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Palpatine is a fictional character in George Lucas' science fiction saga Star Wars. Palpatine, portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in the feature films, is the main antagonist of the saga; he is introduced in the original trilogy as the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, an aged, cowled and pale-faced figure, who rises to power in the prequel trilogy through deception and treachery as a middle-aged politician of the Republic. Secretly, Palpatine is Darth Sidious, a Dark Lord of the Sith who initiates and manipulates the Clone Wars to destroy the Jedi and usher in the totalitarian Galactic Empire.
Mentioned by Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), the Emperor was characterized as a weak but cunning politician under the control of powerful bureaucrats in Lucas' original scripts of Star Wars.
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Quotations
A Jedi gains power through understanding, and a Sith gains understanding through power.
(to Anakin in the novelization)
A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.
(on his nomination to become Chancellor)
After you have killed all the Jedi in the Temple, go to the Mustafar system, wipe out Viceroy Gunray and the other Separatist leaders.
Anakin, I told you it would come to this.… The Jedi are taking over.
(as Mace Windu threatens Palpatine with his lightsaber)
And now, young Skywalker … you will die.
(last words before Vader/Anakin turns on him)
And the Jedi rebellion has been foiled. The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated.
Encyclopedia
Palpatine is a fictional character in George Lucas' science fiction saga Star Wars. Palpatine, portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in the feature films, is the main antagonist of the saga; he is introduced in the original trilogy as the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, an aged, cowled and pale-faced figure, who rises to power in the prequel trilogy through deception and treachery as a middle-aged politician of the Republic. Secretly, Palpatine is Darth Sidious, a Dark Lord of the Sith who initiates and manipulates the Clone Wars to destroy the Jedi and usher in the totalitarian Galactic Empire.
Mentioned by Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), the Emperor was characterized as a weak but cunning politician under the control of powerful bureaucrats in Lucas' original scripts of Star Wars. However, in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the prequels, and Star Wars literature, the character is depicted as the personification of evil and heavy-handed authoritarianism. Palpatine was incorporated into the Star Wars merchandising campaigns that corresponded with the theatrical release of Return of the Jedi and the prequel films. The character has since become a symbol of evil and sinister deception in popular culture.
Appearances
Star Wars films
Original trilogy
As the Emperor, Palpatine made his first appearance in The Empire Strikes Back as the leader of the Galactic Empire and the Sith master of Darth Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones). The Emperor contacts Vader via holographic communication to tell him of a "great disturbance in the Force", and warn him that Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is becoming a threat. Vader convinces the Emperor that Skywalker would be an asset if he could be turned to the dark side of the Force.
In Return of the Jedi, the final episode of the original trilogy (and chronologically the entire Star Wars film saga), the Emperor arrives on the second Death Star to oversee the last stages of its construction. When a Rebel strike team that includes Skywalker lands on nearby Endor, Vader senses Skywalker's presence. Skywalker believes he can save Vader, his father, from the dark side, and the Emperor believes that this hope will lead to his downfall. Luke surrenders to Imperial stormtroopers on Endor and is delivered to the Emperor. Palpatine, who plans to replace Vader with Luke as his apprentice, tempts the young Jedi to the dark side by appealing to his fear for his friends. This leads to a lightsaber duel in which Skywalker defeats Vader. Skywalker, however, refuses to turn to the dark side, and the Emperor attacks him with Force lightning. At the last moment, Vader, once again Anakin, turns on his master and throws him into the Death Star's reactor shaft, killing him.
Prequel trilogy
In Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, set 32 years before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Palpatine is introduced as the senior Galactic Senator from the planet Naboo. The Trade Federation blockades and invades Naboo under the influence and advice of Palpatine's Sith alter ego, Darth Sidious. Queen Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) flees to the galactic capital planet of Coruscant to receive counsel from the senator. After a plea for help from the senate results in bureaucratic delays, Palpatine persuades her to make a motion to have Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum (Terence Stamp) removed from office. Palpatine, as Sidious, sends his Sith apprentice Darth Maul (Ray Park) to Naboo to oversee the invasion and find the queen. The invasion, however, is thwarted by Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor); in the ensuing lightsaber duel, both Maul and Jinn are killed. Palpatine returns to Naboo, having been elected the new Chancellor. He tells nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) that he will be "watching [his] career with great interest".
