"The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be 'unnatural'."
Palpatine (circa 84 BBY - 11 ABY) /ˈpæɫpəˌtiːn/, also known as Lord Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith, is the major villain of the Star Wars universe. He is portrayed in all the films except Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. In the original movie trilogy, Palpatine is referred to only as "the Emperor".
Though Palpatine was mentioned in A New Hope, he did not actually make an appearance until the 1980 sequel The Empire Strikes Back, where he appeared as a holographic image. Originally, this hooded image was played by an unnamed actor (believed to be a woman) with superimposed chimpanzee eyes, and was voiced by actor Clive Revill.
Palpatine was played by Ian McDiarmid in all subsequent films, starting with Return of the Jedi. In the 2004 DVD special edition of The Empire Strikes Back, newly shot footage of McDiarmid as Palpatine replaced the original footage.
Biography
Once an ambitious Senator in the Galactic Senate, the blockade of his homeworld, Naboo, saw him become Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. He led the Republic during the Clone Wars, later declaring himself Galactic Emperor. Ultimately, Palpatine was revealed to be Darth Sidious, considered to be the most powerful and cunning Sith Lord in the galaxy's history.
Senator Palpatine
Like Yoda, many details regarding Palpatine's character have not been revealed so as to make him an enigmatic character. Few details of Palpatine's early life are known, though he was presumably born on the peaceful backwater planet of Naboo in circa 84 BBY. As an adult, Palpatine ran for political office numerous times, suffering an early string of defeats. In 52 BBY, however, he was elected sectorial senator for the Naboo system.
Originally regarded as somewhat unambitious and unassuming by his peers, Senator Palpatine surprised everyone as he became increasingly popular, cultivating friendships with respected public figures, military commanders, and even Jedi Masters. Palpatine wrote extensively, his notes on power becoming popular texts among political and military science students, his theories even taught at leading universities throughout the galaxy. Despite this growing influence, Palpatine shunned publicity, and would spend many hours alone reflecting in his modest quarters.
Palpatine was a political genius with a cunning understanding of the human mind, becoming a trusted and beloved Senator in the Galactic Senate, a good and modest man by reputation. In addition to broad expertise in areas such as psychology, bureaucracy, and philosophy, he had the ability to foresee countless possible futures so that he could manipulate events as a grandmaster moves pieces on a dejarik board.
Palpatine as Darth Sidious
While it is unknown when he first turned to the dark side of the Force, it is known that his Sith Master was Darth Plagueis. Plagueis reputedly was capable of manipulating midi-chlorians to create life and avert death. Sidious murdered his master in his sleep, but not before he claimed he had learned Plagueis's power. A self-proclaimed savior, Darth Sidious would go on to accomplish (for a time) the ultimate goals of his shadowy order: the (almost) complete destruction of the Jedi Order and the domination of the galaxy.
Sidious began training an apprentice, Darth Maul, sometime before 52 BBY. Maul was a Zabrak kidnapped from Iridonia as an infant, then trained in the ways of the Sith and all forms of combat; he was especially taught aggression, anger, and boiling hatred toward the Jedi. Even though much effort went into perfecting Maul into an ultimate Jedi-killing weapon, he was merely a pawn in Sidious' grand strategy.
Palpatine used Maul to assassinate early political enemies, gaining him influence, especially in illicit circles. This eventually led to a secret alliance with the Trade Federation, a consortium which controlled shipping throughout the backwaters of the galaxy, that was large and powerful enough to be granted full representation in the Senate along with representation of its smaller customer systems. (This political clout was one of the Trade Federation's methods of forcing its backwater customers to remain loyal, since they could threaten to withdraw Federation representation of the system in the Republic Senate.)
Palpatine becomes Chancellor
At Senator Palpatine's manipulation, the Galactic Senate had voted to levy taxes on trade in order to raise funds for the government. Palpatine, in his role as Sidious, persuaded the Trade Federation to blockade Naboo in protest. He assured them that the blockade would bring them greater control and profits, as the Senate would be impotent to act. Meanwhile, in his role as Palpatine, he convinced Queen Amidala of Naboo to endure the blockade; he advised her that the Trade Federation could not force the issue, and that the Senate wouldn't let the dispute continue for long. This led to the events opening The Phantom Menace.
Palpatine then persuaded Chancellor Finis Valorum to request the Jedi Council's assistance in mediating the dispute on Naboo and the council in turn dispatched Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master, Qui-Gon Jinn. The Jedi attempted to meet with Nute Gunray, viceroy of the Federation, aboard his flagship. When it seemed the Trade Federation would be forced to end the blockade, Sidious ordered them to kill the Jedi and invade Naboo instead. He assured them that it would be over before the Senate could respond; that he would keep it occupied with other matters. Sidious's apparent goals were to weaken the power of the Trade Federation (one of the key galactic forces at the time), and to gain sympathy due to the invasion of his homeworld.
