Palpatine
Palpatine (84 BBY - 4 and 10 ABY), also known as 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." Because of the subtle complexity of his character, his sinister brilliance and his excellent exemplification of the negative aspects of human nature, Palpatine is considered to be one of the greatest literary villains of all time.
Though Palpatine was mentioned in A New Hope, he didn't actually make an appearance until the subsequent film, 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 for continuity's sake.
Biography
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 Naboo in approximately 84 BBY. As an adult, Palpatine ran for political office numerous times, suffering an early string of defeats. In about 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 Jedi Masters. Palpatine wrote extensively, his notes on power becoming popular texts among political science and military science students, his theories even taught at leading universities throughout the galaxy. Despite this growing influence, Palpatine remained unassuming, and would spend many hours alone reflecting in his modest quarters.
According to Cloak of Deception by James Luceno, Palpatine 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.
Palpatine had a cunning understanding of the human mind. He was a political mastermind, 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, due both to his vast intellect and power, so that he could manipulate events as a grandmaster moves pieces on a dejarik board.
Palpatine as Darth Sidious
Palpatine's unassuming demeanor masked a man who would become the foremost practitioner of the Sith ways in modern times. While it is unknown when he turned to the dark side, it is known that his Sith master was Darth Plagueis. Plagueis is thought to have been capable of manipulating midi-chlorians to create life and avert death. Sidious murdered his master in his sleep, but not before supposedly learning this power. A self-proclaimed savior, Darth Sidious would go on to accomplish, after millennia, the ultimate goals of his shadowy order: the 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 dark side of the Force and all forms of combat; he was especially taught aggression, anger, and boiling hatred toward Jedi. Even though much effort went into perfecting Maul as an ultimate weapon, he was merely a pawn in Sidious's 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 backwater galaxy; and was large and powerful enough to be granted full representation in the Senate along with representation of its smaller customer systems. (This is how it was able to force its backwater customers to remain loyal, threatening to withdraw Federation representation of the system in the Republic.)
Palpatine becomes Supreme 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 action 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 Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. 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. Amidala's reputation and testimony were enough to convince the Senate to take action. However, Valorum, under pressure from the Federation, was unwilling to act and Amidala, 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. 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's second plan (often regarded as an indirect scheme, as many believe he could not have foreseen so far ahead) was not so obvious, hence, it was even more devious and brilliant. Palpatine knew he would need someone with extraordinary power and strength with the Force if he was ever to defeat the Jedi Order. The Sith Lord took the necessary steps to ensure that such a person—Anakin Skywalker—was at his command.
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 early drafts of the script, but was cut because it would confuse the average viewer, and because it was too reminiscent of the end of Empire. Thusly, Tatooine, where Skywalker was raised, happened to be beyond the Republic's border and therefore he would be untested and unrecruited by the Jedi until years to come. Tatooine also happened to be a harsh place, where Anakin grew up an alien and slave without a father.
Palpatine would not be able to train Anakin personally, as he had many demands for his attention as Chancellor, and many plans yet to implement. Palpatine thus arranged other means for his future apprentice's training, namely the Jedi Order. The Jedi Council initially refused to allow Anakin to be trained. 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.
The Clone Wars
Around the time of the Battle of Naboo, Jedi Master Count Dooku resigned and left the Jedi Order. The true reason of the resignation was unclear, but ultimately Dooku became Darth Tyranus, Sidious' 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' 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 willfully gave up their freedoms, as the specter of the Separatist assault virtually eliminated all opposition. It was also possible that some of the Senators supported Palpatine due to the influence of the dark side or other benefit like corruption.
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 Amidala (now his wife and pregnant), 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 unbelievable power of manipulating life via the dark side of the Force.
Disillusioned, Anakin reported Palpatine's true identity to Jedi Master Mace Windu. When Windu arrived with three 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 deflected back at him. Palpatine's appearance was seriously deformed during this exchange, becoming wizened and haggard.