In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, set ten years later, the galaxy is on the verge of civil war, as a growing Separatist movement of planets seeks to secede from the Republic to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems. They are led by Count Dooku (Christopher Lee), a former Jedi and Darth Sidious' new apprentice. After Kenobi discovers that the Separatists are building a secret battle droid army, Palpatine uses the situation to have himself granted emergency powers. Palpatine feigns reluctance to accept this authority, promising to return it to the Senate once the crisis has ended. His first act is to create an army of cloned human warriors (the Grand Army of the Republic) to counter the Separatist threat. The clones had recently been discovered by Kenobi as having been secretly ordered by deceased Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas many years earlier. Palpatine is also influential in having Anakin (Hayden Christensen) guard Padmé, which leads to their marriage at the end of the film.
In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, set three years later, Palpatine is captured by Separatist leader General Grievous (Matthew Wood). Palpatine is rescued by Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, but not before the Jedi confront Count Dooku; Skywalker decapitates him in cold blood during the lightsaber duel, at Palpatine's urging. By this point, Palpatine has used the crisis to become a virtual dictator in the Senate. The Jedi Council, as well as a number of Senators, are troubled by Palpatine's power and fears he will not relinquish it when the Clone Wars end. Palpatine raises the Jedi's suspicions further when he has the Senate grant him direct control over the Jedi Council, and appoints Anakin as his personal representative, effectively granting him a vote in Jedi affairs. He tries to turn Anakin against the Jedi by suggesting that he deserves the rank of Jedi Master, which the Council refuses him. The Council orders Anakin to spy on Palpatine, but he instead reveals the Jedi's plan to him. Palpatine tells Anakin the story of Darth Plagueis, a powerful Sith Lord who was able to manipulate life and death, but was killed by his apprentice (hinted to be Sidious himself). Palpatine reveals his secret identity to Anakin and tempts him with promises of power over life and death. Palpatine knows that Anakin has been having visions of Padmé, who is now pregnant with Anakin's child, dying in childbirth and offers to teach him Plagueis' secrets to save her life. Confused, Anakin informs Jedi Master Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) that Palpatine is a Sith Lord. Windu and a group of fellow Jedi Masters go to arrest Palpatine, but the Chancellor surprises them with a lightsaber and quickly dispatches all but Windu. In the ensuing duel, Windu gains the upper hand, deforming Palpatine's face by deflecting his own Force lightning back at him. He is poised to execute the Sith Lord when Anakin appears and intercedes on Palpatine's behalf, cutting off Windu's hand. Palpatine shoots Windu with another blast of lightning, hurtling him through the window to his death. Palpatine then accepts Anakin as his new apprentice, Darth Vader.
Palpatine then sets the destruction of the Jedi in motion: he sends Vader to destroy the Jedi Temple and instructs all of the clone troopers to kill their Jedi generals. He then sends Vader to Mustafar to wipe out the Separatist leaders. He announces to the Senate that the Jedi were planning to overthrow the Republic, and that the Republic will be reorganized into the Galactic Empire, with himself as Emperor for life. Jedi Master Yoda (Frank Oz) returns to Coruscant and confronts Palpatine in his Senate office. A lightsaber duel erupts between them which ends in stalemate, forcing Yoda to retreat into exile. Sensing his apprentice is in trouble, Palpatine travels to Mustafar, where he finds Vader maimed and burned almost to the point of death following a duel with Kenobi. Palpatine returns to Coruscant with Vader and provides him with the black armor suit first seen in the original trilogy. When Vader regains consciousness, Palpatine tells him that he (Vader) killed his own wife in anger, breaking what remains of his apprentice's spirit. Palpatine is last seen watching the first Death Star under construction with Vader at his side. It has been stated by Lucas that Palpatine does not consider himself to be evil, rather a saviour, who thinks what he is doing is benefitial to the galaxy.
