It WAS a stupid, stupid mistake - but that's Desaad for you. Cruel and sadistic beyond measure, really really skilled and inventive in his field of expertise, but not terribly long in the smarts and subtlety departments. You want a guy to wring the last drop of information out of a person in cruel and unusual ways, while giggling maniacally? Desaad's your man. You want to persuade someone to help save your planet? For cryin' out loud, do NOT get Desaad to do it - Kalibak, Verman Vundabar, ANYONE but Desaad. That's like getting an explosives expert to cook your chicken for you - the result is inevitably going to be a great big boom.