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Palpatine
Darth Sidious
Background information
Feature films The Phantom Menace
Attack of the Clones
Revenge of the Sith
The Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi
The Rise of Skywalker
The Clone Wars
Television programs Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Star Wars Rebels
Star Wars: The Bad Batch
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi
Video games
Park attractions
Portrayed by Ian McDiarmid
Animators
Voice
Performance model
Designer
Inspiration
Honors and awards
Character information
Full name Sheev Palpatine
Other names
Personality
Appearance
Birthday
Occupation
Affiliations
Goal
Home
Relatives
Pets
Allies
Minions
Enemies
Likes
Dislikes
Powers and abilities
Weapons
Fate
Quote

Darth Sidious is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Star Wars saga.[1]

In the original trilogy, he appears as the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, where he is an aged, pale-faced figure who is clad in dark robes. He oversees the Galactic Civil War's final stages between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire, in which he is ultimately destroyed.

In the prequel trilogy, he is a middle-aged politician of the Republic who rises to power through deception and treachery. As the Senator from Naboo and later the Chancellor of the Republic, he outwardly behaves like a well-intentioned and loyal public servant and supporter of democracy.[2] But underneath his affable public persona is his true megalomaniac identity Darth Sidious, a Dark Lord of the Sith.[2] As both personas, he sets into motion a series of events—including the Clone Wars—which ultimately destroy the Jedi Knights and the Republic, allowing him to usher in a brutal authoritarian regime of the Galactic Empire.

In the sequel trilogy, he had used his late Sith master, Darth Plagueis' knowledge to cheat death by transferring his consciousness into a clone body. He is also the mastermind behind the First Order and the creator of its former leader and his son, Snoke, as well as the grandfather of Rey, with Snoke, and Rey's father, Dathan, being strand-cast failed clones of him. His attempt to return to power fails, in which he is ultimately destroyed for a second and final time.

Since the initial theatrical run of Star Wars, he has become a symbol of evil and sinister deception in popular culture.

Appearances[]

Star Wars films[]

Original trilogy[]

In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, several characters mention Darth Sidious as the Emperor of the Galactic Empire but he is neither properly named nor seen in the film, even when Governor Tarkin, on the Death Star, explains to the fellow Imperials that the Emperor has dissolved the Imperial Senate.[3]

In Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, the Emperor appears for the first time as the master of Darth Vader. The Emperor contacts Vader via holographic communication to tell him of a "great disturbance in the Force" and warns him that the son of Skywalker is becoming a threat. Vader convinces the Emperor that he would be an asset if he could be turned to the dark side of the Force.[4]

In Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the Emperor arrives to oversee the last stages of the second Death Star's construction and set a trap for the Rebel Alliance. When Darth Vader delivers his son Luke Skywalker, the Emperor is intent on replacing Vader with a younger, more powerful apprentice so he tempts the young Jedi to the dark side by appealing to his fear for his friends. This leads to a lightsaber duel in which Luke defeats and nearly kills Vader. Luke ultimately refuses to turn to the dark side, however, and the Emperor attacks him with Force lightning. Moved by the sight of his son's suffering, Vader turns on his master and redeems himself by throwing the evil Emperor into the Death Star's reactor shaft, killing him.[5]

Prequel trilogy[]

Palpatine1

Ian McDiarmid as Senator Palpatine in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

In Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the character is shown as two personas: Palpatine being the senior Galactic Senator from the planet Naboo while his Sith alter-ego Darth Sidious influences the corrupt Trade Federation to blockade and invades Naboo.

Queen Padmé Amidala flees to the planet Coruscant to receive counsel from the Senator. After a plea for help from the senate results in bureaucratic delays, Palpatine persuades her to make a motion to have Chancellor Finis Valorum removed from office. Meanwhile, Sidious sends his apprentice Darth Maul to Naboo to oversee the invasion and find the queen. The invasion, however, is thwarted by Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi; in the ensuing lightsaber duel, both Maul is defeated and Jinn is killed. Palpatine returns to Naboo, having been elected the new Chancellor of the Republic. He tells nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker, the newly accepted as Obi-Wan's Jedi apprentice, that "we will watch your career with great interest".[6]

In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (set 10 years later), the galaxy is on the verge of civil war as a growing Separatist movement of planets seeks to secede from the Republic to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems led by Count Dooku (Darth Tyranus), a former Jedi and Sidious' second apprentice.

While Obi-Wan pursues bounty hunter Jango Fett and his clone "son" to the planet Geonosis, Palpatine tells Anakin to bring Padmé to her home planet Naboo and guard her; Anakin and Padmé soon fall in love. After Obi-Wan discovers that the Separatists are building a secret battle droid army, Palpatine uses the situation to have himself granted emergency powers. Palpatine seemingly feigns reluctance to accept this authority, promising to return it to the Senate once the crisis has ended. His first act is to allow the usage of an army of cloned human warriors to counter the Separatist threat as this army had recently been discovered by Obi-Wan as having been secretly ordered by deceased Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas many years earlier. When Anakin, Obi-Wan, Padmé and the other Jedi go to Geonosis, they engage in an epic battle that serves as the opening salvo of the Clone Wars. Although Fett dies at Jedi Master Mace Windu's hands, Dooku and the Separatists escape the battle. Tyranus then meets with Sidious, bringing with him plans for a Geonosian superweapon.[7]

In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (set three years later), Palpatine is captured by Separatist leader General Grievous as part of Sidious' plan. Palpatine is rescued by Anakin and Obi-Wan, but not before the Jedi confront Dooku. A short duel ensues, in which Anakin kills Dooku in cold blood at Palpatine's urging. Palpatine then escapes with his Jedi rescuers and returns to Coruscant.