Clone Wars miniseries
Palpatine is a central character in Genndy Tartakovsky's Star Wars: Clone Wars, an animated miniseries set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The character is based on McDiarmid's likeness in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. In the first chapter, Obi-Wan informs Palpatine that the Jedi have discovered that the InterGalactic Banking Clan has established battle droid factories on the planet Muunilinst. Palpatine agrees to send a strike force that includes Obi-Wan and Anakin, but Palpatine suggests that Anakin be given "special command" of Obi-Wan's fighters. Yoda and Obi-Wan initially speak against it, but reluctantly concede to the Chancellor. In another chapter, Darth Sidious appears to Count Dooku as a holographic image shortly after Dooku trains Asajj Ventress, a Force-sensitive female Rattatakian adept in the dark side. Sidious orders her to track down and kill Anakin Skywalker. He remarks to Count Dooku that her failure is certain, but the point of her mission is to test Anakin. Chapter 22 features the training of General Grievous by Count Dooku. Darth Sidious appears as a hologram and orders Grievous to begin the special mission: an assault on the galactic capital. The Separatist invasion of Coruscant begins in the next episode, and Palpatine watches from the window in his private residence. He is protected by Jedi Shaak Ti, Roron Corobb, and Foul Moudama. Grievous breaks through the Chancellor's window and kidnaps him. Grievous kills Roron and Foul and captures Shaak Ti as Palpatine is taken to the Invisible Hand, Grievous's flagship.
Star Wars literature
Star Wars Expanded Universe literature elaborates on Palpatine's role in Star Wars fiction outside of the films. The first appearance of Palpatine in Star Wars literature was in Alan Dean Foster's (writing as George Lucas) novelization of the script of A New Hope, published as Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker (1976). Foster characterizes Palpatine as a cunning Senator who "caused himself" to be elected president, and then declared himself Emperor before becoming controlled by his advisors.
Palpatine made his first major appearance in the Expanded Universe in 1991 and 1992 with the Dark Empire series of comic books written by Tom Veitch and illustrated by Cam Kennedy. In the series, set six years after Return of the Jedi, Palpatine is resurrected as the Emperor Reborn or Palpatine the Undying. His spirit returns from the netherworld of the Force with the aid of Sith ghosts on Korriban and possesses the body of Jeng Droga, one of Palpatine's elite spies and assassins known as the Emperor's Hands. Droga flees to a secret Imperial base on the planet Byss, where the Emperor's advisor Sate Pestage exorcises Palpatine's spirit and channels it into one of many clones created by Palpatine before his death. Palpatine attempts to resume control of the galaxy, but his plans are sabotaged by Luke Skywalker, who is now a Jedi Master. He destroys most of Palpatine's cloning tanks, but is only able to defeat the Emperor with Princess Leia's help.
Palpatine's ultimate fate is further chronicled in the Dark Empire II and Empire's End series of comics. The Dark Empire II series, published from 1994 to 1995, details how the Emperor is once again reborn on Byss into a clone body. Palpatine tries to rebuild the Empire as the Rebel Alliance grows weak. In Empire's End (1995), a traitorous Imperial guard bribes Palpatine's cloning supervisor to tamper with the Emperor's stored DNA samples. This causes the clones to deteriorate at a rapid rate. Palpatine attempts to possess the body of Anakin Solo, the infant son of Princess Leia and Han Solo, before the clone body dies, but is thwarted once again by Luke Skywalker. Palpatine is killed by a blaster shot fired by Han, and his spirit is captured by a wounded Jedi named Empatojayos Brand, who uses his remaining strength to prevent Palpatine's spirit from escaping. When Brand dies, he takes Palpatine's spirit to the netherworld with him, destroying the Sith Lord once and for all.
Novels and comics published before 1999 focus on Palpatine's role as Galactic Emperor. Shadows of the Empire (1996) by Steve Perry and The Mandalorian Armor (1998) by K. W. Jeter — all set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi — show how Palpatine uses crime lords such as Prince Xizor and bounty hunters like Boba Fett to fight his enemies. Barbara Hambly's novel Children of the Jedi (1995), set eight years after Return of the Jedi, features a woman named Roganda Ismaren who claims that Palpatine fathered her son Irek. The Jedi Prince series of novels introduces an insane, three-eyed mutant named Triclops as Palpatine's true son.
