Palpatine
Palpatine (84 BBY - 4 ABY, spirit made one with the dark side of the Force 10 ABY) is an important character in 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.
Once an ambitious yet unassuming Senator in the Galactic Senate, the blockade of his homeworld, Naboo, by the Trade Federation, saw him become Chancellor of the Galactic Republic shortly before the time of the Clone Wars, and later became absolute leader of the most crushing totalitarian government in the history of the galaxy. Ultimately, it was revealed that Palpatine was the alter ego of Darth Sidious, a Sith Lord of enormous power and considerable cunning.
Palpatine's plans
Though the Sith Order was believed to have destroyed itself, Palpatine was the last in a long line of surviving Dark Lords. While it is unknown when he became a Sith Lord and took the name Darth Sidious, however it is suspected that his master was Darth Plagueis. Plagueis is thought to have been capable of manipulating midi-clorians to create life and avert death; his apprentice murdered him in his sleep.
Darth Sidious was the Sith Lord responsible for finally accomplishing the ultimate goals of his shadowy order: the complete destruction of the Jedi and the domination of the galaxy. These were Sidious' objectives, and these he sought to implement with every stroke.
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, both due to his vast intellect and power, so that he could manipulate events as a grandmaster moves pieces on a dejarik board.
Palpatine began training an apprentice, Darth Maul, as early as ten years prior to becoming Chancellor; choosing to carefully sculpt his pupil. Maul was kidnapped as an infant, then trained in the Force and all forms of combat; he was especially taught aggression, anger, and boiling hatred towards Jedi. Even though much effort went into perfecting Maul as an ultimate weapon, the Zabrak was merely a pawn in Sidious' grand strategy. Palpatine used Maul to assassinate early political enemies, gaining him influence, especially in illicit circles. This eventually led to a secret alliance with the Trade Federation, a consortium which controlled shipping throughout the galaxy; and was large and powerful enough to be granted full representation in the Senate.
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.
Mediators from the Jedi Order were dispatched to settle the conflict. 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.
As Palpatine intended, the Jedi rescued Amidala and brought her 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. But since the then Chancellor Valorum was unwilling to act; Amidala asked for a vote of no confidence -- the Senate agreed.
The sympathy for Naboo concerning the ordeal was enough to earn the already well-respected Palpatine a nomination as Chancellor. 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.
Palpatine's second plan (often regarded as an indirect plan as many believe he could not have foreseen so far ahead) was not so obvious, though it was equally devious and brilliant. Palpatine knew he would need a force-user of extraordinary power if he was ever to defeat the Jedi Order. The Sith Lord took the necessary steps to ensure that such a force-user was at his command.
The true extent of Palpatine's influence on Anakin Skywalker'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. Tatooine, where Skywalker was born and raised, happened to be beyond the Republic's border and therefore he would be untested and unrecruited by the Jedi. Tatooine also happened to be a harsh place. A place where Anakin grew up an alien, a slave, and without a father. A perfect place for the seeds of the dark side to grow inside him.
Anakin was destined to become the greatest of all Jedi in the galaxy at the time, and Palpatine's clear choice for an apprentice. It is equally clear that 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. So Palpatine arranged other means for his future apprentice's training, namely the Jedi Order.
Palpatine persuaded Chancellor Valorum to request the Jedi Council's assistance in mediating the dispute on Naboo; the council in turn dispatched Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Jedi attempted to meet with Nute Gunray, leader of the Federation, aboard his flagship. Palpatine, however, ordered Gunray to kill them instead. The Jedi escaped the trap to the planet below; but once there, the Jedi 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 attempt, 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. There Qui-Gon would find the chaotic young Anakin, and upon discovering his extraordinary connection to the Force, would bring him to be trained as a Jedi.
The Jedi Council initially refused to allow the boy to be trained. They didn't understand precisely why, but they sensed a dark cloud surrounded the boy's future. Master Yoda said it clearest when he explained that the path to the dark side begins with fear. Anakin Skywalker's greatest weaknesses were his fear and anger.
