Summary

• Count Dooku was a powerful Sith Lord, but Christopher Lee unwittingly recognized his greatest weakness 21 years ago.
• Christopher Lee described Dooku's loyalty to his master - and loyalty is inimical to the Sith.
• This meant Dooku would only ever be a mere pawn to Palpatine.

The late Christopher Lee unwittingly revealed Sith Lord. As seen in Tales of the Jedi, they even allowed him to retain access to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for years after he left the order. But, in the end, Count Dooku was just a pawn of Darth Sidious; Palpatine discarded him in favor of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

Speaking in an interview published in Star Wars Insider #72 back in 2003, the late Christopher Lee unwittingly revealed Count Dooku's greatest weakness: his loyalty to his master.

"Dooku means 'poison' in Japanese, but I don't necessarily see him as evil. I think he's a loyal servant to his master, and he employs methods that he considers appropriate to replace what he sees as a corrupt Republic. What he intends to replace it with is perhaps a different matter..."

Lee's words foreshadow the beginning of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, in which Dooku is left reeling after Palpatine's betrayal. It is quite clear Dooku never understood the brutal truth; treachery is the way of the Sith.

Treachery Is The Way Of The Sith

How well did Count Dooku really know the dark side?

At first glance, Darth Tyranus seems to be the perfect Sith Lord; he was manipulative and Machiavellian, a ruthless schemer who helped Palpatine engineer the Clone Wars. Count Dooku didn't balk at war crimes, committing countless acts of genocide; as seen in Christie Golden's Dark Disciple, he even blamed the Jedi for the atrocities he carried out personally. But, for all that's the case, Count Dooku never really understood the way of the Sith.

Dooku was, surprisingly, loyal to Palpatine.

Sith are, ultimately, utterly self-interested; to immerse yourself in the dark side is to seek power for your own sake, to the detriment of all others. This is why the Sith Rule of Two became necessary, because Darth Bane realized the Sith were ultimately self-destructiive, and endless in-fighting prevented them focusing on destroying the Jedi. But Dooku was, surprisingly, loyal to Palpatine. Although he surely dreamed of one day supplanting his master, those dreams were held in check, and he never proceeded with his plans.

The Clone Wars Proved Christopher Lee Was Right

Asajj Ventress was Count Dooku's chance of rebellion

Star Wars: The Clone Wars proved that Christopher Lee's interpretation of Count Dooku was right. In one notable arc, Count Dooku trained Sith assassin Asajj Ventress and seemed to be grooming her as a potential apprentice. Sensing the potential, Palpatine intervened and commanded Dooky to betray Ventress. Count Dooku chose Palpatine in favor of Ventress, loyalty in favor of the way of the Sith.

Ultimately, this loyalty would always serve as a check to Count Dooku's growth in the dark side. Although Palpatine was no doubt content with the fact he didn't have a(nother) potential rival, Dooku's master would always be well aware his apprentice would never fulfil his potential as a Sith. This likely factored into Darth Sidious' decision to betray Count Dooku for another apprentiice, with fatal consequences in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.