Darth Sidious

Sheev Palpatine ( ) is the main antagonist of the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He first appeared in the 1980 film ''The Empire Strikes Back'' as . He is also known by his Sith name, Darth Sidious, which was first used in the novelization of the 1999 film ''The Phantom Menace''.

Palpatine appears in all three film trilogies in the Skywalker Saga, and is portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in all five films in which he physically appears. In the original trilogy, Palpatine is Emperor of the Galactic Empire and the master of Darth Vader. In the prequel trilogy, which chronicles his rise to emperor, Palpatine is a senator from the planet Naboo who plots to become Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. He masterminds the Clone Wars to turn the Republic into the Empire, destroys the Jedi Order, and manipulates Anakin Skywalker into becoming his apprentice, Darth Vader. In '' The Rise of Skywalker'' (2019), the final film in the sequel trilogy, a resurrected Palpatine is revealed to be the grandfather of Rey, a Jedi-in-training. He is also the mastermind behind Snoke, whom he created to lead the First Order against the New Republic and seduce Skywalker's grandson, Ben Solo, into becoming Kylo Ren.

Palpatine's story was inspired by real-world examples of political strongmen and democratic backsliding during the rise and rule of dictators such as Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Adolf Hitler. Since the release of the original trilogy, Palpatine has become a widely recognized symbol of evil in popular culture. Since the prequel trilogy, he has been a symbol of sinister deception and the subversion of democracy. In addition to the films, Palpatine appears in the series '' Clone Wars'', '' The Clone Wars'', ''Star Wars Rebels'', '' The Bad Batch'', ''Obi-Wan Kenobi'' and '' Star Wars: Tales''. He also appears in ''Star Wars'' novels and comics.

Creation and development

Concept and writing

George Lucas created the ''Star Wars'' franchise and the character Palpatine. His conceptualization of Palpatine and the role he plays in the franchise changed over time. Lucas's initial notes discuss a line of corrupt emperors, not just one. In the 1974 draft of ''Star Wars'', the "New Galactic Empire" was led by a relatively young human named Cos Dashit. The name Palpatine first appears in the prologue of Alan Dean Foster's 1976 novelization of ''Star Wars'', which details the Emperor's rise to power. From ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983) onwards, the Emperor became the ultimate personification of evil in the series. Though the films of the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy do not actually state the Emperor's name, the novelization of ''Return of the Jedi'' states his surname as Palpatine. He was given the first name Sheev in the 2014 novel '' Tarkin''.

During the story development of ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980), Lucas decided that, with the original having only passingly mentioned the Emperor, he needed to "begin to deal with him on a more concrete level". Lucas realized, however, that the primary conflict with the Emperor would be best saved for the trilogy's third film, ''Return of the Jedi'', because " en you get rid of the Emperor, the whole thing is over." Discussing the character's importance to the story, Lucas stated that "In the end, the Emperor does exactly what nowiki/>Obi-Wan Kenobi">Obi-Wan_Kenobi.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Obi-Wan Kenobi">nowiki/>Obi-Wan Kenobidid; he can also transform himself", referring to the ability to live after death through the Force. Although Palpatine dies at the end of ''Return of the Jedi'', the plot point of his metamorphosis was utilized for the sequel trilogy, which Lucas had no direct involvement with.

In ''Return of the Jedi'', the initial conception of Palpatine as a weak, isolated figurehead 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. The characterization of Palpatine as a ruthless politician dismantling a democratic republic to achieve supreme power was in part inspired by the real-world examples of democratic backsliding during the rise and rule of Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Alberto Fujimori, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., and Adolf Hitler. Other elements of the character come from Richard Nixon. Lucas said that Nixon's presidency "got me to thinking historically about how do democracies get turned into dictatorships. Because the democracies aren't overthrown; they're given away." Lucas also 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."

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." He explained that the climax of the film is a confrontation between 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."

Lucas fleshed out the Emperor in the prequel trilogy. According to Lucas, Palpatine's role in ''The Phantom Menace'' is to explain "how Anakin Skywalker ater Vadercame to be Palpatine's apprentice" and the events that sparked Palpatine's rise to totalitarian power after being a senate representative. The film's novelization is the first time he is called Darth Sidious. His home world, Naboo, is also home to Anakin's romantic interest, Padmé Amidala, who later becomes a senator of that planet.