Beginning in 1999 with Terry Brooks' novelization of The Phantom Menace, Star Wars writers chronicled the role of Palpatine prior to A New Hope as a politician and Sith Lord. The comic "Marked" by Rob Williams, printed in Star Wars Tales 24 (2005), and Michael Reaves's novel Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter (2001) explain Darth Sidious's relationship with his apprentice Darth Maul. Cloak of Deception (2001) by James Luceno follows Reaves's novel and details how Darth Sidious encourages the Trade Federation to build an army of battle droids in preparation for the invasion of Naboo. Cloak of Deception also focuses on Palpatine's early political career. It is revealed how he becomes a confidante of Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum and acquainted with Padmé Amidala, newly elected queen of Naboo. Palpatine's role during the Clone Wars as Supreme Chancellor and Darth Sidious is explained in novels such as Matthew Stover's Shatterpoint (2003), Steven Barnes' The Cestus Deception (2004), Sean Stewart's Yoda: Dark Rendezvous (2004), and Luceno's Labyrinth of Evil (2005).
Following the theatrical release of Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars literature focused on Palpatine's role after the creation of the Empire. John Ostrander's comic Star Wars Republic 78: Loyalties (2005) chronicles how Emperor Palpatine sends Darth Vader to assassinate Sagoro Autem, an Imperial captain who wants nothing to do with the new government and plans to defect. In Luceno's novel Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader (2005), set shortly after Revenge of the Sith, the Emperor sends Darth Vader to the planet Murkhana to discover why clone troopers there refused to carry out Order 66 against their Jedi generals. Palpatine hopes these early missions will teach Vader what it means to be a Sith and crush any remnants of Anakin Skywalker.
Characteristics
In Star Wars fiction, Palpatine is described as a manipulative and ambitious politician, a ruthless emperor, and an evil Sith Lord. The Star Wars Databank describes him as "the supreme ruler of the most powerful tyrannical regime the galaxy had ever witnessed" and Stephen J. Sansweet's Star Wars Encyclopedia calls him "evil incarnate". In A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader is depicted as the ultimate Star Wars villain, but as critic James Berardinelli notes, "With the arrival of the Emperor (a gaunt-looking Ian McDiarmid) [in Return of the Jedi], Vader has turned into a second fiddle." Darth Vader himself reminds Moff Jerjerrod, "The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am."
As a Senator, Palpatine is portrayed as "unassuming yet ambitious". In Cloak of Deception, James Luceno writes that Palpatine carefully guards his privacy and "others found his reclusiveness intriguing, as if he led a secret life". Despite this, he has many allies in the government. Luceno writes, "What Palpatine lacked in charisma, he made up for in candor, and it was that directness that had led to his widespread appeal in the senate. ... For in his heart he judged the universe on his own terms, with a clear sense of right and wrong." In Terry Brooks' novelization of The Phantom Menace, Senator Palpatine claims to embrace democratic principles. He tells Queen Amidala, "I promise, Your Majesty, if I am elected [Supreme Chancellor], I will restore democracy to the Republic. I will put an end to the corruption that has plagued the Senate." A Visual Dictionary states that he is a self-proclaimed savior.
As Emperor, Palpatine abandons any semblance of democracy. Sansweet states, "His Empire ... was based on tyranny, hatred of nonhumans, brutal and lethal force, and, above all else, constant fear." In Matthew Stover's novelization of Revenge of the Sith, Count Dooku anticipates the coming of the new government: "A government clean, pure, direct: none of the messy scramble for the favor of ignorant rabble and subhuman creatures that made up the Republic he so despised. The government he would serve would be Authority personified. Human authority." The Emperor enforces his will through clandestine, Force-sensitive agents known as the Emperor's Hands. The Star Wars Encyclopedia calls them "the Emperor's eyes and ears throughout the galaxy" who "communicate with him ... through the Force." Prominent Hands include Mara Jade and Roganda Ismaren.
The apprentice of Darth Plagueis, Palpatine is "the most powerful practitioner of the Sith ways in modern times." The comic Sithisis by Derek Thompson, printed in Star Wars: Visionaries (2005), reveals the extent of Darth Sidious's power as he performs a terrifying Sith ritual that manipulates people and places across the galaxy. Palpatine is so powerful that he is able to mask his true identity from the Jedi. In Shatterpoint, Mace Windu remarks to Yoda, "A shame [Palpatine] can't touch the Force. He might have been a fine Jedi."
The Star Wars Databank moreover explains that the Force "granted him inhuman dexterity and speed, agility enough to quickly kill three Jedi Masters" in seconds, all of which were on the council. Stover describes the duel between Yoda and Palpatine in his novelization of Revenge of the Sith thus: "From the shadow of a black wing, a small weapon ... slid into a withered hand and spat a flame-colored blade[.] When the blades met it was more than Yoda against Palpatine, more the millennia of Sith against the legions of Jedi; this was the expression of the fundamental conflict of the universe itself. Light against dark. Winner take all." During the duel, Yoda realizes, "He had lost before he started."
