Palpatine/Legends

His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Palpatine, (84 BBY - 4 ABY, spirit destroyed 11 ABY), also known as Darth Sidious, was the founder and leader of the Galactic Empire and ultimate Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic.

The End of the Republic (32 BBY to 19 BBY)
Palpatine began his political career as a representative of the planet Naboo in the Senate of the Galactic Republic. It is rumored that he orchestrated the abdication of Naboo's King Veruna. He used the Trade Federation crisis that later surrounded Naboo to become Supreme Chancellor in 32 BBY, deposing the previous office holder Finis Valorum, against whom he had covertly waged an ad hominem campaign centered around allegations of corruption.

About 10 years later, in 22 BBY, Palpatine sought and received emergency dictatorial powers, which he used to create a "Grand Army of the Republic" to combat the Confederacy of Independent Systems. This would later provide the basis for his Imperial reign, based largely on the military.

During the Clone Wars, Palpatine further consolidated his power. In 19 BBY, he declared a boldly unificationist policy, symbolically changing the name of the government from Republic to Empire, with himself as the first Emperor. He initiated Order 66 during this time, and led the Great Jedi Purge with his fallen Jedi ally Anakin Skywalker. The Jedi Order was essentially destroyed. It arguably became clear at this point that he did not mean to ever return to a Republic, or relinquish his immense power.

The Empire (19 BBY to 4 ABY)
Emperor Palpatine proceeded to gather power and eliminate his rivals following the end of the Clone Wars, establishing a New Order. The Commission for the Preservation of the New Order (COMPNOR) was established during this time, including the pervasive Imperial Security Bureau (ISB). His militaristic regime was centered around the Imperial Navy, although this branch would also prove the most insubordinate, and a tension between the Coruscant government and the fleet admirals existed throughout this time period, hence the need for the ISB as an internal police. COMPNOR's Coalition for Progress established monitoring agencies to keep track of all aspects of life.

Although this attempted totalitarian regime remained fairly weak, it was continually strengthening until the breakup of the Empire in 4 ABY. Examples of its broad scope include an Imperially-promoted aesthetic style of military-inspired simplicity, in contrast to the opulence and ornamentation Galactic Republic-era. Aliens and women were excluded from much of this New Order, and atrocities comitted by powerful regional governors were common.

In 0 BBY, the Emperor dissolved the Senate, erasing the last institutional remnants of the Old Republic. Around this time, Grand Moff Tarkin promulgated a fear-driven principle of governance later called the Tarkin Doctrine, most infamously demonstrated with the Death Star, an orbital battlestation that completely destroyed the Core world of Alderaan.

Fall of the Empire (4 ABY)
Emperor Palpatine was killed by Darth Vader during the epochal Battle of Endor, which scattered the Imperial fleet and destroyed the second Death Star. Vader killed him during the attempt to convert Luke Skywalker to the Dark Side.

Behind the Scenes


Like many personalities in the Star Wars universe, Palpatine's character has clear similarities to certain historical figures. Parallels to Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, George W. Bush and Adolf Hitler can all be found in the Galactic Emperor's words and actions (in many ways he is an amalgamation of the two Caesars -- Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus -- and Lucius Cornelius Sulla). In writing the original drafts of the Star Wars films, during the mid-1970s, George Lucas has said he was influenced by then-US President Richard Nixon.

In many ways, Palpatine is an archetypal villain, who does not appear to have any understandable motivation. He relies on deception and manipulation to control and corrupt individuals throughout the films, and as a result is a classically diabolical character. As Emperor, he appears to be a frail, weak old man, but is actually quite supernaturally powerful. Palpatine may be viewed as the quintessential wolf in sheep's clothing. Palpatine's motivations are more easily explained when viewed in the context of his alter ego Darth Sidious.

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.

Nevertheless, the original version of his character in Lucas' 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 name "Dantius Palpatine" has also been adopted, though its origins are more ambiguous, seeming to come from SuperShadow, a website of fraudulent Star Wars material, including "synopses" for Episodes VII - IX. On the official website, it is stated that Palpatine's first name, if he has one, has not yet been revealed.

Both the middle aged Palpatine and the elderly Emperor Palpatine are played by actor Ian McDiarmid, although the holographic image of the Emperor that briefly appeared in The Empire Strikes Back was played by an unnamed actor (a woman with the composited image of a lemur for the eyes) and was voiced by Clive Revill. For the 2004 DVD release of the Star Wars Trilogy, the scene in Episode V was reshot with Ian McDiarmid replacing Revill as the Emperor, with new lines recorded for both McDiarmid and James Earl Jones (the voice of Darth Vader). In the Clone Wars cartoon series, Nick Jameson voiced Palpatine.

The origin of the name "Palpatine" is not known. It may come from the word "palatine," meaning "relating to a palace," which is fitting for a supreme dictator. Some have speculated that it refers to Leonard Harris' character in Taxi Driver, Senator Palantine (note the difference in spelling.) Another theory suggests he was named for Palatine Hill, where Romulus and Remus were found and raised by she-wolf according to Roman mythology and where the palace of the Roman Emperors was located.

Several unsubstantiated rumors claim that Sidious/Palpatine shall make another appearance in the Expanded Universe, set not long after the New Jedi Order.