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Emperor Sidous
Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious
Background information
Feature films Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Solo: A Star Wars Story
(Mentioned)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Mentioned)
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (Mentioned)
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
(Voice)
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (Mentioned)
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
Television programs Star Wars: Clone Wars
Star Wars The Clone Wars
Video games Star Wars: Battlefront II
Star Wars Battlefront II
Park attractions
Actor Ian McDiarmid
Actress
Animators
Voice
Performance model
Designer
Inspiration Satan

Richard Nixon
Adolf Hitler
Napoleon Bonaparte
Julius Caesar
Augustus

Awards Top 100 Best Villains of All Time
Character information
Other names Darth Sidious

Emperor Palpatine
Supreme Chancellor
Master (by his apprentices)

Personality Pure-evil, greedy, controlling, sinister, power hungry, cruel, psychopathic, cold, tricky, intensely sadistic, nasty, vile, vengeful, aggressive, intelligent, cunning, ruthless, selfish, egotistical, villainous, antagonistic, wicked, narcissistic, merciless, murderous, wrathful, black-hearted, devious
Appearance As Palpatine: Old, grey hair, blue eyes, with politician robes
As Darth Sidious: Before fighting Mace Windu: old, white skin, wearing black robe and a hood
After fighting Mace Windu: still the same as before fighting with Mace Windu, but with much more wrinkles on his face, and yellow, sinister Sith eyes, and more pale skin
Occupation Sith Lord, Senator turned Chancellor and Supreme Chancellor turned Galactic Emperor and the Ruler of the Galactic Empire
Affiliations Bad
Goal To do anything possible to rule the galaxy by force. (all attempts failed)
Home Naboo (formerly)

Coruscant (formerly)
Exegol

Friends Kylo Ren (formerly)
Darth Vader (formerly)
Darth Tyranus (formerly)
Viceory Gunray (formerly)
Darth Maul (formerly)
Grand Moff Tarkin
Mas Amedda
Sate Pestage
Sly Moore
General Grievous
Cad Bane
Satine Kryze
The Grand Inquisitor
Orson Krennic
Grand Admiral Thrawn
Supreme Leader Snoke
Allegiant General Pryde
Ochi
Enemies Anakin Skywalker
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Padmé Amidala

Yoda
Mace Windu
Luke Skywalker
Leia Organa
Han Solo
Rey
Finn
Poe Dameron
Ben Solo
Count Dooku
Nate Gunray
Darth Maul

Minions The Trade Federation
Darth Maul (formerly)
Clone troopers
Count Dooku (formerly)
Darth Vader (formerly)
Grand Moff Tarkin
General Grievous
Orson Krennic
Supreme Leader Snoke (creation)
Knights of Ren
Sovereign Protectors
Allegiant General Pryde
Likes
Dislikes
Powers and abilities Cunning

Political Genius
Manipulation
Force Lighting
Telepathy
Telekinesis
Master Swordsman & Complete Mastery Of The Darkside Of The Force

Weapons Lightsaber & Sith Artifacts
Fate Gets vaporized into nothingness by his own Force lightning forever.
Quote "Everything is proceeding as I has forseen."

"You have been trained well, my apprentice."
"Power. Unlimited power."

The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be... unnatural.
~ Palpatine

Emperor Sheev Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious or simply the Emperor, is the main antagonist of the Star Wars franchise.

He was portrayed by Ian McDiarmid.

Roles[]

Movies[]

He serves as the main antagonist of the Skywalker Saga, appearing as the main antagonist of the original, prequel and sequel trilogies. He also serves as the overarching antagonist of the 2008 animated stand-alone film Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the unseen overarching antagonist of the 2016 stand-alone film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and an unseen antagonist in the 2018 stand-alone film Solo: A Star Wars Story.

In the original trilogy, he serves as the unseen overarching antagonist of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope before appearing as the overarching antagonist of Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back and the main antagonist of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi.

