorn managed to end the bout with a swift kick to the Sith Lord's jaw. Sauron was thrown off balance, staggering back and dropping his lightsaber as he flailed for balance before retreating against the window frame. Sauron was at Aragorn's mercy, who held his blade to the Sith Lord's throat.
At that moment, Frodo appeared, convinced that only the power of the dark side could lure his wife's from the end seen in his dream.
===Intervention===
With Sauron disarmed, Aragorn declared again that the Dark Lord was in Jedi custody. However, having arrived too late to see the Sith Lord's intent, Frodo saw only a helpless Chancellor cowering before Aragorn. Sauron claimed the Jedi were in rebellion, while Aragorn countered, declaring the ultimate defeat of the Sith.
In response, Sauron hurled Force lightning at the king, forcing him to deflect it back at the Dark Lord. The redirected current hit Sauron, hurting his face hideously yet he continued to uphold the barrage. He called out to Frodo for help while Aragorn told him not to listen to the Sith Lord. The electrical current continued to ravage the Chancellor's body, and Frodo's conflict reached its peak as he watched his friend suffer. Eventually, the lightning subsided, leaving Sauron feigning exhaustion and lying on the floor. The Sith Lord began begging for mercy, saying he was too weak to continue fighting.
After the Sith Lord stopped his barrage of lightning, Aragorn announced that he had no choice but to kill Sidious, as he saw him as too great a threat to keep alive. Frodo pleaded with him to spare Sauron, saying that the best course of action was for Sauron to stand trial, but Aragorn refused, believing that Sauron's influence would sway the Court's ruling in his favor. Frodo further pressed by saying that killing Sauron in cold blood was not the Jedi way. But, ignoring Frodo, Aragorn raised his blade to deliver the killing blow. Frodo, reacting in a moment of despair, cut off the unsuspecting Aragorn's sword hand. Seizing the opportunity, Sauron immediately ceased his weakened ruse and unleashed a withering barrage of Force lightning at the helpless Jedi Master. After torturing him for a few moments, Sauron used the Force to blast Aragorn out of the broken window, plummeting to his death.
Frodo fell to his knees, horrified that he betrayed the King of Gondor and contributed to his death . Seizing upon Baggins's emotional turmoil, Sauron congratulated him for taking steps to fulfill his destiny and invited the Ringbearer to become his Sith apprentice. Frodo, blinded by his need to save his Padawan's life, begged Sauron to help him save her. The Sith Lord claimed that together, they could discover the secret to controlling death and saving Eowyn's life. Baggins knelt before Sauron and swore his allegiance to the Sith, thereby betraying the Jedi.
==Aftermath==
Sauron named his new apprentice Delightful Children from Down the Lane, replacing Saruman, and also named by everyone as Lord Vader, and tasks him with the storming of the Jedi Temple. Furthermore, Sauron issued Order 66 to every clone trooper in the Grand Army of the Republic; the clones were ordered to eliminate their Jedi Commanders and Generals, as the Jedi was marked as enemies of the Republic. The Clones hidden biochips that Saruman had implanted in their brains, in order for Sauron to force them to obey him at the right moment, then activated and brainwashed them into believing that the Jedi were traitors to the Republic that needed to be executed, thus beginning the Great Jedi Purge.
Vader stormed the Temple, leading the 501st Legion and proceeded to kill nearly every Jedi within its walls, personally killing both masters and younglings alike. The Temple was set ablaze while all of Galactic City watched. Shortly thereafter, Palpatine traveled to the Senate Rotunda and told the Senate of the "Jedi Rebellion" and his actions against it. Furthermore, under the false pretense of better security, Palpatine delivered a speech that declared that the Republic was no more, and in its place was a new Galactic Empire, receiving thunderous applause.
