| Palpatine | |
|---|---|
| Star Wars character | |
 Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine [a] | |
| First appearance | The Empire Strikes Back |
| Created by | George Lucas |
| Portrayed by | Ian McDiarmid Marjorie Eaton [b][1][2] Elaine Baker |
| Voiced by |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Sheev Palpatine |
| Alias | Darth Sidious |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Sith Lord Senator of Naboo Supreme Chancellor Emperor |
| Affiliation |
|
| Family | |
| Master | Darth Plagueis |
| Apprentices |
|
Sheev Palpatine is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He first appeared in the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back as The Emperor. 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.[b] 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 strongman 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.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Gourley, Matt. "I Was There Too". earwolf.com. Earwolf. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
- ^ @pablohidalgo (October 26, 2016). "Okay here's what I've got. It is not Elaine Baker in the movie. @PhilTippett sculpted the piece and Rick applied it" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Agar, Chris (March 4, 2020). "Star Wars Confirms Rey's Father Is A Failed Palpatine Clone". Screen Rant. Valnet Inc. Archived from the original on March 5, 2020. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
- ^ Lussier, Germain (April 9, 2023). "Ian McDiarmid Has the Best Perspective On Palpatine's Star Wars Journey". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on September 23, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2023.