As Darth Sidious, he unleashed Darth Maul, and had him track down the Jedi who were protecting Amidala. In the climactic battle of Episode I, Maul proved his prowess and defeated Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Obi-Wan however, seemed to have a better connection to the force, and was able to survive despite his foe's superior skill. This cost Sidious decades of work, but in the end he considered it worthwhile. Qui-Gon's dying wish was that the boy be trained; a wish which even the Jedi Council was unwilling to deny their fallen hero. And so an ill-prepared Obi-Wan became Anakin's teacher despite the council's concerns. And so Palpatine achieved his intermediate objectives. Gifted with an uncanny amount of patience, it would be an entire decade before the next step of his sinister plan would come to fruition.
Despite his promises, the Republic continued to be mired in dissension and disorder. A decade after his nomination, Palpatine's Chancellorship was confronted with a growing Separatist movement known as the Confederacy of Independent Systems led by the charismatic leader, Count Dooku. Many in the Republic worried that the dispute would grow rapidly into a full-scale war, but Palpatine was resolute that the predicament could be resolved through negotiation.
The Separatists did not agree. Upon the discovery of a secret army of droids, it became apparent that the Separatists were on the verge of open war against the Republic. To counter this, the Republic needed a military, and Palpatine required the authority to activate the Republic's newly forged army of clones. To that end, Senators loyal to Palpatine motioned that the Chancellor be given emergency powers to deal with the Separatist threat.
With spoken regrets, Palpatine accepted the new mantle of power. He promised to return his absolute authority to the Senate after crisis had abated. What no one realized was that the galaxy would undergo further disruption, and that a state of crisis would ensure Palpatine's authority for decades.
The signs of his future regime were subtle in the beginning. Palpatine's term as Chancellor ended during the rise of the Separatists, but that crisis prompted the Senate to ask him to lengthen his stay in office. Once the Clone Wars broke out, the Senate's lack of ability to effectively conduct war on scattered fronts required him to enact one executive decree after another. He amended the constitution consolidating more power to him, effectively circumventing the bureaucracy of the Senate.
As shown in the Clone Wars animated series and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, General Grievous, the Separatist Army Supreme Commander kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine from his office on Coruscant shortly before the end of the Clone Wars. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker tried to rescue the Chancellor and stop Grievous from escaping in the Battle of Coruscant. There Anakin Skywalker killed Darth 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 Darth Sidious, but soon died at the hands of General Kenobi.
Palpatine's empire
Soon after his rescue, Palpatine appointed Anakin Skywalker as his personal representative on the Jedi Council, and this was reluctantly accepted by the Council. Not only did Palpatine use Anakin to spy on the Council, but he also was manipulating the young Jedi Knight, using his anger, desire for power and the lack of trust shown by the Council to turn him against the Jedi Order. Palpatine revealed himself as a Sith Lord to Anakin, who reported him in to Mace Windu. When the Jedi arrived to arrest him, Palpatine revealed considerable skill with a lightsaber and quickly dispatched all but Mace Windu, who was determined to stop him once and for all. Palpatine held Windu off until Anakin arrived, at which point Windu gained the advantage and disarmed him. Palpatine then used force lightning on Windu, which Windu deflected back on Palpatine, revealing his true face.
