During E3 2018, EA announced the coming of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, to be created by Respawn Entertainment. It was also said the game would take place between episodes 3 and 4 in the Star Wars canon timeline. While the game may still be a couple of years off from being released, fans are excited to explore a time period in which few stories have been developed on since Disney purchased Lucasfilm and created their own new canon.
Many are speculating Kanan Jarrus (Caleb Dume) will be the main protagonist of the game, with Darth Vader and the Inquisitors of the Empire being the villains. Amongst all this speculating, however, most are forgetting about Emperor Palpatine. Why? Because he’s always been somewhat of a mystery in the Star Wars franchise to casual and even die-hard fans. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order could be the beginning of a new string of stories to be released regarding Emperor Palpatine and his secret identity as Darth Sidious.
In addition to Respawn Entertainments Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Lucasfilm has also greenlit a television series to be written and produced by Jon Favreau, along with a new animated series coming in the fall of 2018 to be written and produced by Dave Filoni. Each of these new projects could tap into the mystery of Emperor Palpatine, exploring his story and works during the gap of time between episodes 3 and 4 in the Star Wars franchise.
To help casual and die-hard Star Wars fans get up to speed for the upcoming content to be released by Disney and Lucasfilm, we’ve put together all the crazy things Emperor Palpatine did between episodes 3 and 4.
20 He Tried To Gain Access To The World Between Worlds
Emperor Palpatine hired Minister Veris Hydan to explore how to enter the Jedi Temple on Lothal. The goal was to reach a place known as the World Between Worlds. Ezra beats Minister Hydan and Palpatine to the punch but the Sith Lord is quickly onto Ezra via the use of alchemy.
Palpatine can visibly see and connect with Ezra through Sith magic but is still locked out of the World Between Worlds. He tries to manipulate Ezra into opening a passageway for him, however, the young Jedi escapes Palpatine’s grasp and manages to seal off the Jedi Temple for good by destroying it.
19 Emperor Palpatine Formed The Inquisitor Program
Most assume Darth Vader was the leader of the Inquisitor’s, especially after his act of eliminating Younglings in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Yet, Emperor Palpatine had other ways in which he intended to use Vader, leaving the clean-up of order 66 to his newly formed Inquisitor Program.
Most of the Inquisitor’s were force sensitive rejects whom Palpatine recruited with the promise of one day being a Sith apprentice. The emperor helped develop a new form of lightsaber which was double bladed and could rotate in a quick circular motion, giving the inquisitors an edge over surviving Jedi and Padawans.
18 He Lost Control Of Darth Maul
The relationship between Darth Sidious and Darth Maul is an interesting one. Prior to The Clone Wars, Palpatine had enlisted Maul as an apprentice to stir up trouble in the galaxy. After Darth Maul’s defeat in The Phantom Menace (by Obi-Wan Kenobi), he continued to follow his trained path in disrupting the galaxy, even Emperor Palpatine’s plans at times.
And yet, Palpatine continued to let Darth Maul live and do as he essentially pleased (knowing chaos usually benefited him in some way).
What Palpatine didn’t expect, was that Maul would indirectly strengthen Ezra Bridger as a young Jedi. Even after Darth Maul was finally extinguished by Obi-Wan (for the second time), the damage towards the Empire was already done.
17 He Put His Throne On Top Of Jedi Temple
The Jedi and Sith don’t haphazardly pick real estate regarding the placement of their temples and places of power. Emperor Palpatine was aware of this, having studied the history of the Jedi and Sith extensively.
Once the Jedi Temple was purged of its occupants and the archives were stripped of useful knowledge, Emperor Palpatine swooped in and had his new base of operations built where the Jedi Temple in Coruscant once stood for over a thousand years. Disney has yet to expand on the Legends stories, which tell of a dark ancient power the Jedi Temple once covered up and now flowed into Emperor Palpatine’s new throne.
16 He Put Himself At Risk Out Of Boredom
Emperor Palpatine was closer to achieving his ultimate goals than ever before during the period which extends between episodes 3 and 4. He also had accomplished what no other Sith Lord could within the last thousand years.
But it still wasn’t enough for Emperor Palpatine.
He thrived on chaos and the thought of being taken out, so he often put himself at risk during the times when he became bored of being the ruler of the galaxy. In the book Lords of the Sith (by Paul S. Kemp), Palpatine goes on a mission with Darth Vader to test him and almost gets them both eliminated. Emperor Palpatine would repeat this foolishness in Return of the Jedi, much like he had in Revenge of the Sith, but this time Anakin would take him out instead of saving his life.