The Jedi escaped to the planet below; but once there, found themselves far too outnumbered to deal with the newly ordered invasion themselves. They were left with little choice but to run the blockade, and to relay news of the invasion to the Galactic Senate where they would be able to elicit aid. However, their ship was damaged in the escape, and the Jedi were forced to land to make repairs.
Palpatine would have known that the Jedi would be unwilling to use a Federation-controlled planet during a time of active hostility; and it is believed by some that for this reason, Palpatine had helped the Federation expand their control of trade in the galaxy, up to the borders of Hutt space. Here the Jedi would feel safe that the Federation would not dare follow. And here, within Hutt territory, was the nearest non-Federation controlled planet, Tatooine. On Tatooine, Jinn would find the young slave Anakin Skywalker and discover his extraordinary connection to the Force. Believing the young boy to be the "Chosen One" who, according to an ancient Jedi prophecy, would destroy the Sith and restore balance to the Force, Jinn would bring him to be trained as a Jedi.
As Palpatine intended, the Jedi brought Queen Amidala to the Republic capital of Coruscant. There she testified to what the Federation had done and pleaded for help. Her reputation and testimony were enough to convince the Senate to take action. However, Valorum, under pressure from the Federation, was unwilling to act and the Queen, at Palpatine's suggestion, asked for a vote of no confidence. The Senate agreed and Valorum was ousted from office.
The sympathy for Naboo concerning the ordeal was enough to earn the already well-respected Palpatine a nomination to be Valorum's successor. His secret alliances further assured that he would be the one elected. Queen Amidala returned with the Jedi to Naboo where she led the battle to reclaim the planet from the Trade Federation. The Federation was ultimately defeated and ruined.
Future Plans for Anakin Skywalker
Palpatine knew he would need someone with extraordinary power and strength with the Force if he was ever to defeat the Jedi Order. When Kenobi killed Maul during the Battle of Naboo, Palpatine set his sights on recruiting another, even more powerful Force-adept: Anakin Skywalker
The true extent of Palpatine's influence on Anakin's life remains unclear. It is possible, however, that Palpatine was aware of the boy from conception. Some theories even place Palpatine or his master, Plagueis, as Anakin's creator. This idea was actually in the first draft of the screenplay for Episode III, as Palpatine claimed to have created Anakin, but was cut very early, possibly because director George Lucas wanted the issue of Anakin's creation to be more ambiguous and mysterious. It is still unknown how Anakin was created, although Lucas has stated in the past that he was created by the Force itself.
When Anakin was brought before the Jedi Council by Jinn, they initially refused to allow Anakin to be trained, because they sensed a dark cloud surrounded the boy's future. Yoda explained that the path to the dark side begins with fear; the council sensed much fear in young Anakin. The council even went as far as to expressly forbid Jinn from training Anakin, though he was allowed to remain the Jedi Master's ward.
When Jinn and Kenobi returned to Naboo, Sidious ordered Darth Maul into confrontation with them. In the climactic battle of Episode I, Maul proved his prowess and killed Jinn. Though Maul was in turn defeated by Kenobi, Sidious considered it worthwhile. Jinn's dying wish was that young Anakin be trained; a wish which even the Jedi Council was unwilling to deny their fallen hero. Kenobi thus became Anakin's teacher despite the council's concerns, and Anakin was put on the path to being a Jedi. After the Battle of Naboo, with Anakin having proved himself strong in the Force, Palpatine appears to have taken an immediate interest in the boy.
The Clone Wars
Around the time of the Battle of Naboo, Jedi Master Count Dooku resigned, left the Jedi Order, and became Darth Tyranus, Sidious's new apprentice. At the same time, a mysterious Jedi Master named Sifo-Dyas, who was a friend of Dooku, was believed to have ordered an army made of clone troopers on Kamino. Darth Sidious ordered Tyranus to murder Sifo-Dyas, in what is believed to have been a proof of loyalty, and took over the project. Tyranus hired the bounty hunter Jango Fett as the host of the clones; as Count Dooku, Tyranus slowly became the political leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. These plans would prove to be vital to Sidious's ultimate objective a decade later.
A decade after Palpatine's nomination, Dooku's Confederacy of Independent Systems became a severe threat to the Republic. Palpatine wanted to negotiate with the Separatists, but the discovery of a secret droid army made it obvious that the Separatists had no interest in peace. However, Palpatine didn't have the authority to activate the Republic's new clone army. To that end, the Senate granted Palpatine absolute authority to deal with the Separatist threat. Palpatine promised to return this authority once the crisis passed. As Darth Sidious, he had already ensured that the crisis (and hence his authority as Chancellor) would last for many years by playing both sides against each other. While advocating more power for the Chancellor as Palpatine, as Sidious he secretly advised the Separatists.