By this point, Palpatine has become a virtual dictator, able to take any action in the Senate. The Jedi Council is troubled by Palpatine's power and fears he will not relinquish it when the Clone Wars end. Their suspicions only grow when the Senate grants Palpatine a vote on the Jedi Council by appointing Anakin as his personal representative on the Jedi Council. However, the Council refuses to grant Anakin the rank of Jedi Master. The Council then orders Anakin to spy on Palpatine, but he instead reveals the Jedi's plan to him. Palpatine tells Anakin the story of Darth Plagueis the Wise, a powerful Sith Lord (and Sidious' own Sith master) who was able to manipulate life and death but was killed by his apprentice (Sidious). Eventually, Palpatine reveals his secret identity of Sidious to Anakin and tempts him with promises of the power to prevent death. Palpatine knows that Anakin has been having visions of his pregnant wife Padmé dying in childbirth and offers to teach him Plagueis' secrets to save her life.

Confused and torn over his loyalty to both Palpatine and the Jedi, Anakin informs Windu that Palpatine and Sidious are one and the same. When Windu and fellow Council members Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar and Saesee Tiin go to arrest Sidious, the Dark Lord surprises them and kills all but Windu. Sidious unleashes Force lightning at Windu. But Windu deflects it back with his lightsaber at Sidious, deforming his face into the wizened, yellow-eyed visage seen in the original films. Anakin appears and intercedes on Sidious's behalf, cutting off Windu's hand; Sidious then blasts Windu with another barrage of lightning, throwing him out the window to his death. Anakin pledges himself to the dark side, and Sidious accepts him as his new apprentice Darth Vader.

Sidious commands the clone troopers to execute Order 66, a secret order he implanted in them to turn on their Jedi generals. He then dispatches Vader to kill everyone inside the Jedi Temple and assassinate the Separatist leaders on the planet Mustafar. He then reorganizes the Republic into the Galactic Empire with himself as Emperor for life. Jedi Master Yoda confronts Sidious in his Senate office. After a duel erupts between them which ends in a stalemate, Yoda flees. Sensing that Vader is in danger, the Emperor travels to Mustafar where he finds his apprentice near death following a duel with Obi-Wan. Sidious returns to Coruscant with Vader and rebuilds his new apprentice's ruined body with the black armored suit first seen in the original trilogy. When Vader regains consciousness, the Emperor falsely tells him that he (Vader) killed Padmé in the heat of his anger, breaking what remains of Anakin's spirit. Sidious is last seen watching the original Death Star's construction with Vader and Wilhuff Tarkin at his side.[8]

Sequel trilogy[]

In Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (set thirty years later), following the events of Return of the Jedi, the First Order has risen from the fallen Empire and seeks to destroy the New Republic, the Resistance, and Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Darth Sidious' voice is heard during a vision that the girl Rey experiences upon touching Luke and Anakin's lightsaber. In Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, Luke briefly mentions Sidious while explaining the fall of the Jedi Order to Rey.

In Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker (set one year later), Sidious threatens revenge against the galaxy, having used the dark side to cheat death. This prompts First Order leader and fallen Jedi Kylo Ren—the grandson of Anakin and nephew of Luke—to seek him out on the Sith planet Exegol, where a physically impaired Sidious is supported by machinery. Sidious reveals himself as the mastermind behind the First Order and Ren's former master, Supreme Leader Snoke, whom he created to lure Ren to the dark side. He then unveils the Final Order, a massive fleet of Xyston-class Star Destroyers built by the Sith Eternal. Sidious offers the fleet to Ren on the condition that he find and kill the galaxy's last remaining Jedi, Rey, who is revealed to be Sidious' granddaughter. It is subsequently revealed that Sidious had a son (who was his clone) whom he named Dathan, who renounced him; he and his wife, Miramir took their daughter Rey to the planet Jakku, assuming lives as "nobodies" to keep her safe. Sidious' assassin Ochi eventually found Rey's parents and killed them on his orders, but never found Rey.

Near the end of the film, Rey arrives on Exegol to confront Sidious. Surrounded by his Sith loyalists, Sidious embodies all the Sith's power. He orders Rey to kill him in anger so his spirit can pass into her, which will allow him to possess her body. Rey refuses, and she and Ren (now the redeemed Ben Solo) confront Sidious together. Sensing their power as a dyad in the Force, Sidious absorbs their life energy to rejuvenate his body. He incapacitates Ben and attacks the Resistance fleet with Force lightning. Rey uses the power of the past Jedi to face Sidious once more; he attacks her with lightning, but Rey deflects it using the Skywalker lightsabers, destroying Sidious, and the Sith, once and for all.

Clone Wars[]

PalpatineCloneWar

Chancellor Palpatine in Star Wars: Clone Wars.