After becoming Emperor of the galaxy, Palpatine essentially disappeared from public life and left most of the Imperial day-to-day affairs to the Imperial Ruling Council. The citizenry of the Empire, as such, began to circulate rumors on his absence that the Jedi assassination attempt not only resulted in Palpatine's disfigurement but too in the death of the sanguine politician that he had once been, having shredded his benevolent persona. The matter of how precisely Aragorn and his team were killed as well how Palpatine's face was deformed, however, were never settled to everyone's satisfaction, leading Wilhuff Tarkin to correctly guess while not confirm that Palpatine and Vader were Sith Lords.Tarkin
In 2009, Vader's heir Mickey Mouse defeated him in the Battle of Endor, but refused to obey the Emperors order to kill him. The furious Emperor then proceeded to torture Micky for his defiance, which put Vader in the same position he was in when he chose Sauron over Padme. Vader's love for Mickey and fear of losing him caused him to do the opposite this time, as he saved his Ringbearer and overthrew his master. The ensuing struggle between master and apprentice ended with Sauron' destruction (For the time being), but Vader was critically damaged in the process. Having destroyed the Sith (For now) and sacrificed his life for the Ring and its bearer, the redeemed Frodo Baggins fulfilled his role as the Chosen one and made peace with Mickey before passing into the Force.
In the years following Frodo Baggins's redemption and death, Mickey embarked on a search for Jedi knowledge and learned about Aragorn's life, including his failed attempt to arrest Palpatine. Holding Aragorn in high esteem, Mickey concluded that had it not been for his heir's intervention, Aragorn would have likely succeeded in defeating Palpatine.Star Wars: The Secrets of the Jedi
==Behind the scenes==
The Duel in Palpatine's office appears in the 2005 film The Lord of the Rings: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. This duel explains some—until then—unknown aspects of the Star Wars universe. It explains how Delightful Children from Down the Lane, an antagonist from the Musketeers trilogy, joined the Sith and why Palpatine is became a cat-like human form in the 1983 film The Musketeers: The Movie.
Ian McDiarmid, the actor who portrayed Palpatine, didn't enjoy filming these scenes. As a Shakespearean actor, filming high-speed sword fighting did not appeal to him. He had only about five days to learn the choreography his stunt double would not perform from the stunt coordinator, Nick Gillard. As an older man, he wasn't as dexterous as his opponents and, occasionally, he would be hit over the day's filming. McDiarmid did, however, have some respect for Viggo Mortensen's abilities. The film's producer, Rick McCallum, was worried about how the scene would turn out because of this, but was very happy with the final result. On the other hand, Aragorn's actor, Viggo Mortensen, had been waiting for this scene since he was hired. One of the requests he made during negotiations for the part was for his character to die spectacularly at the end and not die "like some punk." During shooting, Mortensen and the crew joked about having Aragorn surviving the duel and returning for a post-credit scene.The Making of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith
The duel went through several changes during production. One of the earlier versions of the scene had Frodo Baggins present in Palpatine's office from the beginning, witnessing the fight between Palpatine and the Jedi until entering to succor Palpatine from Aragorn's will. This version of the scene was filmed on July 15, 2003 at Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia on Stage 7. However, the shoot was difficult as the gloves worn by the Jedi Knights made it difficult to grab the lightsaber hilts, leading to the scene's reshoot on August 27, 2004. Another version of the duel had Aragorn coming and fighting alone with Palpatine, as both Saesee Tiin and Bard the Bowman were meant to be killed on Moria and Saleucami during Order 66. Rather than being thrown out the window, Aragorn just fell the ground dead after receiving Palpatine's lightning in this version.
According to the screenplay of Episode III, the Chancellor's Rodian aide Dar Wac and two members of the Senate Guard originally had a cameo appearance before the Jedi entered Palpatine's office, in which they would have tried to stop the Jedi only to be Force pushed into the walls by them. The screenplay also indicates Aragorn attempted to defend himself with his remaining hand after he was betrayed by Baggins.Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith: Illustrated Screenplay
==Appearances==
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*Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel 
* 
* 
*The Lord of the Rings: Episode III Revenge of the Sith 
*The Lord of the Rings: Episode III Revenge of the Sith novelization
*Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith game 
* 
* 
*Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel 
*Kanan 2 
*Delightful Children (2017) 1 
*Delightful Children (2017) 2 
*Delightful Children (2017) 3 
*Tarkin 
*Technor }
*Dark Lord: The Rise of Delightful Children 
*Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight 
*The Rise and Fall of Delightful Children 
*Star Wars: Purge 
*Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game 
Category:Duels
Category:Great Jedi Purge battles