At about this time, he renewed his friendship with Anakin, who was now an angry, arrogant teenager chafing under Kenobi's stern tutelage. Sensing Anakin's ambition and need for an encouraging father figure, Palpatine fed the young man's ego by reassuring him that he would one day be the greatest Jedi in the galaxy, even greater than Yoda.
Once the Clone Wars broke out, he issued one decree after another due to the Senate's inability to effectively wage the war. Over the years, the Senate voted him additional emergency powers until he could effectively take any action without Senate approval (he had a substantial majority in the Senate in any case). This made him a virtual dictator. The people and the Senate willingly gave up their freedoms, as the specter of the Separatist assault virtually eliminated all opposition.
As shown in the Clone Wars animated series, the novel Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil, and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, General Grievous, the Supreme Commander of Separatist Army, "kidnapped" Chancellor Palpatine under the command of his alter ego Darth Sidious shortly before the end of the Clone Wars. Kenobi and Anakin returned from the Outer Rim siege and tried to rescue the Chancellor and stop Grievous from escaping in the Battle of Coruscant. There Anakin killed Dooku/Tyranus at Palpatine's urgings, leaving Darth Sidious without an apprentice and the Separatists without a political leader. General Grievous took the place of Tyranus to some extent, reporting directly to Sidious, but soon died at Kenobi's hands.
The Great Jedi Purge Begins
Soon after his rescue, Palpatine appointed Anakin as his personal representative on the Jedi Council; Anakin was accepted, but denied the rank of Master. Aside from spying on the Council, Palpatine used Anakin's appointment as a means of manipulating the young Jedi; appealing to Anakin's anger towards the council, his desire for power, his fear for the life of Padmé (now his pregnant wife), and the Council's lack of trust in him, to help turn Anakin to the dark side. Palpatine later revealed himself as a Sith Lord to Anakin, telling Anakin to join him as his new apprentice, promising Anakin power over life and death—and the power to save Padmé.
Disillusioned, Anakin reported Palpatine's true identity to Jedi Master Mace Windu. When Windu arrived with three other Jedi Masters to arrest him, Palpatine revealed considerable skill with his lightsaber, quickly dispatching all but Windu, who was determined to finally stop him. Palpatine fought with Windu until Anakin arrived, at which point Windu gained the advantage and disarmed him. Palpatine then fired deadly Force lightning at Windu, which Windu blocked with his lightsaber and deflected back onto him, melting his face. (McDiarmid once commented that this attack did not deform Palpatine but actually caused his "true face" to be revealed, an idea also hinted at in the novelization, but this has been deconfirmed by Lucasfilm.)
Windu apparently had Palpatine at his mercy. Anakin pleaded for Palpatine's life out of guilt for killing the unarmed Dooku and fear of losing his last chance to save his wife. Windu, however, argued that Palpatine needed to be executed since he controlled the Senate and the courts. As Windu prepared to put Palpatine to death, however, Anakin came to the Chancellor's defense, severing Windu's lower arm. With Windu disabled, Palpatine shot Force lightning onto him, stunning Windu and hurling him out the window to his death. Emotionally drained and left with little choice, Anakin then pledged allegiance to Palpatine, becoming his new apprentice: Darth Vader.
Along with partial audio recordings, Palpatine used his new deformed image as evidence of an assassination attempt by the Jedi. Using this as evidence of a fictitious Jedi rebellion, Palpatine declared martial law and issued Order 66, directing the clone troopers to kill their Jedi generals. He also sent a legion of clone troopers led by Darth Vader to kill everyone in the Jedi Temple, including the Jedi younglings. Prominent Jedi killed by either Palpatine, Vader, or clone troopers in this time included Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Plo Koon, Quinlan Vos, Aayla Secura, and Shaak Ti. Among the few known survivors were Yoda and Kenobi.
Palpatine becomes Emperor
Using his already significant power, the additional sympathy from the attempt on his life, and the apparent take over by the "guardians" of the galaxy, he convinced the Senate to support the Galactic Republic's transformation into the Galactic Empire, and he himself became Emperor of the galaxy. In this way, Palpatine finally achieved his shadowy Order's goal of galactic domination. Palpatine did not, and needed not reveal his identity as a Sith Lord to the Senate or public, for he was the beloved ruler and savior of the galaxy by then.
In his first act as Emperor, Palpatine assigned Vader to end the Clone Wars, by killing the remaining Separatist leaders hiding in the secret base on Mustafar. Though Vader might have been unaware of it, Palpatine was double-crossing the Separatists, whom he had told to hide there as Darth Sidious. In a last attempt to foil the Sith, Yoda confronted Palpatine on Coruscant, while Kenobi tracked down Vader.
When Yoda entered Palpatine's office after knocking out two Royal Guards, the Emperor unleashed Force lightning in a nearly successful attempt to disable the Jedi Master. Yoda was stunned by the attack but responded with a powerful Force push, hurling the Emperor across the room. Palpatine tried to escape, but Yoda blocked the exit and challenged Palpatine with his lightsaber. The two supreme masters of light and darkness fought their way from the Chancellor's Holding Office to the Galactic Senate Arena.