Windu apparently had Palpatine at his mercy. Anakin pleaded for Palpatine's life. 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, Anakin's uncertain loyalty and the desire to save his wife through the dark side led him to ultimately defend Palpatine, severing Windu's lower arm. With Windu disabled, disarmed and horrified, Palpatine shot Force lightning onto him, stunning Windu and hurling him out the window to his death. Emotionally shocked 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 to a fictionalized Jedi rebellion, Palpatine declared martial law and sent out Order 66, directing the clone troopers to kill their Jedi commanders. He also sent Anakin/Vader to kill everyone in the Jedi Temple, including the younglings. Prominent Jedi killed by either Palpatine, Vader, or clone troopers in this time included Windu, Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Plo Koon, Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti. The only 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 be 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 each other before Palpatine took one final gamble on his Force lightning, engaging Yoda in a battle of wills. At last both were thrown away from the other buth while Palpatine landed in a Senate Pod Yoda was barely able to grab hold of one and his grip didn't last long hence it was luck that Palpatine defeated Yoda. Injured his long fall from the heights of the Senate chamber and realizing he had to escape.
On Mustafar, neither Vader nor Obi-Wan were killed, but Vader was injured severely. Sensing his new apprentice was in danger, the Emperor traveled to Mustafar, leaving the search for Yoda to his summoned clone troopers. 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. (Padme had in fact died in childbirth after delivering healthy twins, Luke and Leia.)
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. This was the Tarkin Doctrine, named after Grand Moff Tarkin, an ambitious Imperial officer infamous for landing his ship on a platform full of protestors.
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 like Tyranus. General Grievous, as a servant to Darth Sidious, did not know this terrible truth, yet Mas Amedda was witness to the exchange of power 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, a Jedi apprentice trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi before he appeared to be killed by Darth Vader, the recently formed Rebel Alliance destroyed the Death Star in the Battle of Yavin. At this point, Palpatine had been hiding on Coruscant (now renamed Imperial Center) using Darth Vader to rule. 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 Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, the Imperials found the rebels on the planet of Hoth where Darth Vader arrived, looking for Luke Skywalker. Palpatine alerted Vader to the knowledge that Luke was his son and Vader, after some time, lured Skywalker to Cloud City. There father and son engaged each other in a lightsaber duel, ending with Vader's revelation that he was Luke's father. Although profoundly shaken by this claim, Luke refused to be corrupted and chose death instead, only to have fate intervene and allow him to be rescued by his allies.
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 and that he was on board, they would not be able to resist the opportunity of being able to strike directly at him and crafted an intricate trap that was to destroy the Rebellion. Palpatine allowed Rebel spies to learn of the location of the second Death Star and the shield generator on Endor. But it was disinformation – showing the station itself to be unarmed and undefended. In reality, the station's prime weapon was complete and fully functional. Also, 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, but first it was necessary for them to de-activate the protective shield that projected from a generator on the moon of Endor.
Vader suggested that they try to turn Luke to the dark side of the Force. However, Vader's contact with Luke awakened something of a conscience in him that Palpatine disapproved of. Palpatine agreed to the idea, however, with the apparent intent of sacrificing Vader and making Luke his new apprentice. Luke, convinced that his father can be turned away from the Dark Side, allowed himself to be captured and was brought upon the unfinished Death Star, where Palpatine manipulated him into battling his own father so that he may inherit his mantle at the Emperor's side. Luke didn't resist 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 his father, Luke refused to succumb to the dark side, bringing his anger under control. He discarded his lightsaber and proudly declared, "I am a Jedi, like my father before me."
Realizing that Skywalker's son was a lost cause, Palpatine viciously attacked him with his 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. Anakin picked up Palpatine and even though he was heavily struck with force lightning, he managed to fling the Emperor down the shaft to the reactor, killing him. At that moment, it seemed that Anakin fulfilled the prophecy and brought balance to the Force by destroying the Sith. (Although some fans believe the prophecy was actually completed during the Great Jedi Purge years earlier at the hand of the newly christened Vader, this point of view was disregarded by George Lucas himself.) Whether or not the Jedi were truly stronger than the Sith is debatable; Palpatine was seemingly responsible for the suppression of the perceptive powers of the Jedi before and during the Clone Wars, clouding their foresight and preventing them from sensing his plotting until it was too late.
Palpatine in the Expanded Universe
Fall of the Republic era
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. 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 the development of Anakin Skywalker.
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 Darth Vader as the Emperor's second-in-command. Darth Vader, who was obsessed with the idea of turning his son to the dark side rather than see him dead, 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.
Post Return of the Jedi era
In the Dark Empire saga of comics, Palpatine returned shortly after the Thrawn crisis, by channeling his spirit (which continued to live through the Force after his death) into a clone of himself. The cloned 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 Organa Solo 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.
