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From family drama to Christopher Lee's other nearly-Star Wars role, and more Count Dooku goodness...
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00:00From what went into making that epic lightsaber, to how the mighty Christopher Lee very nearly
00:06ended up in a different Star Wars role altogether, here are those Count Dooku facts and secrets
00:12you've likely never discovered until now.
00:16I'm Gareth from WhatCultureStarWars and here are 10 Things You Didn't Know About Count Dooku.
00:2210. His All-Important Connection to Sifo-Dyas
00:25Count Dooku once sat as a respected member of the Jedi Order, however upon discovering
00:31just how corrupt the Order actually was, Dooku ultimately became frustrated and turned his
00:35back on his one-time allies. Before his wander over to the dark side though, one of Dooku's
00:41close pals, Master Sifo-Dyas, who'd been having visions of an incoming conflict and had also
00:46grown disillusioned by the Order, set into motion a plan that would ultimately change the galaxy
00:51forever. Going somewhat rogue, Sifo-Dyas ordered the creation of a clone army from the planet
00:57Kamino, something a now-turned-Dooku was aware of. In the end, as revealed in Cave and Scott's
01:03Dooku Jedi Lost audiobook, Darth Sidious, after initially building the secret army into his
01:08grand plan to overthrow the Jedi, soon felt that Dias was growing into too much of a threat
01:14to his vision. So in a rather tragic turn of events, Dooku was ordered to assassinate his
01:19one-time mate by his new master, something the powerful Sith Apprentice achieved via
01:24untraceable Pyke Syndicate murder. And just like that, another potential speed bump for
01:29the soon-to-be Emperor of the Galactic Empire was shuffled out of existence.
01:349. How They Shot Those Christopher Lee Fight Scenes
01:37Living one hell of a life already by the time he got around to shooting on Episode 2, Attack
01:42of the Clones, the late, great Christopher Lee had battled Nazis and become an iconic part of
01:47cinema history with his work in everything from Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings
01:51flicks to Terence Fisher's Dracula. However, that did mean he was coming in at a silvery 80
01:56when bringing the formidable Count Dooku to live-action life. And while Lee was still fairly
02:01game to get his hands dirty on George Lucas' set, a double was actually required in order
02:06to capture some of the more athletic Sith Lord movement seen in his duels with Anakin Skywalker,
02:11Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. Swapping out the actor who would regularly boast about his record-setting
02:16amount of on-screen sword fight for a stunt performer when needed for wider shots, Lee's
02:22face was then seamlessly CGI'd on top of said fighting double in post. But that's still
02:27very much a badass Lee swinging his saber whenever we lean in for a scintillating close-up.
02:338. Christopher Lee Nearly Played a Very Different Role in Star Wars
02:37Keeping with the iconic thespian who gripped the prequels from the second he arrived on the
02:42Force-sensitive scene, it turns out that Christopher Lee very nearly rocked up in the galaxy far,
02:46far away, in an entirely different but still notably despicable capacity.
02:51Some 25 years before he donned the swishing cape and curved red lightsaber, Lee was actually in the
02:56running to play the slimy Grand Moff Tarkin, seen routinely keeping Darth Vader in check on board
03:02the Death Star. However, Lee would decide against committing himself to George Lucas' universe at
03:06that time, instead choosing to suggest his good pal Peter Cushing for the role of the high-ranking
03:11Empire officer. Cushing would, of course, absolutely nail the cold and clinical part
03:16of Tarkin. Yet it is interesting to note how different a new hope could have looked with
03:20Lee in the saddle of the superweapons commander.
03:247. Family Ties Born into a wealthy and politically powerful
03:28family, the second the Jedi came calling for a young Dooku, he was always destined to become a
03:34significant figure in the galaxy. In the wake of his aforementioned decision to turn his back on the
03:38Order, Dooku would return home and finally take up the title of Count. But he wasn't the only child
03:44Mama and Papa Dooku brought into this galaxy far, far away. His brother, Ramil, acted as the Count of
03:49Serrano before he took over. And by took over, I definitely mean Dooku took his life in the lead-up
03:54to the former Jedi seizing said title. Jenta, his sister, wasn't actually on his radar until he
04:00unintentionally bumped into her during a festival, as you do. Making it two for two when it comes to
04:05family fellings though, Dooku eventually had Asajj Ventress dispatch her on the back of Jenta trying
04:10her best to convince him to stay away from all things Darkseid. With family like this, who needs
04:15enemies, am I right? Oh, it's really sad, isn't it?
04:196. What Went Into That Lightsaber Much like the actor himself who breathed live-action
04:24life into Darth Tyrannus, Count Dooku was very much regarded as a highly respected swordsman.
04:29The design of his unmistakable lightsaber only made him that much more deadly with a glowing blade.
04:36Opting for Form 2, Makashi, this form was characterized by its elegance, balance, and
04:40fluidity, Dooku decided that he could take the form to new heights with a new design of laser sword.