In the Lucasfilm-authorized '' Star Wars and History'', Palpatine's consolidation of power is described as being similar to the first Roman emperor, 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.

Portrayal

When the Emperor first appeared in ''The Empire Strikes Back'', he was portrayed by Marjorie Eaton under heavy makeup. Chimpanzee eyes were superimposed into darkened eye sockets during post-production. The character was voiced by Clive Revill. The makeup was sculpted by Phil Tippett and applied by Rick Baker, who initially used his own wife, Elaine, for the makeup tests.

"With irector IrvinKershner," 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''!" Years later, during production of ''Revenge of the Sith'', Lucas decided to shoot new footage for ''The 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 Ian McDiarmid, and the dialogue between the Emperor and Darth Vader was revised.

Lucas and director Richard Marquand cast McDiarmid to play Emperor Palpatine for ''Return of the Jedi''. 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). Due to the large age difference between McDiarmid and his character, Lucas and Marquand had initially intended to dub over McDiarmid, but reversed course after hearing McDiarmid's distinctive voice. After ''Return of the Jedi'', he resumed stage acting in London. In an interview with ''BackStage'', McDiarmid revealed that he "never had his sights set on a film career" and never auditioned for the role of Palpatine. 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."

Palpatine's role in the prequel films required McDiarmid to portray two aspects of the same character. Recalling the initial days of shooting ''The Phantom Menace'', McDiarmid stated, "Palpatine's 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." McDiarmid added another layer to the character in ''Attack of the Clones''. He said, " alpatineis 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 reflected on the scene in which Padmé Amidala is almost assassinated:

In ''Revenge of the Sith'', McDiarmid plays an even darker version 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." McDiarmid asserted that everything Palpatine does "is an act of pure hypocrisy" and compared him to Iago, the villain of William Shakespeare's ''Othello''.

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 Palpatine and Mace Windu were performed by McDiarmid. Advanced fencing and acrobatic stunts were executed by McDiarmid's stunt doubles.

In the 2019 film ''The Rise of Skywalker'', McDiarmid returned to the role of Palpatine on screen for the first time since ''Revenge of the Sith''. McDiarmid was surprised to learn of the filmmakers' decision to bring back Palpatine, given the character died in ''Return of the Jedi''. The film's director, J. J. Abrams, spoke of Palpatine's 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". On Palpatine's portrayal in the film, McDiarmid said, "he's fairly physically impaired, but his mind is as sharp as ever." Although the decision to revive the character was poorly received by some fans of the series, McDiarmid defended the plot point. He is quoted at the 2022 Star Wars Celebration as follows: "A lot of people said, 'You can't bring him back, he was dead! Did you see that fall? How could anyone survive that?' Excuse me... udience laughsHe's the Emperor of the Universe. Anyway, nobody's going to tell me he wouldn't have had a Plan B, should someone — unlikely though he may have thought — manage to semi-destroy him. And of course he had the best operational ward team of surgeons, they were very small but they were very thorough, maybe you remember from the film. And he had the best that money could buy, that enforcement could produce. And he also had that marvelous galactic wheelchair, which was a huge advantage."

Makeup and costumes

Transforming McDiarmid into Emperor Palpatine for ''Return of the Jedi'' required extensive makeup, which took between two and four hours to apply. Film critic Roger Ebert wrote that the Emperor "looks uncannily like Death in ''The Seventh Seal''," and film historian Robin Wood compared him to the hag from ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' (1937). McDiarmid remarked, "When my face changes in 'Revenge of the Sith'' my mind went back to the early silent movie of ''The Phantom of the Opera'' with Lon Chaney."

Palpatine's wardrobe in the prequels, tailored by costume designer Trisha Biggar, played an important part in the development of the character. 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." McDiarmid's favorite costume in the film was a high-collared jacket that resembles reptile skin. He stated that "it just feels reptilian, which is exactly right for alpatine" Biggar explained that the character's costumes become "progressively darker and more ornately decorated throughout the movie." She added: "He wears greys and browns, almost going to black, taking him toward the dark side."