Windu apparantly had Palpatine at his mercy, and Palpatine seemed weak and helpless with no more force lightning left. (Arguably, however, it could have been another act of Palpatine to coerce Anakin into defending him and thus damning himself in the eyes of the Jedi.) Anakin pleaded for Palpatine's life. Windu however argued that Palpatine needed to be executed because he had too much control of the senate and courts to be convicted in a trial. Windu then prepared to put Palpatine to death, Anakin's uncertain loyalty and desire to learn certain powers of the Dark Side led him to ultimately defend Palpatine, chopping off Windu's saber hand. With Windu disabled, Palpatine turned intense force lightning onto him, killing him and hurling his body out the window. Confused with the horror of his actions and left with little choice, Skywalker then pledged allegiance as Palpatine's new apprentice, whereupon Palpatine proclaimed him Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Palpatine's true physical appearance was revealed during his confrontation with Windu; he then used this as evidence of an assassination attempt. Using his already significant power, the additional sympathy from his surviving the "assassination" attempt, and the appearance of a takeover by the Jedi, he convinced the Senate to support the Galactic Republic's transformation into the Galactic Empire, thus beginning the Galactic Civil War.
Palpatine made quick use of the clone stormtroopers and his new apprentice. Palpatine sent out Order 66, directing the clones to kill all the Jedi, and sent Vader out to kill everyone in the Jedi Temple and then all the remaining Separatist leaders. By the time this was done, very few Jedi had survived. Jedi killed by either Palpatine, Vader, or the troops in this time period included Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin, and Shaak Ti. The few survivors included Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Yoda then confronted Palpatine, while Obi-wan Kenobi was sent to hunt down Darth Vader. Yoda and the Emperor were equally matched in both light saber and other force abilities such as throwing each other across the room. Both were knocked down, and Yoda escaped, injured from a long fall from the heights of the Senate chamber, lamenting his failure to destroy Palpatine.
The war continued nineteen years later, in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Through the star fighter piloted by Luke Skywalker, a Jedi apprentice trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi before he was killed by Darth Vader, the recently formed Rebel Alliance destroys the Death Star, a superweapon built by the Confederacy and the Imperials in the Battle of Yavin. At this point, Darth Sidious has been hiding on Coruscant (now renamed Imperial Center) using Darth Vader to rule. With his considerable power, he dissolves the Imperial Senate entirely.
Three years later, in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back the Imperials find the rebels on the planet of Hoth where on which Darth Vader arrives looking for Luke Skywalker at the orders of the Emperor. After some time, Vader lures Skywalker to Cloud City, where the two engage in a lightsaber duel, ending in the revelation that Vader is in fact Luke's father.
The following year, in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi the rebels find out about a second Death Star in the process of being built. They plan to destroy it, but first they must de-activate the shield that protects it by a computer on the moon of Endor - although this is also part of the Emperor's scheme to lead the Rebels into a trap. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker has been brought upon the unfinished Death Star, where Vader coaxes his son into battle so that he may inherit his mantle at the Emperor's side. Although he defeats his father, Luke refuses to succumb to the Dark Side, getting away from his anger and throwing his lightsaber on the ground, declaring himself "a Jedi like the father before him". Realizing that Skywalker's son is a lost cause, Palpatine begins viciously attacking him with force lightning. In a moment of self-sacrifice, Anakin Skywalker returns and throws the evil Emperor to the reactor before dying himself. At that moment, Anakin fulfilled the prophecy and brought balance to the force by destroying the Sith.
Palpatine in the Expanded Universe
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 sets 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 takes an increasingly active interest in Anakin Skywalker.
In the classic era stories, Palpatine plays a major role in Shadows of the Empire, where Prince Xizor attempts 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 kills Xizor. Throughout it all, it would seem that Palpatine knew of Xizor's treachery, and would have most likely disposed of him later if Vader had not.
In the Dark Empire trilogy 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 his control of the galaxy, and successfully converted Luke Skywalker over to the Dark Side. Eventually, Luke conquers the Dark Side from within and defeated Palpatine by disrupting his connection with the Force. Palpatine, who had now lost control of the terrifying Force Storm he had conjured, was consumed by its energies along with his flagship.
It was thought that having destroyed his other clone bodies, that the Emperor 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), the Emperor had stored an auxiliary cloning facility. Two of the Emperor's Dark Side Adepts attempted to finish the job Skywalker started when 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 Royal Guardsman, Carnor Jax, had paid off the Emperor's head cloning supervisor to corrupt Palpatine's DNA. His body already beginning to fall victim the ravaging energies at his command, his clone supply began to fail him. Knowing his strain would not last forever, 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, a being with Skywalker blood.