2003 Animated Series[]

Darth Sidious is a central character in Genndy Tartakovsky's Star Wars: Clone Wars micro-series after Attack of the Clones with the character's likeness based from The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. In the first chapter, Palpatine is informed by Obi-Wan that the Jedi have discovered that the InterGalactic Banking Clan has established battle droid factories on the planet Muunilinst. Palpatine agrees to send a strike force that includes Obi-Wan and Anakin but Palpatine suggests that Anakin be given "special command" of Obi-Wan's fighters. Yoda and Obi-Wan initially speak against it but reluctantly concede to the Chancellor.[9] In another chapter, Sidious appears (via a holographic image) shortly after Dooku trains Asajj Ventress, a Force-sensitive female warrior adept in the dark side. Sidious orders her to track down and kill Anakin; he remarks to Tyranus that her failure is certain but the point of her mission is to test Anakin.[10] In Chapter 22, Sidious again appears (via a hologram) and orders Grievous to begin the special mission: an assault on the galactic capital.[11] In the next episode, the Separatist invasion of Coruscant begins and Palpatine watches from the window in his private residence. He is protected by Jedi Shaak Ti, Roron Corobb and Foul Moudama. Grievous breaks through the Chancellor's window and kidnaps him.[12] After Grievous kills Roron and Foul then captures Ti, Palpatine is taken to the Invisible Hand (Grievous' flagship), setting the stage for Revenge of the Sith.[13][14]

2008 Animated Series[]

In the 2008 animated film set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, Sidious engineers a Separatist plot to turn Jabba the Hutt against the Republic by kidnapping his son Rotta and framing the Jedi for it. Anakin and his apprentice Ahsoka Tano foil the plot but the outcome also suits Sidious ends as Jabba places Hutt hyperspace routes at the Republic's disposal.

In the spinoff animated series, Sidious hires deadly bounty hunter Cad Bane to infiltrate the Jedi Temple and steal a holocron. He then takes a valuable Kyber memory crystal that contains the names of thousands of Force-sensitive younglings around the galaxy and thus the future of the Jedi Order. The final stage of the plot: to retrieve four children to bring to Sidious' secret facility on Mustafar. Anakin and Ahsoka again foil the plot but Bane escapes and any evidence of whoever was behind the scheme is lost. Sidious soon senses Tyranus' minion Asajj Ventress becoming powerful in the dark side and orders Tyranus to eliminate her; he suspects that Tyranus is planning to have Ventress assassinate him. Ventress survives and her revenge against Dooku sets off a chain of events including the return of Sidious' former apprentice and Tyranus' predecessor, Darth Maul.

When Maul and his brother Savage Opress took control of the planet Mandalore, Sidious travels to the planet to confront them. During a lightsaber battle, he manages to kill Savage and defeat his former apprentice. He leaves Maul alive though as he may be useful in the future. Sidious afterwards as Chancellor Palpatine oversaw Ahsoka Tano's trial, which ultimately led to the former Jedi to have a "not-guilty" verdict. Sidious later goes to lengths to conceal his plan's full nature from the Jedi by silencing Clone Trooper Fives from learning of Order 66, and having Tyranus wipe out anything tied to the former Jedi Master's connection to the conspiracy. By the end of the war, both Ahsoka and Maul have visions of Darth Sidious, Anakin Skywalker, and Mace Windu fighting in Sidious' office. Immediately afterwards, Clone Commander Rex receives a hologram from Sidious telling the clones to "Execute Order 66" in order to take out Ahsoka as an enemy of the Republic.

Rebels[]

In Star Wars Rebels, set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, Darth Sidious is seen as the Emperor of the Galactic Empire. After the Siege of the planet Lothal, Darth Vader informs Sidious that the Rebel Alliance cell on Lothal has been broken, and that Ahsoka Tano is alive and is now helping the Rebels. Sidious sees this as an opportunity to seek out other remaining Jedi, ordering Vader to dispatch an Inquisitor to hunt down Ahsoka.

Sidious later appears as a hologram overseeing the excavation of the Lothal Jedi Temple, which contains a portal to a separate dimension of the Force outside of space and time, which the Emperor considers a 'conduit between the living and the dead' that could give him unrivaled power of the Force itself if he can access it. Shortly after the Jedi padawan Ezra Bridger reaches through time and space to rescue Ahsoka from Vader, Sidious sets up a portal that shows his late Jedi master Kanan Jarrus' final moments. While Ezra wants to reach through the portal and rescue Kanan, Ahsoka convinces him not to. Sidious then reveals himself through the portal and shoots Ezra with Force lightning. However, Ahsoka and Ezra manage to evade him and go their separate ways, thus denying the Emperor full power.

After Ezra, having surrendered himself to Grand Admiral Thrawn to protect Lothal, is taken by him to a room containing a reconstructed section of the ruined Jedi Temple, a hologram of the Emperor as he appears before his disfigurement is there. Sidious, having acknowledged the threat Ezra poses to the Empire, presents himself as a kindly figure and shows Ezra a vision of his dead parents through a doorway, promising that the youth will be with them if he enters it. Ezra is initially mesmerized by the Emperor's promise and goes to enter the door, but finally resists and destroys the reconstructed Jedi Temple and the illusion. Sidious's hologram emerges from the rubble, flickering to show his true self, and commands his Royal Guards to kill Ezra, though Ezra manages to defeat them and escape. The events of Rogue One and A New Hope happen shortly, thus refocusing the Emperor's attention from Ezra and Lothal's liberation to the Rebel Alliance and Luke Skywalker.

The Bad Batch[]

Darth Sidious appears in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, set during (and immediately following) the events of Revenge of the Sith, when he had his senate speech, orders the extermination of the Jedi and declares himself Emperor.

Sidious later begins phasing out the use of clones within the Imperial military in favor of regular humans, and afterwards, inspects the progress of Project Necromancer's clone experiments under the supervision of Imperial scientist Dr. Hemlock.

Obi-Wan Kenobi[]

Darth Sidious appears in Obi-Wan Kenobi (set ten years later), after Revenge of the Sith. After Darth Vader is defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi following their second duel, Sidious contacts Vader in his Mustafar castle via hologram, questioning Vader's motives and loyalty when Vader reports that he will not rest until Obi-Wan is found. Vader reassures Sidious that Obi-Wan does not mean anything, reaffirms his commitment to Sidious and abandons his search.