04:46Curving his blade's hilt, this adapted design helped Dooku enhance his lunges and slashes,
04:52when duking it out with Jedi and any other enemies in his way. It's worth noting that this form was
04:57barely used by the time of the Age of the Galactic Republic, too, with Makashi being
05:01created and primarily used during the Old Republic days. This means that next to no one used or really
05:07knew how to combat the form during Dooku's time in the Sith Spotlight, making him an even deadlier
05:12opponent for all who stood before him. 5. He Was The Last Of The Lost 20
05:18Despite hardly acting as the first Jedi to have turned his back on the Order since its creation
05:23thousands of years before the events of the prequel trilogy, Dooku's departure from the
05:27light side did actually come in the thick of what is classed by many as one of the darkest and lowest
05:32periods in Jedi history. Making up part of a group of Jedi Masters known as The Lost 20,
05:37each and every member of this infamous set of Force wielders decided to exit the Order on the
05:42back of ideological differences with those running the ancient religious order, or just the concepts of
05:47the Jedi altogether. In short, this lot weren't just teased over to the side of evil with the promise
05:52of unlimited power. They very much believed the Jedi were just out and out wrong. All 20 of the
05:58lost Jedi were immortalized via bronze bus in the Jedi archives, as a reminder of the imperfections of
06:04the Order in the years after their defections, and how Jedi Masters must always take the time to
06:09improve themselves and learn from their own mistakes. Dooku acted as the final member of this
06:14significant group, earning his own bus scene in an Attack of the Clones deleted scene before the
06:18Order was all but wiped out in Revenge of the Sith. 4. He was very nearly a woman in Attack of the
06:24Clones
06:25Never one to completely waste a concept, even if it doesn't necessarily fit what it was originally
06:30designed for. The origins of Count Dooku would actually pave the way for another prominent Star
06:34Wars character. In early drafts of Attack of the Clones, George Lucas had actually envisioned the
06:39fallen Jedi as a female alien by the name of Countess Dooku. And while a Medusa-like version
06:45of the character was intriguing despite not being utilized down the road, another visual variation of
06:50the antagonist would actually act as an inspiration for none other than Asajj Ventress, a Force user who
06:56would go on to become an apprentice of Dooku down the road, but more on that later. In the end,
07:01Lucas decided against these designs the second it became clear that Christopher Lee was keen to come
07:06aboard. 3. He's had many apprentices
07:10Speaking of Dooku's history of apprentices over the years, Asajj Ventress isn't the only savage
07:15presence to have taken up a spot under the Count's learning tree. During his time under the tutelage
07:20of Darth Sidious, Dooku trained and guided three notably impressionable souls in the ways of both
07:26the Force and Lightsaber mastery. On top of the deadly assassin Ventress, Savage Opress,
07:31Maul's brother, and Quinlan Vos, Ventress' one-time lover, both trained under Dooku at one point or
07:37another. Dooku didn't give a toss about any long-standing rule of two, clearly. He's also
07:42had a hand in teaching General Grievous how to duel with a laser sword before the cyborg separatist force
07:47was bested by Obi-Wan Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith. Of course, when operating as a Jedi Master,
07:52Dooku also trained Kenobi's former master, Qui-Gon Jinn, along with a number of other Force-sensitive
07:57folk in Legends lore in the wake of his defection. Simply put, Dooku's teachings could very much be
08:03felt across the galaxy. 2. He Had Two Legendary Masters
08:08And there's a good reason just about every Jedi, Sith, and Force user who found themselves
08:13interacting with the legendary Count Dooku wanted to learn everything they could from him. Did you
08:18see who taught him the ways of the light and dark sides of the bloody Force? Hilariously, Dooku actually
08:22wasn't all that interested in being the mighty Grand Master Yoda's apprentice at first, instead
08:27wanting to learn under the tutelage of Lene Costana due to her being known as someone who was tasked
08:32with chasing down dark side relics from across the galaxy. Obviously, while sitting alongside the
08:38little green legend, Dooku found himself being very much immersed in substantial Jedi Order issues
08:43and missions, even watching his master best a giant Torrentotec on Kashyyyk at one point.
08:49And adding to an already extensive knowledge of the Force and how to effectively
08:52wield a lightsaber, Dooku would then end up being recruited by the Dark Lord of the Sith
08:57in the Shadows, Darth Sidious, as an unofficial apprentice as he further expanded on his sizable
09:02understanding of the Force. As far as teachers go then, you likely won't find many better than
09:07the person who was moulded by arguably two of the most powerful entities ever to have existed.
09:12Not too shabby.
09:151. He Once Became a Vampire
09:17How on earth do you top a Force-sensitive bloodsucker, eh?
09:20In what was clearly a sweet nod to the legendary career of Dooku actor Christopher Lee,
09:25the comic book miniseries Star Wars Adventures Tales from Vader's Castle
09:29actually involved a story that saw the devious fallen Jedi becoming a very different kind of count.
09:35Interacting with bat-like creatures who possess the ability to transform humans into a similar form
09:40of monstrosity, Kaven Scott's tale saw Dooku very much becoming Dracula-esque in this tribute of
09:46sorts to Lee's work as the world's most famous vampire. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of
09:51this 2018 development is the fact that the series is actually classed as canon, so who knows?
09:56We may yet see some undead Sith menaces coming to blows with our heroes in a Disney Plus series
10:01or nutty horror movie spin-off later down the road.
10:04For now though, we'll just have to make do with a Dooku brandishing his fangs on the pages.
10:10And that's our list. Know of any other things people didn't know about Count Dooku?
10:13Let us know all about them in the comments section right down below
10:16and do not forget to like, share and click on that subscribe button while you're at it.
10:19Also, if you're into this kind of thing, then head on over to whatculture.com
10:22and find some more incredible articles just like the one that I wrote right here that this video is based on.
10:27I've been Gareth from WhatCulture Star Wars, may the Force be with you as always,
10:31and I hope I'll see you very, very soon. Bye-bye!
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