| “ | Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy. Only then will you be strong enough with the dark side to save Padmé. | ” |
| ~ Darth Sidious manipulating Anakin Skywalker, ordering him to wipe out the Jedi. |
| “ | Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen. | ” |
| ~ Darth Sidious to Darth Vader. |
Darth Sidious, also known by his birth name, Sheev Palpatine, or just simply the Emperor is the main antagonist of the Star Wars franchise.
He is the evil Dark Lord of the Sith and former Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, orchestrating the events of the Clone Wars to defeat the Jedi and successfully take over the galaxy. At the end of the war, Sidious would issue Order 66, leading to the clone troopers exterminating a majority of the Jedi, which allowed Sidious to establish the first Galactic Empire.
He is portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in most of his appearances.
Actions and Characteristics[]
- He displays absolutely no redeeming qualities at all, being nothing more than a bloodthirsty, power-hungry, tyrannical, and manipulative psychopath who will do whatever he can to take full control over the galaxy.
- Even before learning the ways of the Sith, Palpatine was already a rather sinister individual to begin with. In his youth, he already had an incredibly rocky relationship with his own family and once accidentally crashed a speeder leading to the deaths of two people and showing no remorse for it alongside his petty crimes which led him to being expelled.
- He has proven himself from time to time again that he is nothing more than a manipulative mastermind, using Plagueis as a way to gain more power and killing him after he no longer served any purpose to him. He would also manipulate his way through the politics of the Galactic Republic, meanwhile orchestrating the invasion of Naboo and eventually, the Clone Wars. Eventually, Sidious would begin manipulating Anakin Skywalker, using his fear of losing his wife to turn him. Eventually, Anakin would turn and become Sidious' apprentice known as Darth Vader. All entirely as part of his plan to take over the galaxy and exterminate the Jedi.
- Toward the end of the Clone Wars, Sidious issued Order 66. This event would lead to many clone troopers betraying the Jedi and slaughtering them, including the younglings. Sidious would claim that the Jedi were traitors to the Galactic Republic and that they had tried to kill him, having propaganda spread about how the Jedi were evil and put bounties the heads of the survivors after the Clone Wars had ended. By the time of the Battle of Endor, only a few survivors remained in the galaxy and it was widely believed that Luke may just be the last Jedi.
- Considering Sidious had established the Galactic Empire, he had many crimes under his belt. The galaxy would become a much harsher place for over two decades, with the Imperials enslaving numerous alien species and seemingly wiping others out. Sidious would even allow the construction of the Death Star, a massive battle station that could destroy entire planets. Due to this, Sidious indirectly was responsible for the destruction of planets like Jedha and Alderaan, leading to the deaths of countless innocent people. Anybody who would go against the Empire would either be imprisoned, tortured, enslaved, or killed.
- In Legends, he used Essence Transfer to transfer his consciousness into different clone bodies so he can continue his rule and temporarily took Luke Skywalker on as his apprentice.
- Even after his first death, Sidious' influence would remain, as remnants of the Galactic Empire and other Imperial loyalists would continue to try to carry out the ways of the Empire. Eventually, the First Order, a government formed from former Imperials, would take over the galaxy after destroying the Honsian system.
- Sidious and the Sith Eternal cultists would construct the Final Order, a Sith armada of Xyston-class Star Destroyers. With them, he intended to have the Sith Star Destroyers destroy numerous planets across the galaxy if they did not submit to his rule, destroying at least one known planet in the process.
- Despite his malevolent nature in both Legends and Canon, Sidious is shown to be willing to kill even members of his own family. In Legends, Sidious wiped out his entire family onboard a ship while in canon, Sidious would have his son and daughter-in-law murdered, and later try to possess and kill his granddaughter, Rey.
- He is easily one of the most influential, if not, the most influential antagonist in the entire franchise, given that Sidious had manipulated many of the horrible events in the Skywalker Saga and was responsible for the corruption of Anakin Skywalker.
Stats[]
| Intelligence | 5 / 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Skills | 5 / 5 | |
| Speed | 4 / 5 | |
| Stamina | 5 / 5 | |
| Strength | 5 / 5 |
For information on stats, review the stats page.
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 The Ultimate Evils
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