Using the Force, they threw Senate pods at one another before Palpatine took one final gamble on his Force lightning, engaging Yoda in a battle of wills. At last both were dramatically thrown away from one another, each of them managing to cling to the edge of nearby pods. Palpatine managed to climb to safety but Yoda was unable to maintain his grasp because of his small size, falling to the floor of the Senate chamber. The deaths of the hundreds of Jedi having taken its toll on Yoda's will and strength, he is unable to deal with both the Sith Lord and the arriving clone troopers coming to his aid before the battle had begun, forcing his retreat. He was picked up by Senator Bail Organa and went into exile in Dagobah.
On Mustafar, Vader was injured severely in his duel with Kenobi, losing an arm and both his legs and sustaining near-fatal third-degree burns and lung damage. Sensing his new apprentice was in danger, Palpatine traveled to Mustafar, leaving the search for Yoda to his summoned troopers led by Commander Thire. Palpatine brought Vader's body back to Coruscant, and Vader was soon placed in a black armored suit with life support systems in order to sustain him. Once Vader regained consciousness, Palpatine told him he had killed his wife and unborn child in a fit of rage in order to completely break his spirit and bind him permanently to the Empire's service. (Padmé had in fact died in childbirth after delivering healthy twins, Luke and Leia.) It was Palpatine's intent that Vader would be the one who would succeed him, revealed in his comments that Vader would become more powerful than him or Yoda. But after Vader sustained his injuries from Obi-Wan, much of his Force potential was lost, and he was no longer the ideal apprentice that Palpatine had wanted, but he was still the most powerful Force user in the galaxy next to Palpatine.
With the Jedi Order destroyed, the Separatists defeated and his new Empire inaugurated, Palpatine became a shadowy and detatched despot determined to bend the galaxy to his will. To that end, he embraced the use of massive displays of force to cow opposition. One of his most horrible weapons was the Death Star, a moon-sized battle station with laser power so strong it could destroy a planet. In the past, Palpatine had manipulated the Geonosians to develop the technical design of this weapon through his late apprentice, Count Dooku. After his escape from the Battle of Geonosis, Count Dooku submitted the design to his dark master. Palpatine later assigned Wilhuff Tarkin, an ambitious and cruel Imperial officer infamous for landing his ship on a platform full of protesters, to supervise the further development of the weapon. The Empire's policy of state terrorism became known as the Tarkin Doctrine, explained by its namesake as "rule through the fear of force rather than force itself."
Analytical viewing of the prequel trilogy shows that Palpatine's aide and Senate Speaker, Mas Amedda, was important to his plans. He was the first to suggest the Senate should vote emergency power to Palpatine. Palpatine's Sith identity was a secret known only to a few, much as Tyranus's had been. General Grievous, as a servant to Darth Sidious, did not know this secret, yet Mas Amedda was witness to the battle between Yoda and the Emperor, a clear indication of his power. No word has been officially said as to what became either of Mas Amedda or of fellow aide Sly Moore after the events portrayed in Revenge of the Sith.
Galactic Civil War
The full scale Galactic Civil War erupted nineteen years later, in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Through an X-wing starfighter piloted by Luke Skywalker, Anakin's son and a Jedi apprentice Kenobi trained before he appeared to be killed by Vader, the recently formed Rebel Alliance destroyed the Death Star in the Battle of Yavin. At this point, Palpatine had been ruling the galaxy from his throne on Coruscant (now renamed Imperial Center) with Vader as his right-hand man. By this time, he had dissolved the Senate and formally devolved power to regional governors and sector moffs—power they had informally possessed for years.
Three years later, in The Empire Strikes Back, the Imperials found the rebels on the planet of Hoth where Vader arrived, looking for Skywalker. Palpatine alerted Vader to the knowledge that Luke was his son and Vader lured Skywalker, who had by now been trained by Yoda, to Cloud City. There father and son engaged in a lightsaber duel, in which Vader cut off Skywalker's right hand (much as his own had been severed by Dooku years before) and revealed that he was Luke's father. Although profoundly shaken by this claim, Luke refused to be corrupted and narrowly managed to escape.
Fall of the Empire
The following year, in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi the stage was set for the endgame. Palpatine knew that if the Rebels were to discover the location of the second Death Star while he was on board, they would not be able to resist the opportunity to strike directly at him. With this knowledge, he crafted an intricate trap that was to destroy the Rebellion once and for all. Palpatine allowed Rebel spies to learn of its location and of the shield generator on Endor while planting disinformation which suggested the Death Star was not yet operational. In reality, the station's prime weapon was complete and fully functional, and a major contingent of the Imperial Starfleet was there to protect it. The Rebels took the bait and planned to attack the station with all of their resources. First, however, it would be necessary for them to de-activate the protective shield that projected from a generator on the moon of Endor.