Tales of the Jedi[]

Darth Sidous appears in Tales of the Jedi talking with Darth Tyranus.

Star Wars literature[]

Star Wars Expanded Universe literature elaborates on Sidious' role in Star Wars fiction outside of the films. The first appearance of Sidious in Star Wars literature was in Alan Dean Foster's (writing as George Lucas)[15] novelization of the script of A New Hope, published as Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker (1976).[16][17] Foster characterizes Sidious as a cunning Senator Palpatine who "caused himself" to be elected president of the Republic, and then declared himself Emperor and isolated himself from his subjects, eventually becoming a pawn of his advisors. His background as a senator of the Republic was also further explored in James Kahn's novelization of Return of the Jedi. Sidious also appears in Rae Carson's novelization of The Rise of Skywalker, which expands upon the film's story. In the book, Sidious is revealed to have discovered the "secret to immortality" from his former master, Darth Plagueis, using this knowledge to survive after his death in Return of the Jedi. The novelization also describes Sidious' son as a failed clone of himself. However, the 2021 book Skywalker: A Family at War describes Sidious' son as an "offshoot of [his] genetic research, not precisely a clone but made of cloned tissue and donated cells".

Sidious made his first major appearance in the Expanded Universe in 1991 and 1992 with the Dark Empire series of comic books written by Tom Veitch and illustrated by Cam Kennedy. In the series, set six years after Return of the Jedi, Sidious is resurrected as the Emperor Reborn or Palpatine the Undying. His spirit returns from the underworld of the Force with the aid of Sith ghosts on Korriban and possesses the body of Jeng Droga, one of Sidious's elite spies and assassins known as the Emperor's Hands. Droga flees to a secret Imperial base on the planet Byss, where the Emperor's advisor Sate Pestage exorcises Sidious's spirit and channels it into one of many clones created by Sidious before his death. Sidious attempts to resume control of the galaxy, but Luke Skywalker, who is now a Jedi Master, sabotages his plans. Luke destroys most of Sidious's cloning tanks, but is only able to defeat the Emperor with help from his sister, Princess Leia, who is now herself a Jedi. The two repel a Force storm the Emperor had created and turn it back onto him, once again destroying his physical form.[18]

Swhde16 bg

Darth Sidious' clone, as depicted in the Dark Empire series by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy.

Sidious's ultimate fate is further chronicled in the Dark Empire II and Empire's End series of comics. The Dark Empire II series, published from 1994 to 1995, details how the Emperor is once again reborn on Byss into a clone body. Sidious tries to rebuild the Empire as the Rebel Alliance grows weak.[19] In Empire's End (1995), a traitorous Imperial guard bribes the Emperor's cloning supervisor to tamper with the Emperor's stored DNA samples. This causes the clones to deteriorate at a rapid rate. The Emperor attempts to possess the body of Anakin Solo, the infant son of Princess Leia and Han Solo, before the clone body dies, but is thwarted once again by Luke Skywalker. Sidious is killed by a blaster shot fired by Han, and his spirit is captured by a wounded Jedi named Empatojayos Brand, who uses his remaining strength to dissipate Sidious's spirit, destroying the Sith Lord once and for all.[20]

Novels and comics published before 1999 focus on Sidious's role as Galactic Emperor. Shadows of the Empire (1996) by Steve Perry and The Mandalorian Armor (1998) by K. W. Jeter—all set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi—show how the Emperor uses crime lords such as Prince Xizor and bounty hunters like Boba Fett to fight his enemies.[21][22] Barbara Hambly's novel Children of the Jedi (1995), set eight years after Return of the Jedi, features a woman named Roganda Ismaren who claims that Sidious fathered her son Irek.[23] The Jedi Prince series of novels introduces an insane, three-eyed mutant named Triclops who is revealed to be Sidious's illegitimate son.[24] Created from DNA extracted from Sidious and placed into a woman, he was born mutated, cast away and forgotten. Triclops had a son named Ken who became known as the Jedi Prince but also as Sidious's grandson.

Beginning in 1999 with Terry Brooks' novelization of The Phantom Menace, Star Wars writers chronicled the role of Sidious prior to A New Hope as a politician and Sith Lord. The comic "Marked" by Rob Williams, printed in Star Wars Tales 24 (2005), and Michael Reaves's novel Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter (2001) explain Darth Sidious' relationship with his apprentice Darth Maul.[25][26] Cloak of Deception (2001) by James Luceno follows Reaves's novel and details how Darth Sidious encourages the Trade Federation to build an army of battle droids in preparation for the invasion of Naboo. Cloak of Deception also focuses on Sidious's early political career, revealing how he becomes a confidante of Chancellor Finis Valorum and acquainted with Padmé Amidala, newly elected queen of Naboo.[27] Sidious's role during the Clone Wars as Chancellor of the Republic is explained in novels such as Matthew Stover's Shatterpoint (2003), Steven Barnes' The Cestus Deception (2004), Sean Stewart's Yoda: Dark Rendezvous (2004), and Luceno's Labyrinth of Evil (2005) and Darth Plagueis (2012).