According to the Databank and New Essential Guide to Characters, Palpatine possesses great patience and his maneuverings are as a dejarik grandmaster moves pieces on a board. He is depicted as a diabolical genius.
Concept and creation
Lucas's conceptualization of Palpatine and the role the character plays in Star Wars changed over time. From Return of the Jedi onwards, Palpatine became the ultimate personification of evil in Star Wars, replacing Darth Vader as the central villain.
Character creation
When the original Star Wars trilogy was filmed, the Emperor was unnamed and his throne world unidentified. In Lucas's early draft scripts of Star Wars, the Emperor was identified as Cos Dashit. In one version, he rules from the Imperial throne world of Alderaan, while in a draft of Return of the Jedi the throne world is called Had Abbadon. Though it would not be used in film until the prequel trilogy, the first mention of the name Palpatine was in the prologue of the 1976 A New Hope novelization in describing Palpatine's rise to power. It is unclear, however, if Palpatine was, at the time, intended by Lucas to be the then-reigning Emperor. In any case, the name attached to the sole (as it was later decided) Emperor before the prequel trilogy was created.
Foster writes that the Republic "rotted from within though the danger was not visible from the outside." He explains,
The initial descriptions of Palpatine were replaced in Return of the Jedi by a powerful, dictatorial ruler adept in the dark side of the Force. The Emperor was inspired by the villain Ming the Merciless from the Flash Gordon comic books. Lucas explained in an interview that he also patterned the Emperor after several historical figures, including Julius Caesar, Joseph Stalin, Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler. Lucas said, "The whole point of the movies, the underlying element that makes the movies work, is that you, whether you go backwards or forwards, you start out in a democracy, and democracy turns into a dictatorship, and then the rebels make it back into a democracy."
Film historian Laurent Bouzereau reports that Lucas and Leigh Brackett decided that "the Emperor and the Force had to be the two main concerns in the [Empire Strikes Back]; the Emperor had barely been dealt with in the first movie, and the intention in the sequel was to deal with him on a more concrete level." Instead, Lucas decided to feature the Emperor in Return of the Jedi.
Lucas wanted to establish the Emperor as the true source of evil in Star Wars. Screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan noted, "My sense of the relationship [between Darth Vader and the Emperor] is that the Emperor is much more powerful ... and that Vader is very much intimidated by him. Vader has dignity, but the Emperor in Jedi really has all the power." He explained that the climax of the film is a confrontation between Darth Vader and his master. In the first scene that shows the Emperor, he arrives at the Death Star and is greeted by a host of stormtroopers, technicians, and other personnel. Lucas states he wanted it to look like the military parades on "May Day in Russia".
Palpatine's role in The Phantom Menace is to explain "how Anakin Skywalker came to be [Palpatine's] apprentice" and the events that lead to his rise to power. The true identity of Darth Sidious — the phantom menace — is left a mystery, and his relationship to Palpatine is not clear. Film critic Jonathan L. Bowen remarks, "Debates raged on the Internet concerning the relationship between Darth Sidious and Senator Palpatine. Most fans believed the two characters are actually the same person with logic seeming to support their conclusion." Bowen notes that the debate was fueled by the fact that "suspiciously Darth Sidious does not appear in the credits."
Ian McDiarmid on Palpatine
When the Emperor first appeared on film in The Empire Strikes Back, he was portrayed by an unidentified old woman in prosthetic make-up. Chimpanzee eyes were superimposed into darkened eye sockets during post-production "in order to create a truly unsettling image". The character was voiced by Clive Revill. In the 2004 DVD release of The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition, the old woman was replaced by McDiarmid and the dialogue between the Emperor and Darth Vader was revised. During production of Revenge of the Sith, Lucas decided to shoot new footage for Empire Strikes Back to preserve continuity between the prequels and original trilogy.
Lucas and Return of the Jedi director Richard Marquand cast British Shakespearean actor Ian McDiarmid to play Emperor Palpatine. He was in his mid-30s and had never played a leading role in a feature film, though he'd made minor appearances in films like Dragonslayer (1981). After Return of the Jedi, he resumed stage acting in London.