According to Dark Empire, Palpatine intended to replace the Galactic Empire with a Dark Empire; an empire ruled through the Dark Side of the Force alone without the need for weapons of mass destruction and technological domination. The planet Byss was modeled on this concept, serving as the Emperor's vision of a Utopian society.
It was thought that having destroyed his other clone bodies, that Palpatine was finally defeated. That couldn't be any further from the truth. During his absence the Empire, under the command of Palpatine's 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 Republic (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 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 and Royal Guardsman, Carnor Jax, had bribed Palpatine's head cloning supervisor into tampering with Palpatine's DNA strain.
His last cloned body was 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 Leia Organa Solo, 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 soul with him. After so many years of conflict and bloodshed, Emperor Palpatine was forever defeated. Darth Sidious, the greatest Dark Lord of the Sith, was finally dead.
Dark Jedi
It is also revealed that Palpatine trained a number of Dark Jedi agents, many held in reserve on Byss to play a role in Operation Shadow Hand have the Emperor fail 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 they performed a unique role as the only Emperor's Hand.
It is also hinted in the Barbara Hambly novels -- and 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 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.
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 completed.
Though all information on Palpatine's family history was purged from the government archives of Naboo, some of his family members remained on the galactic scene. 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.)
Originally several years after the apparent death of Palpatine 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 George Lucas' most versatile, sinister characters. Lucas cited both US President Richard Nixon 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 racism, Palpatine seems to be completely dispassionate and very Machiavellian, calculating all possible outcomes from a situation with the sole aim of increasing his power.
Also, 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.
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', in fact).
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. The names "Albert Palpatine" and "Dantius Palpatine" has also been adopted by fans, though its origins are more ambiguous, seeming to come from SuperShadow, a website of fraudulent Star Wars material.
In the soundtrack for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the music for the parade sponsored by Palpatine celebrating the liberation of Naboo (which is in fact an alternate version of the Emperor's theme music) is called "Augie's Great Municipal Band", which have led some to speculate that Palpatine's first name is Augie or Augustus.
Prior to the release of The Phantom Menace, Palpatine had never been called Darth Sidious. It had actually never been confirmed he was a Sith Lord prior to the prequels, though long suspected. The only obvious connection to the Sith came at the comic series Empire's End, where a dying Palpatine visits the ancient Sith world Korriban. The name "Sidious" itself is most likely a play off insidious, a word having multiple meanings including "treacherous," "seductive," and "subtle"--all accurate descriptions of Palpatine.
Palpatine's appearance
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, his massive channelling of the Dark Side permanently warped his figure, leaving him with a grayed, sagging face.
There is debate on whether this indicates that Palpatine's "mask" (as termed in the novelization Revenge of the Sith) was merely in reference to his alter ego Darth Sidious, and that he was indeed physically deformed in the attack, or that his physical body had been ravaged by decades of delving into the dark side of the Force. The latter explanation was the most commonly used and accepted, until the scene in Revenge of the Sith threw it into question. Those who favor this theory either suggest that Palpatine was using the Force to appear normal, as seen in the first two prequels, or that the ill effects of the dark side had not yet taken its toll on him. In the Dark Empire comic series, as well as a few other sources, it is mentioned that the Dark Side took such a serious toll on him physically that he was forced to transfer his consciousness into new, cloned bodies periodically. The Dark Side Sourcebook by Wizards of the Coast claims that "Eventually, the darksider's body begins to fail as it is corrupted and rotted away by the darkness and the evil flowing through it."
Another theory states that he was deformed by prolonged exposure to his own Sith lightning, deflected by Mace Windu. Nevertheless, there have been no other such instances of Force lightning having this effect on an individual, regardless of power output.
One questionable piece of evidence is an interview with McDiarmid, where he states that the deformed face is his "true face." There is some debate as to whether or not he was speaking literally or metaphorically.
Some have speculated his appearance may be due to advanced age, his lifespan increased either by his mastery of the Force or through the secret knowledge of Darth Plagueis. Representatives of George Lucas, however, have since claimed that he is no older than McDiarmid himself by the time Revenge of the Sith takes place.
The matter will most likely be settled at some time in the future by Lucas himself, probably in the Revenge of the Sith DVD commentary.
Commentary
In a recent interview actor Ian 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