Following the theatrical release of Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars literature focused on Sidious's role after the creation of the Empire. John Ostrander's comic Star Wars Republic 78: Loyalties (2005) chronicles how, shortly after seizing power, the Emperor sends Darth Vader to assassinate Sagoro Autem, an Imperial captain who wants nothing to do with the new government and plans to defect.[28] In Luceno's novel Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader (2005), set shortly after Revenge of the Sith, the Emperor sends Darth Vader to the planet Murkhana to discover why clone troopers there refused to carry out Order 66 against their Jedi generals. Sidious hopes these early missions will teach Vader what it means to be a Sith and crush any remnants of Anakin Skywalker.[29]

James Luceno's 2012 novel Darth Plagueis depicts Sidious's early life, prior to the films. The scion of an aristocratic family on Naboo, Palpatine first turns toward the dark side upon meeting the Sith lord Darth Plageuis. Sensing great power in Palpatine, Plageuis takes him on as his Sith apprentice. In the final test of his devotion to the dark side, Sidious kills his parents and his brother and sister.

Star Wars: Lords of the Sith (2015) was one of the first canon spin-off novels to be released in the Disney canon begun in 2014. In it, Vader and Sidious find themselves hunted by revolutionaries on the Twi'lek home planet Ryloth. In Thrawn, the titular character warns Palpatine of "threats lurking in the Unknown Regions." Chuck Wendig's Aftermath book trilogy reveals that, prior to his death, Palpatine enacted a plan for the remnants of the Empire, intended to be led by his adoptive son Gallius Rax, to retreat to the Unknown Regions, where they formed into the First Order. The dark side was thought to be concentrated in this region, where one Sith cultist believed that Sidious would be found alive. The illustrated book Star Wars: The Secrets of the Sith is told from Sidious' perspective.

Sidious appears frequently in the comic book series Star Wars: Darth Vader (2015–2016) and Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith (2017–2018), both written by Kieron Gillen and Charles Soule. It is suggested at the end of the latter series that Sidious manipulated the Force to impregnate Vader's mother Shmi Skywalker, making him, in essence, Vader's father—although this is left somewhat ambiguous. This builds on the plot point of Anakin's virgin birth introduced in The Phantom Menace, and the claim that a Sith lord "could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life," as Sidious tells Anakin in Revenge of the Sith. This would seem to have incestuous implications for Rey and Ben Solo at the end of The Rise of Skywalker, but Soule says that "The Dark Side is not a reliable narrator," and a Lucasfilm story group member who collaborated on the comic confirmed that a direct connection between Sidious and Vader was not their intent.

The character also appears in the final chapter of the comic book Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren (2020), which illustrates Sidious' manipulation of the young Ben Solo into becoming Kylo Ren.

Video games[]

Star Wars Battlefront II adds a canonical tale spanning the destruction of the second Death Star through the events of The Force Awakens. The story takes an Imperial perspective, following an elite squadron known as Inferno Squad, led by protagonist Iden Versio, as they help execute Operation: Cinder following the Emperor's death. Operation: Cinder was carried out by the Galactic Empire as a means of devastating several Imperial planets a few weeks after the Battle of Endor. The operation was part of the "Contingency", a plan devised by Darth Sidious to ensure that the Empire and its enemies would not outlive him should he perish. The plan was put into action following the Emperor's death during the Battle of Endor.

Characteristics[]

In Star Wars fiction, Darth Sidious is a cunning politician, a ruthless emperor, and an evil Sith Lord. The Star Wars Databank describes him as "the supreme ruler of the most powerful tyrannical regime the galaxy had ever witnessed"[30] and Stephen J. Sansweet's Star Wars Encyclopedia calls him "evil incarnate."[31]

As Senator Palpatine, Sidious is "unassuming yet ambitious".[30] In Cloak of Deception, James Luceno writes that Sidious carefully guards his privacy and "others found his reclusiveness intriguing, as if he led a secret life".[32] Despite this, he has many allies in the government. Luceno writes, "What Sidious lacked in charisma, he made up for in candor, and it was that directness that had led to his widespread appeal in the senate. ... For in his heart he judged the universe on his own terms, with a clear sense of right and wrong."[32] In Terry Brooks' novelization of The Phantom Menace, Sidious claims to embrace democratic principles. He tells Queen Amidala, "I promise, Your Majesty, if I am elected [Chancellor of the Republic], I will restore democracy to the Republic. I will put an end to the corruption that has plagued the Senate."[33] A Visual Dictionary states that he is a self-proclaimed savior.[34]

As Emperor, however, Sidious abandons any semblance of democracy, as noted in A New Hope, when he abolishes the Imperial Senate. Sansweet states, "His Empire ... is based on tyranny, hatred of nonhumans, brutal and lethal force, and, above all else, constant fear."[31] In Matthew Stover's novelization of Revenge of the Sith, Count Dooku anticipates the coming of the new government: "A government clean, pure, direct: none of the messy scramble for the favor of ignorant rabble and subhuman creatures that made up the Republic he so despised. The government he would serve would be Authority personified. Human authority."[35]

The apprentice of Darth Plagueis,[36] Darth Sidious is "the most powerful practitioner of the Sith ways in modern times."[37] Sidious is so powerful that he is able to mask his true identity from the Jedi. In the novel Shatterpoint, Mace Windu remarks to Yoda, "A shame [Sidious] can't touch the Force. He might have been a fine Jedi."[38]

The Star Wars Databank explains that the Force "granted him inhuman dexterity and speed, agility enough to quickly kill three Jedi Masters" (as depicted in Revenge of the Sith).[30] Stover describes the duel between Yoda and Sidious in his novelization of Revenge of the Sith thus: "From the shadow of a black wing, a small weapon ... slid into a withered hand and spat a flame-colored blade[.] When the blades met it was more than Yoda against Sidious, more the millennia of Sith against the legions of Jedi; this was the expression of the fundamental conflict of the universe itself. Light against dark. Winner take all."[39] During the duel, Yoda realizes that even though the two are equally powerful, Sidious represents a small but powerful Sith Order that had changed and evolved over the years, while the Jedi had not: "He had lost before he started."[40][41] George Lucas has stated that Sidious considers himself the saviour of the galaxy.