Vader, meanwhile, continued to push his quest for the young Skywalker in hopes of luring him to the Dark Side. While Vader's contact with Luke seemed to awaken something of a conscience within him that Palpatine disapproved of, he agreed to the idea, with the apparent intent of sacrificing Vader to make Luke his new apprentice. Luke was convinced that his father could be turned away from the dark side, and so allowed himself to be captured and brought to the Death Star. There, Palpatine manipulated him into battling his own father so that he could inherit his mantle at the Emperor's side. Luke resisted at first, until Vader probed his mind and learned that Leia was Luke's sister. With this knowledge, Vader speculated that he could corrupt her instead, a threat that enraged Luke and drove him to attack Vader with full fury. Although he nearly killed Vader, severing his right hand, Luke refused to succumb to the dark side, and controlled his anger. Realizing that he was dangerously close to succumbing to his father's fate, he discarded his lightsaber and proudly turned to face the Emperor. "I am a Jedi, like my father before me."
With the understanding that Luke had become a lost cause, Palpatine viciously attacked him with deadly Force lightning. Luke almost died in the assault. At that moment, however, Vader's horror at seeing his son writhing in agony broke Palpatine's hold on him, and he became Anakin Skywalker once again. Seizing his former master from behind, Anakin used his last ounce of strength to cast the Emperor into the Death Star's massive reactor shaft, killing him in a blaze of energy that engulfed the surrounding area. In so doing however, he was mortally wounded by the Sith Lord's destructive power. Anakin would die soon after with Luke by his side. The plot to destroy the Rebellion itself would also fail. The Rebel strike team, with unexpected help from the native Ewoks, would overcome the Imperial Garrison. This allowed Lando Calrisian to lead a successful assault against the Death Star, destroying the battle station in a massive explosion. Luke would eventually serve as a guiding force for the restoration of both the Republic and the Jedi Order.
As Episode I revealed, there can be only two Sith at a time: one Master and one apprentice—"no more, no less," as stated by Master Yoda. In Episode V, the Emperor agrees with Darth Vader that Luke, if turned, could be a useful ally. Each Sith—both Palpatine and Darth Vader—was aware at that moment of the other's desire to turn Luke into their own apprentice, to kill the other and rule the galaxy. The novels Heir to the Empire and Shadows of the Empire depict that Darth Vader's offer at Bespin to join him was to take Luke as his apprentice on the spot and overthrow Palpatine, and Palpatine secretly knew Vader was planning treachery against him and was trying to prevent it by sending Mara Jade to kill Luke Skywalker before Vader could reach him again. It is also possible that with the Sith essentially dominating the galaxy, they had decided the time had come to discontinue Darth Bane's "Rule of Two", instituted a millennium earlier. Palpatine's heavy use of Force-sensitive agents such as the Emperor's Hands, Imperial Inquisitors, Imperial Royal Guard, and Prophets of the Dark Side may have been a first step in this process.
Palpatine in the Expanded Universe
Fall of the Republic and Galactic Empire periods
Palpatine appears very frequently in the Expanded Universe material which covers the prequel era. In the novel Cloak of Deception, a prelude to Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, he set up his bid for the Chancellorship by discrediting Chancellor Valorum and it was also stated that he had chosen to stay in politics after the accepted retiring age of 20, suggesting that he started politics as a child like Padme Amidala did. In the comic Star Wars Republic, it is hinted that he is behind the assassination of the former Naboo Senator, the abdication of Naboo's King Veruna, and also that he assassinated his predecessor, Valorum. In the various "Clone Wars" stories, he took an increasingly active interest in Anakin Skywalker's development into a Jedi.
Palpatine plays a major role in Shadows of the Empire, where Prince Xizor attempted to discredit Darth Vader through a plot to kill Luke Skywalker and replace Vader as the Emperor's second-in-command. Vader, who was obsessed with the idea of turning his son to the dark side rather than killing him, ultimately killed Xizor. Throughout it all, it would seem that Palpatine knew of Xizor's treachery, and would have most likely disposed of him later if Vader had not.
In the computer game TIE Fighter, Palpatine was kidnapped by Grand Admiral Zaarin in an attempted coup d'état, although he was rescued by General Maarek Stele, one of the "Emperor's Hand" secret agents.
Palpatine as an author
Palpatine was also an author. He wrote extensively on political theory, military strategy, and Sith technique, which he combined into a Dark Side Compendium. It was to be composed of hundreds of books, but only three—The Book of Anger, The Weakness of Inferiors, and The Creation of Monsters—were ever completed.