In an interview with BackStage, McDiarmid revealed that he "never had his sights set on a film career and never even auditioned for the role of Palpatine." He elaborated, "I got called in for the interview after a Return of the Jedi casting director saw me perform in the Sam Shepard play Seduced at a studio theatre at the Royal Court. I was playing a dying Howard Hughes."
McDiarmid was surprised when Lucas approached him 16 years after Return of the Jedi to reprise the role of Palpatine. In an interview, he stated, "When we were doing Return of the Jedi there was a rumor that George Lucas had nine films in his head, and he'd clearly just completed three of them." McDiarmid added, "Someone said that, 'Oh, I think what he might do next is go back in time, and show how Vader came to be.' It never occurred to me in a million years that I would be involved in that, because I thought, 'oh well, then he'll get a much younger actor [to play Palpatine].' That would be obvious." However, "I was the right age, ironically, for the first prequel when it was made. ... So I was in the very strange and rather wonderful paradox of playing myself when young at my own age, having played myself previously when 100-and-I-don't-know-what."
Recalling the initial days of shooting The Phantom Menace, McDiarmid stated, "Stepping onto the set of Episode I for the first time was like going back in time, due to my experience in Jedi. Palpatine's an interesting character; he's conventional on the outside, but demonic on the inside — he's on the edge, trying to go beyond what's possible." McDiarmid added another layer to the character in Attack of the Clones. He noted, "[Palpatine] is a supreme actor. He has to be even more convincing than somebody who isn't behaving in a schizophrenic fashion, so he's extra charming, or extra professional — and for those who are looking for clues, that's almost where you can see them." McDiarmid illuminated on the scene where Padmé Amidala is almost assassinated:
In Revenge of the Sith, McDiarmid played a darker interpretation of the character. He explained that "[...]when you're playing a character of solid blackness, that in itself is very interesting, in the sense that you have no other motivation other than the accumulation of power. It's not so much about not having a moral center, it's just that the only thing that mattered is increasing power." He admitted, "I've been trying to find a redeeming feature to Palpatine, and the only one I've got so far is that he's clearly a patron of the arts because he goes to the opera." McDiarmid compared the character to Iago from Shakespeare's Othello:
McDiarmid noticed that the script for Revenge of the Sith demanded more action from his character than in previous films. Lightsaber combat was a challenge to the 60-year-old actor, who, like his costars, took fencing lessons. The close-up shots of the duel between Palpatine and Mace Windu were performed by McDiarmid. Advanced fencing and acrobatic stunts were executed by McDiarmid's doubles, Michael Byrne, Sebastian Dickins, and Bob Bowles.
McDiarmid's performance as Palpatine was generally well-received by critics. Todd McCarthy of Variety commented, "Entertaining from start to finish and even enthralling at times, 'Sith' has some acting worth writing home about, specifically McDiarmid's dominant turn as the mastermind of the evil empire." A reviewer for The Village Voice wrote that "Ian McDiarmid's unctuous Emperor turns appropriately vampiric as he attempts to draw Anakin into the Sith fold with promises of eternal life." Still, his performance was not without detractors; David Edelstein of Slate critiqued, "McDiarmid isn't the subtlest of satanic tempters. With his lisp and his clammy little leer, he looks like an old queen keen on trading an aging butt-boy (Count Dooku) for fresh meat — which leaves Anakin looking more and more like a 15-watt bulb."
Make-up and costumes
Ian McDiarmid required little make-up in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. He recalled, "I'm ... slightly aged [in Attack of the Clones]. In the last film, I had a fairly standard make-up on, but now, they're starting to crinkle my face." Transforming McDiarmid into Emperor Palpatine in Return of the Jedi and Revenge of the Sith, however, required extensive make-up. McDiarmid remarked in an interview with Star Wars Insider magazine, "Yes — that was a four-hour job, initially, although we got it down to about two-and-a-half in the end. But this was just a little bit of latex here and there, a little bit of skin-scrunching." He told the Homing Beacon newsletter, "When my face changes in the film, my mind went back to the early silent movie of The Phantom of the Opera with Lon Chaney." Film critic Roger Ebert wrote that he "looks uncannily like Death in The Seventh Seal" (1957) and film historian Robin Wood compares him to the witch from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and the "Black Cowled Monk" in Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky.