According to the Databank and New Essential Guide to Characters, Sidious possesses great patience and his maneuverings are as a dejarik grandmaster moves pieces on a board.[42] He is depicted as a diabolical genius.[43][44]

Sidious was not given a first name as a Palpatine in any canonical or "Star Wars Legends" sources until 2014, when the character's first name—Sheev—was revealed in the novel Tarkin, written by James Luceno.[45] The Lucasfilm Story Group approached Del Rey Books and asked if they wanted to use the name, which was created by George Lucas, in the Tarkin novel, to which Del Rey agreed.[46]

Character creation[]

Lucas' conceptualization of Sidious and the role the character plays in Star Wars changed over time. From Return of the Jedi onwards, Sidious became the ultimate personification of evil in Star Wars, replacing Darth Vader as the central villain.

When the original Star Wars trilogy was filmed, the Emperor was unnamed and his throne-world unidentified. Though it would not be used in film until the prequel trilogy, the first mention of the name Palpatine came from the prologue of Alan Dean Foster's 1976 A New Hope novelization, which detailed the Emperor's rise to power. Foster writes,

"Aided and abetted by restless, power-hungry individuals within the government, and the massive organs of commerce, the ambitious Senator Palpatine caused himself to be elected President of the Republic. He promised to reunite the disaffected among the people and to restore the remembered glory of the Republic. Once secure in office he declared himself Emperor, shutting himself away from the populace. Soon he was controlled by the very assistants and boot-lickers he had appointed to high office, and the cries of the people for justice did not reach his ears.[16]"
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However, it is unclear whether Lucas intended Sidious to be the reigning Emperor or just the first of a succession of Emperors.[47] Michael Kaminski, author of The Secret History of Star Wars, claims that Lucas' initial notes discuss a line of corrupt Emperors, not just one. If Sidious was the first, Kaminski infers, he would therefore not be the current.[47] Later Lucas would abandon this idea, opting instead to focus on a sole villainous ruler.

During story conferences for The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas and Leigh Brackett decided that "the Emperor and the Force had to be the two main concerns in the [Empire Strikes Back]; the Emperor had barely been dealt with in the first movie, and the intention in the sequel was to deal with him on a more concrete level."[48] Lucas ultimately decided instead to feature the Emperor in Return of the Jedi.

Jacques-Louis David - The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries - Google Art Project

Napoleon Bonaparte. Bonaparte rose to power as First Consul of the French Republic and later declared himself Emperor of a new French Empire.

In that film, the initial conception of Sidious was superseded by his depiction as a dictatorial ruler adept in the dark side of the Force. The Emperor was inspired by the villain Ming the Merciless from the Flash Gordon comic books.[49] The rise of Darth Sidious involving an ambitious and ruthless politician dismantling a democratic republic to achieve supreme power is related to the real-world examples of Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Adolf Hitler.[50] Lucas said, "The whole point of the movies, the underlying element that makes the movies work, is that you, whether you go backwards or forwards, you start out in a democracy, and democracy turns into a dictatorship, and then the rebels make it back into a democracy."[51]

Lucas wanted to establish the Emperor as the true source of evil in Star Wars. Screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan noted, "My sense of the relationship [between Darth Vader and the Emperor] is that the Emperor is much more powerful ... and that Vader is very much intimidated by him. Vader has dignity, but the Emperor in Jedi really has all the power."[52] He explained that the climax of the film is a confrontation between Darth Vader and his master. In the first scene that shows the Emperor, he arrives at the Death Star and is greeted by a host of stormtroopers, technicians, and other personnel. Lucas states he wanted it to look like the military parades on "May Day in Russia."[53]

Lucas fleshed out the Emperor in the prequel films. According to Lucas, Sidious's role in The Phantom Menace is to explain "how Anakin Skywalker came to be [Sidious's] apprentice" and the events that lead to his rise to power.[54] The true identity of Darth Sidious — the phantom menace — is left a mystery, and his relationship to Palpatine is not clear, though popular consensus agreed that Darth Sidious and Palpatine were one and the same. Film critic Jonathan L. Bowen remarks, "Debates raged on the Internet concerning the relationship between Darth Sidious and Senator Palpatine. Most fans believed the two characters are actually the same person with logic seeming to support their conclusion." Bowen notes that the debate was fueled by the fact that "suspiciously Darth Sidious does not appear in the credits."[55]

August Labicana Massimo Inv56230

Augustus in the robes and cloak of his position as Pontifex Maximus.

In Star Wars and History published by Lucasfilm, it describes Sidious' consolidation of power as being similar to the Roman political figure Augustus. Both legitimized authoritarian rule by saying that corruption in the Senate was hampering the powers of the head of state; both pressured the Senate to grant extraordinary powers to deal with a crisis, falsely claiming that they would rescind those powers once the crisis was over; and both relied on their strong control over military force.[56]

Portrayal[]

EmperorCliveESB1980

The Emperor in The Empire Strikes Back portrayed by Elaine Baker and voiced by Clive Revill.