Dark Empire
In the Dark Empire series of comics, Palpatine returned shortly after the Thrawn crisis. After his spirit was resurrected from the netherworld of the Force by the Dark Lord ghosts of Korriban, Palpatine took possession of the body of the Emperor's Hand Jeng Droga on the planet Kaal. It was to the Emperor's secret stronghold on the Deep Core planet of Byss that the possessed Droga fled, where Palpatine's spirt was exorcized from his body and channeled his spirit into a clone of himself.
Once he was resurrected, it is revealed Palpatine intended eventually to replace the Galactic Empire with a "Dark Empire," a universe-spanning magocracy ruled through the dark side of the Force alone, without the need for superweapons and technological domination. The planet Byss was modeled on this concept, serving as the Emperor's vision of a utopian society. Whether or not he had planned to replace the secular Galactic Empire with a Dark Empire even prior to his death at the Battle of Endor is still a matter of debate.
Palpatine attempted to take back control of the galaxy, and successfully converted Luke Skywalker over to the dark side. Luke was able to foil some of Palpatine's plans, but was not quite strong enough to pull himself back. Only with the assistance of his sister Leia was he able to return and defeat Palpatine. Palpatine lost control of the terrifying Force storm he had conjured against them and was consumed by its energies along with his flagship.
During Palpatine's absence, the Empire, under the command of his cadre of Dark Jedi, initiated Operation Shadow Hand. Uniting the Galactic Empire's shattered fragments, they systematically retook the Galaxy from the New Republic. Unbeknownst to the new government (now reduced back to the Rebel Alliance), Palpatine had an auxiliary cloning facility. Two of Palpatine's Dark Side Adepts attempted to finish the job Skywalker started but failed to complete when the still-loyal Executor Sedriss arrived and killed the traitors. Emperor Palpatine's twisted soul had once again manifested itself in a young clone body.
Utilizing insane weapons designer Umak Leth's horrifying brainchild, the Galaxy Gun, he forcefully coerced systems into accepting Imperial rule. With this strategy, he nearly brought the Galactic Empire back to its former glory.
Despite seeming absolute victory over the Alliance, internal affairs stalled Palpatine's progress. A renegade Imperial Sovereign Protector, Carnor Jax, had bribed Palpatine's head cloning supervisor into tampering with Palpatine's DNA strain.
His last cloned body deteriorating at an increasingly alarming rate due to the damage caused by his traitorous minions, Palpatine was already beginning to fall victim to the ravaging dark side energies at his command. Aware of the genetic corruption of his clone supply, he ventured to the ancient Sith burial world of Korriban to seek the wisdom of Sith Lords long past. The Sith spirits informed Palpatine that the only way to survive would be to inhabit the body of the infant Anakin Solo, the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia and Vader's grandchild.
Taking his new flagship, Eclipse II, with him to the baby's sanctuary on Onderon, Palpatine landed and slipped by security using his mastery of the Force. When he arrived to where the baby was held, Luke and his fledgling Jedi order confronted him. Palpatine easily dispatched them, despite his weakness, killing one and incapacitating the others. Unexpectedly, an enraged Han Solo shot Palpatine in the back while he was off-guard. With his body dead, Palpatine's spirit made one last lunge for the baby, but was intercepted by an ailing Empatojayos Brand. Brand used all of his remaining strength to keep Palpatine's sinister spirit from escaping. When he died, he took Palpatine's essence with him. After so many years of conflict and bloodshed, Emperor Palpatine was truly defeated.
Darth Sidious, the greatest Dark Lord of the Sith, was finally dead.
Dark Empire discrepancy explanations
In the Dark Empire series, Palpatine tells Luke that the Battle of Endor was not his first death, and that he had been transferred his spirit into at least one clone body years prior. Lucasfilm official Leland Chee has recently explained that Palpatine was lying to Luke about having died previously, and that Palpatine's demise on the second Death Star was definitely the first time he died, although not the last. The most likely reason for this retcon is that in Revenge of the Sith it is revealed that Palpatine's deformed face is a result of his battle with Mace Windu, and since Palpatine has those same deformities in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, it is his original body seen in those movies and not a clone. The reason that Palpatine had similar deformities within the Dark Empire series is because Palpatine's clone bodies, unlike his original one, rapidly degenerate as a result of the strong presence of dark side energy within them, which is why he must periodically switch from one clone body to another.
Dark Jedi
It is also revealed that Palpatine trained a number of Dark Jedi agents, many of which were held in reserve on Byss and played a role in Operation Shadow Hand after the Emperor died at Endor. Additionally, the Emperor had several secret agents known as "Emperor's Hands," notable examples being Mara Jade and Shira Brie (who later became Lumiya, Dark Lady of the Sith). Each agent was under the delusion that he or she performed a unique role as the only Emperor's Hand. There was also the Inquisitorius, a small and secret branch of Imperial Intelligence composed of Dark Jedi who assisted Darth Vader in hunting down surviving Jedi, and the Emperor's Secret Order of the Prophets of the Dark Side, a shadowy organization of dark side mages who foretold the future and quietly served throughout the galaxy as the Emperor's hands, eyes, voice, and reach. Several Dark Side adepts served in administrative positions in the Empire. Even the members of the Emperor's Royal Guard were all trained in rudimentary Force skills.