In ''The Rise of Skywalker'', Palpatine is unable to move without the aid of a large machine, to which he is attached. His eyes have no pupils and his hands are rotting. Costume designer Michael Kaplan opted to dress Palpatine in a utilitarian black robe, which he wears for the majority of the film. At the end of the film, Palpatine 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".

Reception

Todd McCarthy of '' Variety'' described McDiarmid's portrayal of Palpatine in ''Revenge of the Sith'' as "dominant" and "worth writing home about". Reviewing the same film, Ed Halter of ''The Village Voice'' wrote that "McDiarmid's unctuous Emperor turns appropriately vampiric as he attempts to draw Anakin into the Sith fold with promises of eternal life." McDiarmid was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ''Revenge of the Sith.''

According to Cory Barlog, the planned-but-never-produced '' Star Wars: Underworld'' television series would have depicted Palpatine in a sympathetic way.

Appearances

Film

Original trilogy

The character is referred to as "the Emperor" in the original trilogy. He is briefly mentioned in ''Star Wars'' (1977), the first film in the original trilogy, which was later retitled ''Episode IVA New Hope''. On the Death Star, Grand Moff Tarkin explains to his fellow Imperials that the Emperor has dissolved the Imperial Senate, the last remnant of the Old Republic. The Emperor does not appear on-screen, leaving Tarkin and Darth Vader as the film's main villains. The Emperor first appears in ''The Empire Strikes Back'', the 1980 sequel to the original film. He appears as a hologram to inform Vader that Luke Skywalker has become a threat to the Empire. Vader persuades him that the young Jedi would be a great asset if he could be turned to the dark side of the Force.

In 1983's ''Return of the Jedi'', the Emperor appears in person to oversee the last stages of the second Death Star's construction. He assures Vader that they will together turn Luke, Vader's son, to the dark side of the Force. Unbeknownst to Vader, the Emperor plans to replace him with Luke; Vader, meanwhile, intends to overthrow the Emperor and rule the galaxy with Luke at his side. When Vader brings Luke before his master, the Emperor 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. The Emperor betrays his apprentice by urging Luke to kill Vader and take his place, but Luke refuses and declares himself a Jedi. Enraged, the Emperor attacks Luke with Force lightning. Unable to bear the sight of his son in pain, Vader throws the Emperor down a chasm shortly before the Death Star is destroyed.

Prequel trilogy

In the 1999 prequel '' Episode I: The Phantom Menace'', set 32 years before ''A New Hope'', Palpatine (named onscreen for the first time) is depicted as a middle-aged Galactic Senator from the planet Naboo. As his alter ego, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, he advises the corrupt Trade Federation to blockade and invade Naboo. Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo (Natalie Portman) 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 manipulates and deceives Padmé to call for a motion of no confidence against Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum (Terence Stamp).

When Padmé attempts to liberate Naboo, Sidious sends his apprentice Darth Maul (portrayed by Ray Park, voiced by Peter Serafinowicz) to capture her. The invasion is eventually thwarted, and Maul is defeated in a lightsaber duel with Jedi Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). Palpatine uses the crisis to get elected as the new Chancellor of the Republic. He then returns to Naboo, where he befriends the nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker ( Jake Lloyd), telling the boy, "We will watch your career with great interest."

In the 2002 sequel '' Episode II: Attack of the Clones'', set 10 years later, Palpatine exploits constitutional loopholes to remain in office after his term expires. Meanwhile, as Sidious, he continues to manipulate events from behind the scenes by having his new Sith apprentice Count Dooku ( Christopher Lee) lead a movement of planets in seceding to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems. He has the Separatists try to assassinate Padmé, now a senator, but the attempt on her life fails. He then arranges for Anakin (now played by Hayden Christensen) to guard Padmé on Naboo, which leads to them falling in love and marrying in secret.

With the Separatists 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 a clone army's creation to counter the Separatist threat; this results in the first battle of the Clone Wars. With the galaxy now at war as Sidious planned, Dooku brings him the secret plans for the Death Star.

In the 2005 sequel '' Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'', set three years later, Palpatine is captured by cyborg

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