15 He Secretly Created Operation Cinder
Since Palpatine enjoyed living on the edge and putting himself at risk, he created a program which would destroy all he created if he should ever fail and parish. His ego felt that no one deserved to acquire what he had created, therefore, it should all be destroyed once he was gone.
The order for Operation Cinder wasn’t activated until after Return of the Jedi (episode 6) but it was created long before that, hence why Naboo was a prime target (talk about holding a grudge). Most importantly, because of the institution, Emperor Palpatine had built, few tried to go against the deceased Emperor and take over the Empire because of the fear he had instilled in them. Operation Cinder can be seen in the Star Wars: Battlefront 2 gameplay campaign.
14 He Forced Jedi And Padawans To Become Sith
The concept of Emperor Palpatine forcing captured Jedi to become Sith has yet to be played out in a movie or television series, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. After the event of Order 66 and the creation of the Inquisitor program, Palpatine found a use for captured Jedi.
Emperor Palpatine would gather the surviving Jedi in a room, with him sitting on a throne above them.
He would then order them to eliminate one another, with the last survivor being awarded a red Sith lightsaber (if the survivor pledged servitude to Emperor Palpatine and the Empire). The games were cruel yet proved to be effective towards achieving his goal of dominance over the galaxy.
13 Palpatine Threw Out The Rule Of Two
Originally established by Darth Bane a thousand years before Sidious’ rise to power, the idea was there should only be two Sith working together (a master and an apprentice). It was also established that the apprentice’s goal was to one day eliminate the master when determined to be too weak to carry the Sith mantle anymore. This prevented in-fighting amongst a bunch of dark force users, which is what ultimately destroyed the Sith of old.
Emperor Palpatine had no plans, however, of relinquishing his spot as leader of the Empire.
He created dozens of so-called apprentices and had them constantly fight one another for survival (including Darth Vader). The idea was that only the strongest would survive, serving his goals in the long run while also preoccupying them from trying to take him out as master.
12 He Created The Tarkin Monster
Moff Wilhuff Tarkin was deemed by Emperor Palpatine to be the perfect officer for the Empire, only after he gave him the proper motivation. To drive Tarkin into the monster he would become, Palpatine had Darth Vader take out his wife and son. He then blamed it on the Atoans.
Tarkin went off the rails on the Atoans, completely wiping all its people from existence. It was then, in which Emperor Palpatine gave Tarkin the responsibility of his greatest weapon of all time (the first Death Star). Once crossing the line to wipe out a whole planet of species, Palpatine had what he wanted and needed from Tarkin.
11 Palpatine Compiled Ancient Writings Into A Book
Following Order 66, Emperor Palpatine ransacked the Jedi archives once held in the Jedi Temple. Buried in the library were countless pieces of Sith history, letters, and holograms created by the Sith Masters of old.
In appeasing his own ego, Palpatine had the records combined into a single book called the Book of Sith. In it, he would leave notes as to what was a good idea, while always stating how he would make it better. These old archives proved extremely useful towards Palpatine’s continued rise in power. The Book of Sith might still exist in the galaxy, waiting to be read by the next Emperor Palpatine.
10 The Imperial Security Complex Was Palpatine’s Idea
Also known simply as Scarif, the Imperial Security Complex was designed to house all the Empire’s secrets and be impenetrable to outside forces. Emperor Palpatine was a sucker for saving and storing information, believing it held a power of its own.
Every secret weapon, trial, and program was stored in the data banks on Scarif. Even the officers who worked at the Imperial Security Complex had no idea what kind of information they were logging and keeping records of.
Once Emperor Palpatine’s ultimate weapon was finished, the need for Scarif dropped in priority. Hence why Tarkin didn’t hesitate to destroy it all, once the Rebels penetrated its security systems.
9 He Became Obsessed With The Unknown Regions
The Introduction of Thrawn only further drove Emperor Palpatine to uncover and unlock the mysteries of the Unknown Regions. Despite Thrawn’s warning about there being a power stronger than Palpatine and his Imperial Army, he continued to set up research bases all along the outposts of the known regions.
Emperor Palpatine’s goal was to discover and further increase his knowledge of the force while also creating stronger weapons, allowing him to rule over more than just the known galaxy.
Most of these stories have been forgotten, having been left out of the new Star Wars canon. Yet, with all the new projects coming out of Lucasfilm, we wouldn’t be surprised if these tales were revived once again.
8 Palpatine Believed He Could Become Immortal
Many believe the Rebel Alliance was able to gain ground following the years after Order 66 because of Emperor Palpatine’s determination to become immortal. His previous Sith Master (Darth Plagueis) was obsessed with eternal life, always messing with the natural order of the force through cloning and Sith Alchemy.
