If Darth Maul hadn't died.

[Havok]

To answer the Maul=Weapon responses...

That night Darth Sidious stood alone on a balcony overlooking the city, a shadowy figure amid the multitude of twinkling lights, his visage dark and angry as he contemplated the loss of his apprentice. Years of training had gone into the preparation of Darth Maul as a Sith Lord. He had been more than the equal of the Jedi Knights he had faced and should have been able to defeat them easily. It was bad luck and chance that had led to his death, a combination that even the power of the dark side could not always overcome.

Not in the short run, at least.

His brow furrowed. It would be necessary to replace Darth Maul. He would need to train another apprentice. Such a one would not be easy to find.

Seems like he was more than just a weapon. It also says something of Palpy's precog not quite being omniscient.

[Alexian Cale]

Palpatine contradicts this previous opinion in JvS: the Essential Guide to the Force. He claims he forsaw Maul's death and abandoned him anyways.

[Havok]

Palpatine contradicts this previous opinion in JvS: the Essential Guide to the Force. He claims he forsaw Maul's death and abandoned him anyways.

I think the GL authorized novelization, that he actually had a hand in, of HIS movie takes precedent over an Essential Guide.

[Alexian Cale]

Palpatine contradicts this previous opinion in JvS: the Essential Guide to the Force. He claims he forsaw Maul's death and abandoned him anyways.

I think the GL authorized novelization, that he actually had a hand in, of HIS movie takes precedent over an Essential Guide.

I wasn't offering the opinion of the Essential Guide as a means of refuting the novelization's standpoint or questioning it, I was merely pointing out to you that another source (Palpatine as the gatekeeper of the Telos Holocron, circa Dark Empire) disagrees.

[Revan's Fire]

I think that with Maul still alive, Palpatine would still go after Dooku, only Dooku wouldn't have to go after Asajj Ventress, and Maul would serve in the role that she did throughout the war.

[Havok]

So basically everyone thinks there will be a clash between Maul and Anakin at some point.

[Darth Onasi]

Quotes from the novel are largely irrelevant when we see in the movies is that Palpatine doesn't give two shits about his apprentices once they've outlived their usefulness.

And Maul wouldn't be useful past TPM. He does one thing and he does it well: fight. He's not a thinker or a strategist - that's Dooku.
And there's no way in hell I see a Sith apprentice willingly play second fiddle to another after being Palpatine's second. So him replacing Asajj is impossible.

[Havok]

Quotes from the novel are largely irrelevant when we see in the movies is that Palpatine doesn't give two shits about his apprentices once they've outlived their usefulness.

Actually we see nothing of Palpatine's relationship with Maul other than what they are willing to reveal in front of the TFers. We do see that he has pride in Maul and what he has become on the terrace scene, but other wise, there is nothing in the movie that contradicts the novel.

And Maul wouldn't be useful past TPM. He does one thing and he does it well: fight. He's not a thinker or a strategist - that's Dooku.
And there's no way in hell I see a Sith apprentice willingly play second fiddle to another after being Palpatine's second. So him replacing Asajj is impossible.

It's been a while since I read the EU stuff, but IIRC Maul was a very good thinker and strategist. I don't know why people assume the he is all muscle and no brain. Palpatine was BADASS fighter. It obviously didn't preclude him from excelling at other things.

[irishmick79]

If Maul kills Padme, then Palpatine can keep Maul hidden away while he carefully grooms anakin's desire for revenge, and gradually feeds anakin info on where to find Maul. The trick for Palpatine would be to frustrate anakin's hunt for maul to the point where just a little nudge would be all that's required to send Anakin into a full blown kill-crazy frenzy when he finally encounters Maul.

[Flagg]

I think it's far more likely that Palpatine would have instructed Maul to kidnap Anakin for training after he proceeded to kill/ capture Padme as was stated earlier. He had met him on Corusant and surely must have sensed how powerful he was in the force.

[DesertFly]

It seems pretty obvious that everyone that's not Palpatine is dispensable to him, and I doubt his "beloved" tattooed freak is in a different category. Maul would be used until he didn't cut it as a tool for ol' Palps, then he would be disposed of. I imagine that would happen before or very early in the Clone Wars. Alternatively, he could be the new Grievous. GG was useful because he was seen as a monster, something for people to associate with the Separatists and to learn to hate them (and possibly aliens). His "skills" as a military "genius" were barely evident. Maul wouldn't have those, but he would fit the bill as a monster leader of the Seps quite nicely.

Of course, keeping him around as Sidious' Sith apprentice could cause problems with recruiting Dooku, but it's possible that Dooku could be "merely" a good friend and confidante of Palpatine, who is helping run the war merely for political benefit, or Sidious could just ignore the "rule of two" and have two apprentices. He doesn't care, they're both expendable.

