Darth Plagueis is one of the more mysterious and elusive characters in the Star Wars universe, but one actor’s performance has particularly wowed fans.
The character was first referenced in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, when Palpatine explained the story of “Darth Plagueis the Wise” to Anakin.
In the years since, Plagueis has appeared in various novels and spin-offs produced as part of Legends (the label assigned to any Star Wars works that are non-canon following Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm).
However, he made an official live-action debut in 2024’s Star Wars: The Acolyte, where he was entirely computer-generated without the use of motion capture. He also didn’t have any voice lines, so no actor has been attributed to this appearance.
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However, a voice was technically given to Darth Plagueis in James Luceno’s Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, a Legends novel that details the backstory of the character and provides additional exposition to the background of the Sith.
Star Wars: Darth Plagueis had an audiobook tie-in released in 2012, which was narrated by Daniel Davis.
It’s here that fans got to hear what Plagueis sounded like for the first time. At least, how Davis interpreted the character’s speech.
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“I'm a big Marc Thompson snob, but Daniel Davis is incredibly good in this and takes this story to another level imo,” wrote one fan. “I have listened to this again so many times since it came out.”
“You'll love it,” another fan added. “I'm unsure if this is the right word but his voice is very...atmospheric. it helps create the tone and submerged you into the galaxy far far away.”
“I have to admit I never really got into audiobooks, but I always thought Daniel Davis did a great job on Darth Plagueis,” a third fan wrote. “Marc Thompson always gets a lot of credit—as he should—but considering that this was the first and only one for Davis, it is quite impressive.”
Davis has voiced several other Star Wars audiobooks in the years since narrating Darth Plagueis. Between 2014 and 2017, he narrated four “William Shakespeare’s Star Wars” audiobooks, retellings of the original Star Wars films in the style of Shakespeare.
Topics: Star Wars, The Acolyte, Lucasfilm, Disney