Palpatine, much like his old master, believed he could succeed where Darth Plagueis failed. While plenty of recourses and time went into the creation of the Death Star Project, a substantial amount also went towards how to give Emperor Palpatine the ability to live forever. Various secret research and development bases were scattered around the galaxy, all trying to find a means towards eternal life.
7 He Was Constantly Being Targeted For Elimination
Whether it be from force users or officers who believed they were smarter than Palpatine, his life was challenged often in the early years of his reign as Emperor. What many failed to realize, however, was that Palpatine was no ordinary man who thrived on power.
Emperor Palpatine controlled just about everything in the galaxy (either as himself or as Darth Sidious). Because of this, every attempt on his life was thwarted due to Palpatine having the inside information ahead of time. He even let some of these attempts play out further than he should, just so he could be the one to end them (or use someone like Vader) while also furthering his agenda of ultimate domination.
6 He Believed The Dark Side Of The Force Had A Central Location
As shown in the movie The Last Jedi, the ancient Jedi Temples were built in areas which focused on both sides of the force (light and dark). Once Palpatine discovered the power of the dark side underneath the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, he was determined the dark side of the force had a central location.
Palpatine’s theory has never been proven to be wrong, either in Legends or in the new Star Wars canon. Although, one could say The Last Jedi proved once and for all that the force is everywhere and in everything, eliminating the idea of it being from a central source (whether it be light or dark).
5 He Became The First To Master Sith Alchemy In Over A Thousand Years
The use of Sith Alchemy has always existed, and at one time, was the preferred method of Sith Lords. Palpatine studied these old ways and attempted to become a Sith Alchemist in his own right.
Not many Star Wars stories (be it Legends or Canon) have explored this, but recently Dave Filoni (creator of Star Wars Rebels) revisited these ideas.
Filoni also revealed Palpatine’s mastery of Alchemy in the episode of World Between Worlds. The sorcery involved with Sith Alchemy allowed Palpatine to see events happening across the galaxy, displace time, and defeat his enemies. Alchemy wasn’t as effective as force lightning or a lightsaber, but it still proved to be a benefit for Emperor Palpatine.
4 He Encourages The Masses To View The Force As A Myth
Emperor Palpatine knew more force users would be born into every generation, always being a threat towards one day removing him from his throne. To combat this, Palpatine spread rumors and encouraged the belief that force users were just a myth. He painted a picture which promoted fear towards anyone with force abilities. This allowed his Inquisitors an easier time of hunting them down while using the public as a weapon.
Those who knew the truth quickly became the minority, mostly because of being eliminated off the face of the galaxy. Those who did survive were either ridiculed, arrested, eliminated, or driven into hiding.
3 He Sought Wisdom From Sith Force Ghosts
Jedi and Sith Holocrons were mostly explained in books and comics, rather than on screen. But the power they held led Emperor Palpatine to the discovery of Sith Force Ghosts (much like the Force Ghosts of the light side).
Palpatine often visited the ancient Sith graveyard on Korriban, where he would speak to the ghosts of ancient past.
His goal was to unlock secrets which hadn’t been recorded via Holocrons or through conventional means like books. The knowledge he gained led to him writing his own book, which to date is still currently missing in the current Star Wars canon. The knowledge also helped drive Palpatine’s decisions, as he sought to be better than the Sith Lords of the past.
2 He Had A Secret Throne On The Planet Byss
Emperor Palpatine encouraged Darth Vader to have his own Palace (Mustafar), as he knew the benefits from having his own secret and personal palace on the planet of Byss. In Legends, Palpatine used Byss as a dark force conduit which drained life from those who worked on the palace and fed it into him.
These stories are no longer canon, but the palace is known to have existed. Now it’s said to have been a home base research facility towards the exploration of the outer realms. Despite what Palpatine used it for, there’s no denying the dark side of the force is strong on the planet of Byss because of Emperor Palpatine (much like it is on Mustafar because of Darth Vader). It’s also said that Palpatine used Byss as a new Security Complex after the destruction of Scarif, gathering knowledge and research towards new super weapons.
1 Palpatine Continued To Keep Darth Sidious A Secret
Emperor Palpatine could have revealed himself to the galaxy as a Sith Lord at any given time but chose not to. Instead, he continued to live a duel life with only a handful of individuals who knew the truth. He did this, so his enemies would consider him weak, always underestimating him and leading to their own demise.
For those who did discover the truth, they didn’t live long enough to tell anyone else. In keeping Darth Sidious, a secret from the public, Emperor Palpatine was able to grow in power and strength. He chose to satisfy his ego through other means, which ironically also led to his own demise.