In the prequel trilogy, he serves as the titular overarching antagonist of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, the overarching antagonist of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and the main antagonist of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

In the sequel trilogy, he serves as the unseen overarching antagonist of both Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens and Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi before appearing as the main antagonist of Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker.

TV Shows[]

He appears as the main antagonist of the 2003-2005 animated microseries Star Wars: Clone Wars (specifically as the overarching antagonist of Season 1, one of the two overarching antagonists alongside Count Dooku of Season 2 and the main antagonist of Season 3), the 2008-2020 animated TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars (serving as the overarching antagonist of Seasons 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 and the main antagonist of both Seasons 2 and 6) and the 2022 Disney+ animated anthology series Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi.

He is also the overarching antagonist of the 2014-2018 animated TV show Star Wars Rebels (serving as the unseen overarching antagonist of both Seasons 1 and 3 and the overarching antagonist of both Seasons 2 and 4), the 2021 Disney+ animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch (serving as one of the two overarching antagonists alongside Governor Tarkin of Season 1 and the overarching antagonist of the last two seasons) and the 2022 Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi.

He is also the unseen overarching antagonist of the 1985 animated series Star Wars: Droids, "Battle for the Sunstar" (the twentieth episode of Season 2 of the 1985-1986 animated series Star Wars: Ewoks), the 2018-2020 animated series Star Wars Resistance and the 2022 Disney+ series Andor.

Video Games[]

He is the main antagonist of the 2008 video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and its 2009 sequel's DLC expansion The Battle of Endor, the unseen overarching antagonist of the 2009 video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, the 2019 virtual reality series Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series, the 2019 video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the 2020 video game Star Wars: Squadrons and the 2023 video game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and the overarching antagonist of both the 2002 video game Star Wars: Bounty Hunter and the 2017 video game Star Wars Battlefront II.

Appearances[]

Films[]

Prequel trilogy[]

In the 1999 prequel Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, which is set 32 years before A New Hope, Palpatine is depicted as a middle-aged Galactic Senator from the planet Naboo who is secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. As Sidious, he influences the corrupt Trade Federation to blockade and invade Naboo. Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo flees to the planet Coruscant to receive counsel from Palpatine, unaware that he actually engineered the invasion. After a plea for help from the senate results in bureaucratic delays, Palpatine persuades the queen to make a motion to have Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum removed from office.

When Padmé attempts to liberate Naboo, Sidious sends his Sith apprentice Darth Maul there to capture her. The invasion is eventually thwarted and Maul is defeated in a lightsaber duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Palpatine uses the crisis to be elected the new Chancellor of the Republic. He then returns to Naboo, where he befriends the young Anakin Skywalker, telling him that, "We will watch your career with great interest".

In the 2002 sequel Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Sidious exploits constitutional loopholes to remain in office even after the official expiration of his term. Meanwhile, as Darth Sidious, he continues to manipulate events from behind the scenes by having his new Sith apprentice Count Dooku, a former Jedi master, lead a movement of planets in seceding from the Republic to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

Since the Separatists are secretly building a battle droid army, Palpatine uses the situation to have himself granted emergency powers. Palpatine 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 creation of a clone army to counter the Separatist threat; this results in the opening salvo of the Clone Wars. With the galaxy now at war as Sidious planned, Dooku brings him the secret plans for a new superweapon.

The Clone Wars (2008)[]

In the 2008 animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (also set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith), Darth Sidious engineers a Separatist plot where Count Dooku turns Jabba the Hutt against the Republic by kidnapping his son Rotta and framing the Jedi for it. Meanwhile, Palpatine suggests that the Republic ally itself with the Hutts. Although Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano foil the plot, the outcome suits Palpatine's ends: Jabba places Hutt hyperspace routes at the Republic's disposal.