[irishmick79]

I think it's far more likely that Palpatine would have instructed Maul to kidnap Anakin for training after he proceeded to kill/ capture Padme as was stated earlier. He had met him on Corusant and surely must have sensed how powerful he was in the force.

Except the Jedi had a similar sense as well, along with the little bit about him being 'the chosen one'. Either way, if Palpatine moves aggressively to capture or hide Anakin, he runs a good chance of getting found out by the Jedi. It would be better for Palpatine's plan to let the Jedi reluctantly take over his training (which I think they would), and for Palpatine to simply focus on planting the seeds of corruption in Anakin's brain. Think about it - if Anakin just up and disappears, the Jedi Order is going to investigate.

Besides, having Anakin in maul's hands might have proven risky to Palpatine's plans if Maul ever realized that perhaps Palpatine was going to replace him with Anakin. If Palpatine tells Maul to train anakin, then maul would have a very good reason to suspect that.

I think Palpatine would try to combine the two plans - put Maul in General Grievous's role so Maul can stay out of sight and behind lots of guns, while Palpatine plays with anakin's sensibilities on Coruscant. The Jedi would get stuck somehow, someway with Anakin's training so 1.) Palpatine can keep an eye on him and 2.) the Jedi aren't prodded into further action against Palpatine.

It might be really good for Palpatine to put Maul in Grevious's role, because maybe he can really push the line that Maul is the sith lord that the Jedi have been looking for - if Maul takes an apprentice on his own (either through his own designs or at Palpatine's suggestion) then that could be given to the Jedi council as a false confirmation of the sith lord's true identity.

[Alexian Cale]

I don't know if Darth Maul could have performed General Grievous's role, as Grievous is a tactition of legendary repute, whereas Maul is not. As far as I know.

[DesertFly]

I don't know if Darth Maul could have performed General Grievous's role, as Grievous is a tactition of legendary repute, whereas Maul is not. As far as I know.

There are two problems with that. First is the simplest. Grievous' role as a tactician seems to be pretty clearly a bonus to his intended role, scapegoat for the Separatists. The Episode III novelization explicitly shows that Count Dooku believed that Grievous would take all the blame for the Confederacy's atrocities, leaving him to basically walk when the war ended. He was wrong, of course, as Palpatine had no intention of letting Tyrannus survive the wars either, but Grievous still gave the public a reason to hate the Separatists and support a costly and draining war. Without the popular outcry against the Separatists the war may have been much shorter; the common man on the street may have been perfectly happy with letting certain planets secede bloodlessly.

Second, perhaps I'm just missing it, but despite his legendary repute, I don't recall Grievous showing any signs of actually being a master strategist. The Story of General Grievous talked about his battles on his homeworld, and there are references in other sources of his skills, but they don't seem anything overwhelming, like Thrawn's. It's my opinion that a replacement for him as tactician could be relatively easily drawn from the many sentient beings of the galaxy.

[Alexian Cale]

There are two problems with that. First is the simplest. Grievous' role as a tactician seems to be pretty clearly a bonus to his intended role, scapegoat for the Separatists. The Episode III novelization explicitly shows that Count Dooku believed that Grievous would take all the blame for the Confederacy's atrocities, leaving him to basically walk when the war ended. He was wrong, of course, as Palpatine had no intention of letting Tyrannus survive the wars either, but Grievous still gave the public a reason to hate the Separatists and support a costly and draining war. Without the popular outcry against the Separatists the war may have been much shorter; the common man on the street may have been perfectly happy with letting certain planets secede bloodlessly.

I do not recall where it was stated in the novelization that General Grievous's main purpose to the Confederacy was to be the scapegoat, since Labyrinth of Evil made it explicitly clear that Darth Sidious specifically chose General Grievous because of the tactical abilities he displayed during the wars on his homeworld. Sidious expressed interest in Grievous to Count Dooku, who in turn expressed interest to San Hill, and who initiated the operation to ensnare Grievous on behalf of his Sith masters. Likewise, it also says that Count Dooku had "no intention" of commanding an army of battledroids, as he was busy "nursemaiding the likes of Gunray". He was a political figurehead, not a military commander, and that is why Grievous was chosen. His brutality and viciousness are the bonuses here, which Dooku planned to attribute most of the CIS's atrocities on.

Second, perhaps I'm just missing it, but despite his legendary repute, I don't recall Grievous showing any signs of actually being a master strategist. The Story of General Grievous talked about his battles on his homeworld, and there are references in other sources of his skills, but they don't seem anything overwhelming, like Thrawn's. It's my opinion that a replacement for him as tactician could be relatively easily drawn from the many sentient beings of the galaxy.

The databank names him as such and, as I said, Sidious chose him specifically for his tactical ability.