10 Things You Didn’t Know About Emperor Palpatine
When George Lucas began working on Star Wars, back in the 1970's, no one could have foreseen just how big the franchise would become. For over 40 years, we have visited countless worlds, and been introduced to many characters. None have been as prolific as the Emperor Sheev Palpatine, aka. Darth Sidious. While he would not actually show up in person until Return of the Jedi, his presence was definitely felt throughout the first two films of the original trilogy. It was very clear he was the ultimate villain of this universe. Even Vader himself confirmed the emperor was "not as forgiving" as he.
At the time of the original trilogy, the world of Star Wars was still largely unknown. Fans were used to seeing lightsaber battles and some Force telekinesis. When Palpatine started shooting lightning from his fingers at our hero, we knew he was no ordinary villain. Then, the prequel trilogy came along in the late 1990’s, which introduced us to the Senator, later Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine, the man who would later become Emperor Palpatine. The newer films would document his rise to power along with Vader’s fall to the Dark Side. Through books, comics and even video games, we have learned more and more about one of cinema's most evil characters. Not all of it is common knowledge though. Today, we are going to look at 10 things you didn't know about Emperor Palpatine.
10. He Was Based On A Real Person
There were many comparisons between the Empire and the Nazis throughout the original trilogy. Naturally, many fans assumed Palpatine was a representation of Hitler. However, he was actually based on U.S. President Richard Nixon. This was not a surprise as the Watergate Scandal and Nixon’s subsequent resignation were happening around the same time Lucas began writing Star Wars. In a side-by-side comparison, we could see many similarities between Palpatine and Nixon. Both rose to power as demagogues off the back of an orchestrated war (Palpatine with the Clone Wars, and Nixon with the Vietnam War). Both curtailed freedoms while attacking enemies through very shady, illegal dealings. It was a shame there was no version of David Frost in the Star Wars universe. What an interview that would have been!
9. Ultimate Insult
As a master of manipulation, and subterfuge, Palpatine he was able to wipe out almost all of the Jedi Order. To add insult to injury, he decided to make one final example by turning the sacred Jedi Temple into his new palace. It made practical sense considering the Jedi Temple housed archives with millenia worth of Jedi knowledge and history. In doing so, he could destroy or hide any information he deemed a threat to his new empire.
It was also worth noting that the Jedi Temple on Coruscant was built on top of an old Sith shrine to contain and hide its dark power. From Palpatine’s point of view, he may just be taking back what was already his.
8. He Had Backups For Vader
The Rule of Two, set out by Darth Bane years before the events of the prequel trilogy, encouraged the Sith Apprentice to turn on the Master, and then take on their own apprentice. A more powerful Sith would emerge with each generation, thus strengthening the dark order. We saw this happen a few times throughout the franchise. Darth Maul and Count Dooku were training Savage Opress and Asajj Ventress during the events of The Clone Wars. Darth Vader made the same offer to Luke in Empire Strikes Back. Having killed his own Master, Darth Plagueis, Papatine was fully aware that Vader would do the same.
He began seeking out Force-sensitive children, and trained them in the Dark Side as Inquisitors. Fans of the show Rebels would remember this group aiding Vader in hunting down rebels and Order 66 survivors. However, Palpatine would also keep them close by to defend him if Vader were to turn on him. The presence of other skilled Dark Side users would also ensure Vader’s loyalty, and keep him in line.
7. His Name Is A Nod To An Old Friend Of George Lucas
George Lucas has many famous director friends like Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, and Martin Scorsese to name a few. It was no surprise he included them in some of his films. The name Palpatine was a wink to the politician named Palantine in Scorsese's Taxi Driver. The scene where Palpatine drew his lightsaber from his sleeve was also another reference to Robert De Niro's character doing the same with his gun in Taxi Driver.