Revenge of the Sith[]

In the 2005 sequel Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine is captured by cyborg Separatist general General Grievous, as part of a plan devised by Sidious. Palpatine is rescued by Anakin and Obi-Wan, but not before the Jedi confront Count Dooku again. A duel ensues in which Anakin defeats Dooku. Palpatine orders Anakin to kill the unarmed Dooku; after some hesitance, Anakin kills Dooku in cold blood. 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. He makes Anakin his personal representative on the Jedi Council, who deny Anakin the rank of Jedi master and order him to spy on the Chancellor. Palpatine tells Anakin the story of Darth Plagueis, a powerful Sith Lord who was able to manipulate life and death but was killed by his own apprentice. Eventually, Palpatine reveals his secret identity as a Sith Lord to Anakin; he knows that Anakin has been having prophetic visions of Padmé, his pregnant secret wife, dying in childbirth, and offers to teach him Plagueis' secrets to save her life.

Anakin informs Jedi Master Mace Windu of Palpatine's treachery. With three other Jedi masters at his side, Windu attempts to arrest Sidious, but Sidious produces a lightsaber from his sleeve and quickly dispatches all but Windu. Sidious engages Windu in a duel and fires Force lightning at him, but Windu deflects the lightning back at its source, deforming Sidious' face into the gray, wizened visage seen in the original trilogy. Just as Windu is about to dispatch Sidious, Anakin appears and intervenes on the Sith lord's behalf, allowing Sidious to kill Windu with another blast of lightning. Anakin then pledges himself to the dark side as Sidious' new Sith apprentice, Darth Vader.

Sidious orders the clone troopers to turn on their Jedi generals, while dispatching Vader to kill everyone inside the Jedi Temple and then murder the Separatist leaders on the planet Mustafar. Sidious then reorganizes the Republic into the Galactic Empire, with himself as Emperor. Jedi Master Yoda confronts him in his Senate office and engages the Sith Lord in a lightsaber duel that ends in a stalemate. Sensing that his new apprentice is in danger, Sidious travels to Mustafar and finds Vader near death following a duel with Obi-Wan. After returning to Coruscant, he rebuilds Vader's burned, mutilated body with the black armored suit from the original trilogy. Sidious then tells Vader that Padmé was killed in the heat of Vader's anger, breaking what remains of his apprentice's spirit. Sidious is last seen watching the original Death Star's construction, with Vader and Wilhuff Tarkin at his side.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch[]

Original trilogy[]

Darth Sidious is briefly mentioned as the Emperor in the original Star Wars, the first film in the original trilogy. Grand Moff Tarkin explains to his fellow Imperials that the Emperor has dissolved the Senate.

Darth Sidious first appeared as the overarching antagonist in The Empire Strikes Back. He appears in hologram form to address Darth Vader, his Sith apprentice. The Emperor tells Vader that Luke Skywalker is becoming a serious threat to the Empire and must not become a Jedi. Vader convinces him that Luke would be a great asset if turned to the dark side.

In 1983's Return of the Jedi, Sidious appears in person to oversee the last stages of the second Death Star's construction. He is the film's main antagonist and assures Darth Vader that they will together turn Luke, now revealed to be Vader's son, to the dark side. Unknown to Vader, the Emperor plans to replace his apprentice with Luke. When Vader brings Luke before his master, Sidious tempts Luke to join the dark side by appealing to the young Jedi's fear for his friends, whom he has lured into a trap. This leads to a lightsaber duel in which Luke defeats and nearly kills Vader. Sidious tells Luke to kill Vader and take his place, but Luke refuses and declares himself a Jedi. Enraged, the Emperor attacks Luke with Force lightning. Moved by his son's cries for help, Vader throws the Emperor into the Death Star's reactor shaft.

Sequel trilogy[]

To be added.

Gallery[]

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace[]

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones[]

Star Wars: The Clone Wars[]

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith[]

Star Wars: The Bad Batch[]

Star Wars: Rebels[]

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back[]

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi[]

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