His last body was deteriorating at an increasingly alarming rate due to the tampering caused by his traitorous minions. Taking his new flagship with him to the baby's sanctuary on Onderon, the Emperor 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 of them, despite his weakness, killing one and incapacitating the other three. Unexpectedly, an enraged Han Solo shot Palpatine in the back while he was caught off guard. Dying, his spirit made one last lunge for the baby, but was intercepted by an ailing Empatojayos Brand. Brand used all of his strength to keep the Emperor's sinister spirit from escaping. When he died, he took Palpatine's soul with him. Darth Sidious, the last Dark Lord of the Sith, was finally dead.
It is also revealed in the novels that Palpatine trained a number of secret Dark Jedi agents, such as the popular character Mara Jade. It is also hinted in the Barbara Hambly novels -- and later discounted -- that Palpatine has had several offspring. In the Jedi Prince series an insane three-eyed mutant named Triclops appears as Palpatine's son with Ken as his grandson. In the series, Triclops is impersonated by another three-eyed mutant named Trioculous. Despite this, the concept of Palpatine having children has not been embraced by the Expanded Universe at large, and is heavily out of character. It is likely that the conspiracy regarding Triclops is merely a rumor that he instigated through his mentally unstable mind.
Palpatine was also an author. He wrote extensively on political theory, military strategy, and Sith technique, 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.
Palpatine's known relatives include 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 negotiated between the New Republic and the remnants of the Empire, where Ederlaath Pallopides, as Palpatines only known living relative would be crowned as a ceremonial Empress, while a constitutional monarchy would be created with the New Republic government holding most of the actual power. The plan collapsed when Ederlaath Pallopides was assassinated. The assasination was implied to be 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, if not 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 have also compared Palpatine to 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 claim exist in their government. Unlike Hitler, Palpatine seems to be completely dispassionate and very Machiavellian, calculating all possible outcomes from a situtation. Also, in Episode 3, Palpatine remarks "I am the senate". This could be seen as specific reference to Louis XIV famously remarking "I am the state".
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
In the original movie trilogy, the name Palpatine is never spoken and he is referred to only as "The Emperor". The name Palpatine originated in the novelizations, in which the name is given as that of the former senator who rose to power.
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" - the name of (amongst other things) 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 quite incorrectly 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, including synopses for Episodes VII - IX.
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.
Palpatine's appearance
As Senator of Naboo and Chancellor of the Republic, Palpatine appeared as an unassuming old man with elegant robes. After a fight with Jedi Master Mace Windu, deflected force lightning revealed the figure of an ancient, sinister human. To further gain sympathy in his crusade against the Jedi, he claimed he was left scarred and disfigured in an assassination attempt by the Jedi. Later he declared the Jedi enemies of the state with Order 66 and reformed the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire.
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 suggest that Palpatine was using the Force to appear normal, as seen in the first two prequels.
Another theory states that he was deformed by prolonged exposure to his own Sith Lightning, deflected by Mace Windu. Taken alone, the scene in the film implies this, and many reference sources support this.
One questionable piece of evidence is an interview with Ian 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.
Notes
- Palpatine was played by actor Ian McDiarmid who first appeared in Episode VI and reprised the role sixteen years later for the transitional versions of the character in the first three episodes.
- A holographic image of the Emperor was seen in Episode V. Originally, this hooded image was played by an unnamed actor (believed to be a woman) with superimposed chimpanzee eyes. This image was voiced by actor Clive Revill. In the 2004 DVD special edition, newly shot footage of McDiarmid as Palpatine replaces the original footage.
- Like Yoda, many details regarding Palpatine's character have not been revealed so as to make him an enigmatic character.
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.