When the Emperor first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, he was portrayed by Elaine Baker, the wife of make-up designer Rick Baker.[57] Chimpanzee eyes were superimposed into darkened eye sockets during post-production "in order to create a truly unsettling image". The character was voiced by Clive Revill.[58]

"With Kershner," Revill said, "you had to keep the reins tight — you couldn't go overboard. It was the perfect example of the old adage 'less is more' — the Emperor doesn't say very much. But when he finally appears, it's at a point in the saga when everyone's waiting to see him. It's the Emperor, the arch villain of all time, and when he says there's a great disturbance in the Force, I mean, that's enough oomph!" [59] Years later, during production of Revenge of the Sith, Lucas decided to shoot new footage for Empire Strikes Back to create continuity between the prequels and original trilogy. Thus, in the 2004 DVD release of The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition, the original version of the Emperor was replaced by McDiarmid, and the dialogue between the Emperor and Darth Vader was revised.[60]

Lucas and director Richard Marquand cast Scottish Shakespearean actor Ian McDiarmid to play Darth Sidious. He was in his late-30s and had never played a leading role in a feature film, though he had made minor appearances in films like Dragonslayer (1981). After Return of the Jedi, he resumed stage acting in London.[61] In an interview with BackStage, McDiarmid revealed that he "never had his sights set on a film career and never even auditioned for the role of Sidious." He elaborated, "I got called in for the interview after a Return of the Jedi casting director saw me perform in the Sam Shepard play Seduced at a studio theatre at the Royal Court. I was playing a dying Howard Hughes."[62]

McDiarmid was surprised when Lucas approached him 16 years after Return of the Jedi to reprise the role of Sidious. In an interview, he stated, "When we were doing Return of the Jedi there was a rumor that George Lucas had nine films in his head, and he'd clearly just completed three of them." McDiarmid added, "Someone said that, 'Oh, I think what he might do next is go back in time, and show how Vader came to be.' It never occurred to me in a million years that I would be involved in that, because I thought, 'oh well, then he'll get a much younger actor [to play Sidious].' That would be obvious." However, "I was the right age, ironically, for the first prequel when it was made. ... So I was in the very strange and rather wonderful paradox of playing myself when young at my own age, having played myself previously when 100-and-I-don't-know-what."[63]

Recalling the initial days of shooting The Phantom Menace, McDiarmid stated, "Stepping onto the set of Episode I for the first time was like going back in time, due to my experience in Jedi. Sidious' an interesting character; he's conventional on the outside, but demonic on the inside — he's on the edge, trying to go beyond what's possible."[64] McDiarmid added another layer to the character in Attack of the Clones. He noted, "[Sidious] is a supreme actor. He has to be even more convincing than somebody who isn't behaving in a schizophrenic fashion, so he's extra charming, or extra professional — and for those who are looking for clues, that's almost where you can see them." McDiarmid illuminated on the scene where Padmé Amidala is almost assassinated:

"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.[65]"
―{{{2}}}


In Revenge of the Sith, McDiarmid played a darker interpretation of the character. He explained that "[...]when you're playing a character of solid blackness, that in itself is very interesting, in the sense that you have no other motivation other than the accumulation of power. It's not so much about not having a moral center, it's just that the only thing that mattered is increasing power." He admitted, "I've been trying to find a redeeming feature to Sidious, and the only one I've got so far is that he's clearly a patron of the arts because he goes to the opera."[66] McDiarmid compared the character to Iago from Shakespeare's 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.[61]"
―{{{2}}}


McDiarmid noticed that the script for Revenge of the Sith demanded more action from his character than in previous films. Lightsaber combat was a challenge to the 60-year-old actor, who, like his costars, took fencing lessons. The close-up shots and non-acrobatic sequences of the duel between Darth Sidious and Mace Windu were performed by McDiarmid.[67] Advanced fencing and acrobatic stunts were executed by McDiarmid's doubles, Michael Byrne, Sebastian Dickins, and Bob Bowles.[68]

McDiarmid's performance as Sidious was generally well received by critics. Todd McCarthy of Variety commented, "Entertaining from start to finish and even enthralling at times, 'Sith' has some acting worth writing home about, specifically McDiarmid's dominant turn as the mastermind of the evil empire."[69] A reviewer for The Village Voice wrote that "Ian McDiarmid's unctuous Emperor turns appropriately vampiric as he attempts to draw Anakin into the Sith fold with promises of eternal life."[70] Still, his performance was not without detractors; David Edelstein of Slate critiqued, "McDiarmid isn't the subtlest of satanic tempters. With his lisp and his clammy little leer, he looks like an old queen keen on trading an aging butt-boy (Count Dooku) for fresh meat — which leaves Anakin looking more and more like a 15-watt bulb."[71] McDiarmid had expressed interest in reprising the role of Sidious in the planned Star Wars: Underworld TV series,[72] which remains un-produced, but according to Cory Barlog, would have depicted the character as "a sympathetic figure who was wronged by this fucking heartless woman. She's this hardcore gangster, and she just totally destroyed him as a person."[73]

In the 2019 film The Rise of Skywalker, the ninth episode in the Skywalker saga, McDiarmid returned to the role of Sidious on screen for the first time since Revenge of the Sith. McDiarmid spoke of the process behind Sidious' first scene in the film:

"...the first thing I had to do — not everybody has a script — was when my voice was off-screen, as Kylo Ren was coming into my lair. So I had this microphone that we called the "God mic." Yes, it means it sounds like God and everyone can hear it in the recording studio in this vast soundstage. So everyone there heard my voice come back, after all, that time and it was a great moment.[74]"
―{{{2}}}