It is also hinted in the Barbara Hambly novels—although later discounted—that Palpatine fathered a son with another of his Force-sensitive female agents, Roganda Ismaren. In the Jedi Prince series, an insane three-eyed mutant named Triclops is revealed to be Palpatine's true son, and the Jedi Prince Ken is his grandson. In the series, Triclops is impersonated by another three-eyed mutant named Trioculous. Trioculus, Triclops, and Ken were all heavily involved in a plot masterminded by a group of con artists posing as the shadowy Prophets of the Dark Side to wrest Imperial authority away from Imperial Intelligence Director Ysanne Isard. Following the false Prophets' defeat, Triclops and Ken disappeared, though it is theorized in some fan circles that Ken was one of the first to attend Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy.
Though all information on Palpatine's family history was purged from the government archives of Naboo, some of his family members remained in galactic politics. Besides Triclops and Ken, his known relatives included his grand-niece Ederlaath Pallopides (mentioned in The Dark Empire Sourcebook) and his third cousin Voplau (mentioned in the comic book Boba Fett #1/2: "Salvage").
Several years after Palpatine's apparent death at Endor, a peace initiative was secretly arranged by Imperial Admiral Betl Oxtroe, to negotiated between the New Republic and the remnants of the Empire, where Ederlaath Pallopides, as Palpatine's only known living relative would be crowned as a ceremonial Empress. A constitutional monarchy would be created with the New Republic's Provisional Council taking over the old positions of the Imperial Advisors, making them the effective power in the new government. The plan collapsed when Betl Oxtroe was assassinated by Noghri. The assassination was implied to be conducted by agents of Palpatine working to pave the way for his return depicted in Dark Empire.
Major themes and influences
Historical
Palpatine is perhaps one of Lucas' most versatile, sinister characters. Lucas cited both US Presidents Richard Nixon and Abraham Lincoln, as well as Julius Caesar, Augustus, and Napoleon Bonaparte as inspirations for the character. [1] [2]. Many fans (and Lucas himself, in the DVD commentary on Attack of the Clones) have also compared Palpatine to Adolf Hitler: Like Hitler, Palpatine gains power after the Chancellor of the government is removed from office, and then limits the freedoms of the people, claiming these measures are necessary in order to find and eliminate threats he claims exist in their government. Unlike Hitler, whose political ruthlessness was fueled by fanatical nationalism and anti-Semitism, Palpatine seems to be completely dispassionate and very Machiavellian, calculating all possible outcomes from a situation with the sole aim of increasing his power.
In Episode III, Palpatine remarks "I am the Senate". This could be seen as specific reference to Louis XIV famously remarking "I am the state".
Other fans find parallels to the history of Emperor Constantine the Great. Palpatine's name resembles Constantine's, as well as the Palatine Hill in Rome--the seat of imperial government--and to that of Catiline, who led a (failed) attempt to overthrow the Roman Republic in the 1st Century BC.
Literary
In a January 24, 2002 Star Wars Insider interview, actor Ian McDiarmid compared Palpatine's character to be similar to that of Shakespeare's Iago, the villain in the play Othello:
"Everything he does is an act of pure hypocrisy, and that's interesting to play. I suppose it's rather like playing Iago. All the characters in the play—including Othello until the end—think that 'Honest Iago' is a decent guy doing his job, and he's quite liked. But at the same time there's a tremendous evil subconscious in operation. There's a moment in one scene of the new film where tears almost appear in his eye. These are crocodile tears, but for all those in the movie, and perhaps watching the movie itself, they'll see he is apparently moved—and of course, he is. He can just do it. He can, as it were, turn it on. And I suppose for him, it's also a bit of a turn-on—the pure exercise of power is what he's all about. That's the only thing he's interested in and the only thing that can satisfy him—which makes him completely fascinating to play, because it is an evil soul. He is more evil than the devil. At least Satan fell—he has a history, and it's one of revenge." [3]
Palpatine's name
The name Palpatine originated in the novelization of Episode IV, in which the name is given as that of the former Senator who rose to power. The name "Emperor Palpatine" was commonly used in many Star Wars references after the release of the original trilogy.
Palpatine's full name, assuming he has any names other than "Palpatine" alone, has never been revealed. The usage "Emperor Palpatine" suggests that Palpatine is in fact his only name, though the use of titles such as "Senator Palpatine" suggests it may be his family name. Of course, Palpatine might be a Name of State, as the name Amidala is, so it may mean that neither Palpatine's given nor family name is known. The name Palpatine itself is most likely a play off Palatine Hill, the name of the centermost of the Seven hills of Rome upon which many Roman Emperors constructed their palaces (the word 'palace' itself comes from the word 'palatine').
