Who Is Palpatine? Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Villain Explained

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is bringing back a dangerous villain that was believed to be dead for years: Sheev Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious. Palpatine was the Galactic Emperor and Sith Lord who ruled the galaxy from the fall of the Galactic Republic to the rise of the Galactic Empire. Palpatine has been present in every Star Wars film from the Skywalker saga, one way or another – he was briefly mentioned in Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and his voice can be heard during Rey’s vision when touching Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

However, the last time viewers saw the Emperor on screen (in-universe timeline, that is) was in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, when Darth Vader threw him off a ledge down the Death Star’s reactor, an act that helped Darth Vader redeem himself and return to the light. With his death and that of Darth Vader, the Sith were destroyed – but as it turns out, Palpatine hasn’t been totally gone, and he’s the one behind Ben Solo/Kylo Ren’s corruption. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will see Palpatine’s return, and with that the reveal of what his real plan has been all along.

Palpatine is not a stranger to Star Wars fans, but those who are not familiar with the original trilogy and the prequels might feel a bit lost when it comes to this character and his importance in the Skywalker saga – though it’s also valid and understandable that even those who have watched all the films at some point don’t remember much about him. With Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker almost here, it’s a good time to take a look at who Palpatine really is.

Who Is Emperor Palpatine?

Sheev Palpatine is a native of Naboo who had an affinity with the Force but was seduced by the dark side. He led a double life for years: as Palpatine, he served as his homeworld’s representative in the galactic capital and became Supreme Chancellor, and manipulated everything from the inside and worked for the dark side as Darth Sidious. In other words, the identity of Palpatine was Sidious’ cover to create conflict and grant himself dictatorial emergency powers so he could eventually destroy the Republic. As Sith Lord, Palpatine had three apprentices: Darth Maul, Darth Tyranus (Dooku), and Darth Vader.

Emperor Palpatine Origin & Darth Plagueis

Palpatine met Sith Lord Darth Plagueis, who took him as an apprentice and gave him the name of Darth Sidious. Plagueis taught him everything he knew about the dark side of the Force, and Palpatine became aware of his master’s biggest discovery: the secret to eternal life. Plagueis was obsessed with extending his life as much as possible, and found a way to influence midi-chlorians to achieve this. Plagueis was very powerful, and even earned the epithet of “the wise”, but he failed to foresee his death by the hands of his apprentice. Sidious killed Plagueis in his sleep, as he had already learned everything he needed to from his master. Years later, he used this story to turn Anakin Skywalker to the dark side, as the young Jedi had been having premonitions of his wife’s death in childbirth, and was intrigued by Plagueis’ ability to prevent death.

Following Plagueis’ death, Sidious began seeking for an apprentice, which he found in Darth Maul, who he trained to be a weapon of the Sith thanks to Maul’s prowess and combat abilities. Sidious also managed to lure Jedi Master Dooku to the dark side, and took him as apprentice after the fall of Darth Maul. Palpatine was a master in manipulation, and used that talent to carry on with the Sith’s plan to supplant the Republic with a new Sith Empire and destroy the Jedi Order.

Emperor Palpatine Powers

Palpatine is one of the most dangerous characters in the galaxy as he had extreme levels of mastery over the powers of the dark side. He used Force lightning as a torture method and a deadly attack, as seen in Return of the Jedi when he attacked Luke in front of Darth Vader, and in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith when he killed Mace Windu. He was so skilled in Force lightning that he could strike multiple enemies at once. Palpatine could also produce a dark aura, which consists in charging the air around the caster with malicious Force energy, damaging those caught within its radius.

He was also highly skilled with telekinesis and Force choke, and was really good at foreseeing the future, which allowed him to prepare for almost any contingency. Palpatine was proficient in Sith magic, the use of Force Persuade and Force Dash, he could communicate telepathically with Darth Vader over a distance of hundreds of light-years, and could sense the thoughts and feelings of others, including those of powerful Force adepts like Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. In addition to all that, he was also skilled in lightsaber combat.

Emperor Palpatine’s Sith Master Plan & Darth Vader

The Sith had a plan that had been in the making for centuries, and its main goal was to destroy the Jedi Order and tear down the Galactic Republic, making way for the Sith Empire to rise. The plan consisted on infiltrating the Republic and hijacking it from within, so it’s easy to see why Palpatine succeeded in fulfilling the plan. The Sith’s takeover impacted politics, economics, society, and the organization and philosophy for Force-users. There was a re-alignment of both sides of the Force and Palpatine brought the Sith’s Rule of Two to an end, allowing him to train many new dark side adepts. The Emperor ruled the galaxy for a long time with Darth Vader as his last apprentice, and his reign remained unchallenged until the emergence of the Alliance, which prompted the Galactic Civil War.

As for Darth Vader, Palpatine was aware of Anakin Skywalker’s Force abilities and the visions he had of his wife’s death, which made it easy for him to turn Skywalker to the dark side. Palpatine took him as apprentice and gave him the name of Darth Vader – but not before appointing him as his representative to the Jedi Council, which was all part of his plan. It was through Vader that Palpatine was able to destroy almost all Jedi, and he was aware that Vader was an important part in the Empire’s survival, which is why he made sure he survived after being dismembered and burned in Mustafar. However, and just like Plagueis, Palpatine was killed by his apprentice – or so was believed.

Emperor Palpatine Returns In The Rise of Skywalker

The Emperor’s come back is the biggest surprise that the Star Wars sequels have brought. His return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was revealed in the first trailer, but he hasn’t physically appeared in any trailers or TV spots. However, one of the final teasers confirmed he’s the one behind Kylo Ren’s corruption, manipulating him through Snoke and Darth Vader’s mask. Exactly how and why he’s back is, perhaps, the biggest question the film has to answer, but fans have come up with a couple of theories.

The most popular one says he transferred his essence into a nearby relic, that being Darth Vader’s mask, which explains how Kylo has been communicating with it. Another theory that has drawn a lot of attention is one that says Palpatine is actually Darth Plagueis. On his quest to defeat death, Plagueis killed Palpatine and took over his body, thus extending his life by using another body. This theory would explain why Palpatine is so obsessed with the Skywalkers, as he needs a new, powerful body to continue living, and the Skywalkers (Anakin, Luke, Kylo) are the perfect hosts.

Palpatine’s return helps bring together all the films in the Skywalker saga and further establishes him as the biggest threat in the galaxy (and a very powerful one). It’s yet to be seen if he still has full use of his powers, but even if he doesn’t, his manipulation and strategy skills alone are enough for him to continue being one of the most dangerous characters in the Star Wars universe.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
(3274 Articles Published)

Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

More From Adrienne Tyler