When, in 1977, the world discovered Star Wars through Episode I: A New Hope, most viewers thought the true villain — and the greatest expression of evil — was Darth Vader. Soon they would discover the truth. A more powerful Sith existed, a shadow that would darken the Galaxy for more than half a century. This villain was Lord Sith Darth Sidious.
Before emerging as Darth Sidious, he was a prominent politician, known as the honourable but ambitious Senator
Palpatine.
Darth Sidious was born in Naboo, 36 years before the birth of Anakin Skywalker, who would later, devastatingly, turn to the Dark side and become the Sith apprentice Darth Vader.
But where did Palpatine's own darkness come from? How did he become the most powerful Sith? Palpatine was instructed by the mysterious Dark Lord Darth Plagueis, approximately eighty years before the Battle of Yavin. This training is the beginning of Darth Sidious.
Darth Plagueis passed on his knowledge of the Dark side to Sidious, but what he did not know was that his apprentice would kill him while he slept. Darth Sidious's evil ways began young. He gained all of his master's knowledge, then killed him, becoming the most powerful Sith in the Galaxy.
Later, with his political power as the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic and his powers as a Sith Lord, Sidious was able to create the Empire, taking on the mantle of the Emperor.
In Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi, Darth Sidious meets his end by the hand of his own apprentice, Darth Vader. Sidious had created a battle between Vader (previously Anakin Skywalker) and his son, Luke Skywalker.
When Luke prevails in the fight, Sidious attempts to lure him to the Dark side of the Force. Luke refuses and Sidious attacks him with all his power. Here's when the prophecy of "the chosen one" is finally fulfilled. Darth Vader rejects the Dark side and throws the Emperor into a generator, killing him.
That was not actually the end of Lord Sith Darth Sidious, however. Beyond the films, the expanded universe narrates the story of the Emperor revived by clones using powerful Jedi and Sith techniques.
Homeworld: Naboo
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Height: 1.78 meters
Weapon: Lightsabre
Vehicle: Republic Gunship
Affiliation: Sith, Galactic Republic and Galactic Empire
Associations: Sith Legion and Jedi Order
Sign up for the Daily Briefing
Get the latest news and updates straight to your inbox
Network Links
GN StoreDownload our app
© Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2026. All rights reserved.