The original version of his character in Lucas's early scripts was named "Cos Dashit" and many Star Wars fan fiction writers have adopted the name "Cos Palpatine" in their stories and web pages, so much so that it has become fanon.
Another possible source for the name Palpatine is Senator Palatine from the film Taxi Driver
Palpatine's appearance and debate
As Senator of Naboo and Chancellor of the Republic, Palpatine appeared as an unassuming old man with elegant robes. During the fight in which he defeated Mace Windu, he was hit with his own Force lightning, deforming him and leaving him with a grayed, sagging face, with burning yellow eyes. This has been confirmed by the official website's databank:
"Palpatine unleashed a torrent of Sith lightning at the Jedi Master, but Windu was able to deflect it back at the Chancellor. The evil energies twisted Palpatine's face as they flowed through him, scarring and disfiguring his once handsome features. His eyes burned yellow, his voice grew ragged and deep, and he became a well of dark side energies."
But Palpatine's sudden change in that scene sparked a great deal of discussion and debate among the fandom. Some theorized that what was seen on-screen could be taken at face value, which turned out to be the truth. The second, now debunked theory was that Palpatine's normal, handsome face was a mask (illusionary or physical), hiding the ugly, haggard face. This theory came about mainly because sources before the prequels had explained that his appearance was aged and corrupted due to years of abusing the dark side, and it had been assumed that Palpatine would age into this unnatural appearance.
One item that lent support to the "mask" theory was given in the Jedi Counseling 71 roleplaying feature on the Wizards of the Coast website ([4]) - which presents an ancient Sith alchemical technique aptly titled "Mask." Not so simple as a mere illusion, the technique actually alters the subject's appearance on a molecular level but can be dispelled by dark side energy. The "sudden transformation distorts the subject with dark energy" and future attempts at creating a Mask are less likely to be successful. Both the Revenge of the Sith novelization and Ian McDiarmind have referred to Palpatine's face, prior to being deformed, as a mask, although this may have been metaphorical speaking and is not solid evidence against the now confirmed theory that Palpatine's original face was simply burned by Force Lightning, and was not literally a mask being unveiled.
Despite the face that offical Lucasfilm representatives and the official Star Wars databank have provided us with a definite answer to the debate, some fans believe that the explanation given does not seem to make much sense when compared to the properties of Force Lightning previously exhibited in the movies. Both Luke, Anakin, and even Mace Windu in his final moments did not appear to be disfigured from it in any way shape or form, although this may be because Palpatine was hit by Force Lightning from a much closer range, or because the fact that he was still shooting Force Lightning while being hit may have created a sort of closed circuit that enhanced the effect. It also seems a bit too coincedental that Palpatine's Sith eyes were revealed in conjunction with the deformation, although it may be because Palpatine felt intense anger or hatred while being burned, similar to why Anakin's Sith eyes reveal themselves after he is dismembered by Obi-Wan.
Palpatine´s creepy looking inspired many references, parodies or even rip-offs such as:
- Stargate: SG-1 (TV series): Two Goa´ld System lords seems to be influenced by him. Sokar, pale-looking sadist in dark robes, and Anubis, absolutely cloaked evil genius (he has actually no facial appearance at all).
- Dark Knight (TV series): Master of Templars has absolutely same appearance.
- Batman Beyond (TV series): In one episode, there is a cult leader claiming to be from another planet who seems to be an exact carbon copy of Palpatine; he wears black robes and a hood over a pale and skeletal face, and at one point shoots lightning from his hands at Batman in exactly the same manner as Palpatine electrocutes Luke in Return of the Jedi. At the end of the episode it is revealed that the cult leader was only able to shoot lightning due to a cybernetic suit he was wearing underneath his cloak.
- Feeble Files (PC game): In this comedial cartoon adventure, there is Palpatine-looking founder of totalitarian system. But in this case it was an accident.
Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer once said that he was fascinated by the character of Palpatine, so much so that he once bought a pair of yellow contact lenses so he could imitate him.
Commentary
In a recent interview, McDiarmid recently commented on this complex character:
"He has a black, irredeemable heart. There's nothing that can be said about him that's good. When we first saw Vader in the original trilogy we thought he was the heart of darkness, and nobody could be darker. But now we understand what happened to him. And one of the exciting things about seeing this movie is that you can follow Vader through Anakin's journey every step of the way even if you don't agree with the choices he's making. In part his decisions stem from his traumatic childhood, and his impatient lust for power. And it's that which my character takes and then uses against him." -- Homing Beacon/STARWARS.com
Styles of address
- Senator Palpatine of the Sovereign System of Naboo.
- His Excellency Supreme Chancellor Palpatine of the Galactic Republic.
- His Imperial Majesty Emperor Palpatine of the Galactic Empire.
- Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith
External links
- Star Wars Databank entry
- The Personal Blog of Darth Sidious (unofficial).