McDiarmid was surprised to learn of the filmmakers' decision to bring back Sidious, given the character died in Return of the Jedi.[74] The film's director, J. J. Abrams, spoke of Sidious' inclusion in the sequel trilogy: "...when you look at this as nine chapters of a story, perhaps the weirder thing would be if Palpatine didn't return. You just look at what he talks about, who he is, how important he is, what the story is — strangely, his absence entirely from the third trilogy would be conspicuous".[75] On Sidious' portrayal in the film, McDiarmid said, "he's fairly physically impaired, but his mind is as sharp as ever."[74]

Make-up and costumes[]

Ian McDiarmid required little make-up in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. He recalled, "I'm ... slightly aged [in Attack of the Clones]. In the last film, I had a fairly standard make-up on, but now, they're starting to crinkle my face."[76] Transforming McDiarmid into Darth Sidious in Return of the Jedi and Revenge of the Sith, however, required extensive make-up. McDiarmid remarked in an interview with Star Wars Insider magazine, "Yes—that was a four-hour job, initially, although we got it down to about two-and-a-half in the end. But this was just a little bit of latex here and there, a little bit of skin-scrunching."[76] He told the Homing Beacon newsletter, "When my face changes in the film, my mind went back to the early silent movie of The Phantom of the Opera with Lon Chaney."[66] Film critic Roger Ebert wrote that he "looks uncannily like Death in The Seventh Seal" (1957)[77] and film historian Robin Wood compares him to the witch from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.[78]

Sidious's wardrobe, tailored by costume designer Trisha Biggar, played an important part in the development of the character throughout the films. In Attack of the Clones, explained McDiarmid, "The costumes ... have got much more edge to them, I think, than the mere Senator had [in The Phantom Menace]. So we see the trappings of power."[76] In the next episode, McDiarmid remarked, "To wear the costumes as the character I play is wonderfully empowering."[79] McDiarmid's favorite costume in Revenge of the Sith was a high-collared jacket that resembles snake or lizard skin. He stated that "it just feels reptilian, which is exactly right for [Sidious]." According to Trisha Biggar, Sidious's costumes proved the most daunting challenge. She said, "His six costumes get progressively darker and more ornately decorated throughout the movie. He wears greys and browns, almost going to black, taking him toward the dark side."[79]

In The Rise of Skywalker, Sidious is unable to move without the aid of a large machine, to which he is attached. He is depicted as having eyes without pupils and rotting hands. Costume designer Michael Kaplan opted to dress Sidious in a utilitarian black robe, which he wears for the majority of the film. At the end of the film, Sidious rejuvenates himself using the Force and becomes physically mobile. He dons a new costume — a formal robe with red velvet — which Kaplan refers to as "his true Emperor's garb".

Popular culture[]

With the premiere of Return of the Jedi and the prequel films and the accompanying merchandising campaign, Sidious became an icon in American popular culture. Kenner/Hasbro produced and marketed a series of action figures of the character from 1983 to 2005.[80] According to John Shelton Lawrence and Robert Jewett, "These action figures allow children ('4 & up') to handle the symbols of the Force."[81]

Academics have debated the relationship of Sidious to modern culture. Religion scholars Ross Shepard Kraemer, William Cassidy, and Susan Schwartz compare Sidious and Star Wars heroes to the theological concept of dualism. They insist, "One can certainly picture the evil emperor in Star Wars as Satan, complete with his infernal powers, leading his faceless minions such as his red-robed Imperial Guards."[82] Lawrence and Jewett argue that the killing of Sidious in Return of the Jedi represented "the permanent subduing of evil". However, according to director J. J. Abrams, Sidious' return in The Rise of Skywalker represented the idea that evil can return as a result of complacency. He said, "I think the idea that if we are not careful, the evil — the ultimate evil — will rise again".

Sidious's role in popular culture extends beyond the Star Wars universe. Since the release of Return of the Jedi, Sidious has become synonymous in American mass media with evil, deception, manipulation, and power.[83] The character is used as a literary device — either as a simile or metaphor — to emphasize these traits. In film and television, Sidious' likeness is similarly used as a parody. Several animated television series such as The Simpsons,[84] Family Guy,[85] South Park, Robot Chicken, and American Dad!,[86] have employed Sidious's image to satirize characters and public figures.

Since Return of the Jedi and the prequel films, Sidious' name "Palpatine" has been invoked as a caricature in politics. The liberal website BuzzFlash remarked in 2004, "When we saw ... [Senator] Zell Miller [of Georgia] giving his invective at the RNC, we knew it reminded us of someone. We just couldn't place it until we realized it was the hate in Zell's eyes, his skin and the way it looks like that hate is eating his soul. Then we remembered: he reminded us of the evil Emperor from Star Wars. (We didn't know the Emperor had a name until this morning.)"[87] A Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorial noted that anti-pork bloggers were caricaturing West Virginia senator Robert Byrd as "the Emperor of pork" with Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska having "clear aspirations to be his Darth Vader." The charge followed a report that linked a secret hold on the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 to the two senators.[88] Politicians have made comparisons as well. In 2005, Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey compared Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee to Sidious in a speech on the Senate floor, complete with a visual aid.[89]

A Fox News editorial stated "no cultural icon can exist without someone trying to stuff it into a political ideology. The Star Wars saga, the greatest pop culture icon of the last three decades, is no exception... Sidious's dissolution of the Senate in favor of imperial rule has been compared to Julius Caesar's marginalization of the Roman Senate, Hitler's power-grab as chancellor, and FDR's court-packing scheme and creation of the imperial presidency."[90]

On the Internet[]

After Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012 and the sequel trilogy's success in the mid-late 2010s, the character became the subject of various internet memes, emphasizing certain lines of dialogue the character spoke in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

See also[]

Palpatine family

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Wikipedia
This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at Darth Sidious. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Lucasfilm Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
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