Palpatine's wardrobe, tailored by costume designer Trisha Biggar, played an important part in the development of the character throughout the films. In Attack of the Clones, explained McDiarmid, "The costumes ... have got much more edge to them, I think, than the mere Senator had [in The Phantom Menace]. So we see the trappings of power." In the next episode, McDiarmid remarked, "To wear the costumes as the character I play is wonderfully empowering." McDiarmid's favorite costume in Revenge of the Sith was a high-collared jacket that resembles snake or lizard skin. He stated that "it just feels reptilian, which is exactly right for [Palpatine]." According to Trisha Biggar, Palpatine's costumes proved the most daunting challenge. She said, "His six costumes get progressively darker and more ornately decorated throughout the movie. He wears grays and browns, almost going to black, taking him toward the dark side."
Palpatine in popular culture
With the premiere of Return of the Jedi and the prequel films and the accompanying merchandising campaign, Palpatine became an icon in American popular culture. Kenner/Hasbro produced and marketed a series of action figures of the character from 1983 to 2005. According to John Shelton Lawrence and Robert Jewett, "These action figures allow children ('4 & up') to handle the symbols of the Force."
Academics have debated the relationship of Palpatine to modern culture. Religion scholars Ross Shepard Kraemer, William Cassidy, and Susan Schwartz compare Palpatine and Star Wars heroes to the theological concept of dualism. They insist, "One can certainly picture the evil emperor in Star Wars as Satan, complete with his infernal powers, leading his faceless minions such as his red-robed Imperial Guards." Lawrence and Jewett argue that the killing of Palpatine in Return of the Jedi represented "the permanent subduing of evil". They assert that the "notion that the Light Side must battle against the Dark Side is a hoary artifact of European- and American-style crusades against evil" and "antithetical to the democratic understanding of governance."
Palpatine in mass media
Palpatine's role in popular culture extends beyond the Star Wars universe and its fans. Since the release of Return of the Jedi, Palpatine has become synonymous in American mass media with evil, deception, manipulation, and power. The character is used as a literary device — either as a simile or metaphor — to emphasize these traits. For example, one of the characters from Orland Outland's novel Every Man for Himself (1999) is described as "rubbing his hands together in imitation of the emperor in Return of the Jedi." He says, "Everything is happening exactly as I have foreseen!"
In film and television, Palpatine's likeness is similarly used as a parody. Animated television series such as The Simpsons, American Dad!, and Family Guy have employed Palpatine's image to satirize characters and public figures. For instance, "Deacon Stan, Jesus Man," an episode of American Dad! portrays George W. Bush's former senior advisor, Karl Rove, as Palpatine from Revenge of the Sith. The main character, Stan Smith, uses Rove to help him become a deacon at his church through deceit. He is also set to appear as the main villain in the series Kingdom Comedy, which will debut in 2010.
Since Return of the Jedi and the prequel films, Palpatine's name has been invoked as a caricature in politics. The liberal website BuzzFlash remarked in 2004, "When we saw ... [Senator] Zell Miller [of Georgia] giving his invective at the RNC, we knew it reminded us of someone. We just couldn't place it until we realized it was the hate in Zell's eyes, his skin and the way it looks like that hate is eating his soul. Then we remembered: he reminded us of the evil Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars. (We didn't know the Emperor had a name until this morning.)" A Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorial noted that anti-pork bloggers were caricaturing West Virginia senator Robert Byrd as "the Emperor Palpatine of pork" with Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska having "clear aspirations to be his Darth Vader." The charge followed a report that linked a secret hold on the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 to the two senators. The day after Mitt Romney was elected governor in 2003, the announcement was made by WBCN with the Imperial March as background music. Politicians have made comparisons as well. In 2005, Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey compared Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee to Palpatine in a speech on the Senate floor, complete with a visual aid. Former Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman has also been referred to as Palpatine, for their superficial resemblance as well as preoccupation with national security over civil liberties.
A Fox News editorial stated, "No cultural icon can exist without someone trying to stuff it into a political ideology. The Star Wars saga, the greatest pop culture icon of the last three decades, is no exception... Palpatine's dissolution of the Senate in favor of imperial rule has been compared to Julius Caesar's marginalization of the Roman Senate, Hitler's power-grab as chancellor, and FDR's court-packing scheme and creation of the imperial presidency."
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