6. Ordered The Destruction Of His Homeworld
With the release of the sequel trilogy, some of Palpatine’s atrocities were removed from canon. According to Legends video game Star Wars: Battlefront II, Palpatine became concerned for his safety and that of the Empire after the destruction of the first Death Star. He devised the deadly Operation Cinder to ensure the Sith maintained control of the galaxy in the event of his death, and punished those who failed to prevent his demise. The Empire would begin spreading rumors that he survived whatever event allegedly killed him. Then, several climate disruption satellites would be set up over several planets, resulting in orbital bombardment, and total destruction of said planets. In the game, Operation Cinder was set into motion mere moments after the Battle of Endor and the destruction of the Second Death Star. One of the targeted planets was Palaptine’s own homeworld Naboo. Had the Rebel Alliance not stepped in and destroyed the satellites, thousands of lives would have been lost.
5. He Was Almost Canonically Anakin's "Father"
In The Phantom Menace, Anakin’s mother Shmi Skywalker stated that there was no father. To this day we have yet to receive a legitimate answer as to Anakin’s paternity. Early drafts of the script for Revenge of the Sith included a scene where Palaptine explained to Anakin that he had chosen Shmi as a host, and used the Force to conceive him. By revealing himself as Anakin’s father, he hoped to tempt him to the Dark Side. Lucas decided against this plot twist, and instead left it open to interpretation. The idea would crop up again in Marvel’s canon Darth Vader comic series, where Vader had a vision of this particular scene. It was not clear whether vision was what the Emperor wanted Vader to see or if it really was the truth. It has been clarified that Palpatine being Anakin’s father was not the intention of the comic book writer Charles Soule.
4. His Lightsaber Form
Palpatine saw lightsabers as tools of the Jedi, and so preferred to utilize his Dark Side powers. However, he was also very proficient in the lightsaber Form VII (also known as Juyo), which required the user to channel the Force with every movement and strike in order to fuel its ferocious attacks. Many Jedi avoided Form VII as it made users more susceptible to the Dark Side (obviously not a restriction for him), although Mace Windu was a practitioner of the Form VII variant Vaapad. In addition, Palpatine was extremely adept at both single and double lightsaber combat, making him one of the most dangerous people in the galaxy with a lightsaber.
3. His Appearance After Revenge of the Sith Was Probably His True Self
When he was first introduced in Return of the Jedi, Palpatine appeared old and somewhat deformed. However, he looked normal and vibrant in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. We would not see his transformation until Revenge of the Sith when Mace Windu deflected his Force Lightning back on him. It appeared the change was caused by his own dark power being reflected back upon him. However, we have seen numerous characters attacked by Force Lightning, and had no change in appearance. It has since been confirmed that continued use of the Dark Side could warp the user’s physical appearance, which lined up with how long Palpatine had been using the Dark Side at this point. Ian McDiarmid, who played the character, agreed that Palpatine was merely masking his appearance and chose that precise moment to let it fall. After all, it also strengthened his claim of being attacked by the Jedi.
2. He May Have Killed Padme
This one is more of a fan theory, but it is interesting to consider. At the end of Revenge of the Sith, Padme apparently died from a "broken heart." She was shown to survive being Force choked by Anakin/Vader and there was no physical reason for her rapid decline in health. The theory was that Palaptine used the Force to kill her to ensure that Anakin fully gave in to the Dark Side. Two main reasons made this theory plausible. First, Palpatine was able to sense Vader on Mustafar while still on Coruscant, showing that he was able to reach through the Force from an extreme distance. Second, when Vader asked about Padme, Palpatine confirmed her death. How could he be certain if he did not have a hand in her death?
1. In Legends, He Was Not The Only Sith Master In The Phantom Menace
Fans of the films would think that Darth Sidious was the master and Darth Maul the apprentice during the events of The Phantom Menace. However, the Legends novel Darth Plagueis posited that Palpatine did not kill his master Darth Plagueis until around the time he became Chancellor. Both characters were celebrating the news of Palpatine being elected Chancellor, and Plagueis fell asleep after drinking too much. Palpatine then murdered the weakened Plagueis, and became the Master.
How many of the above did you know? Do you know more?
Until next time!