Emperor Palpatineis arguably the greatest evil that has ever plagued theStar Warsuniverse. That much is clear throughout the entireSkywalker Saga, withSheev Palpatine orchestrating the downfall of both the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Orderin the prequel trilogy,his standing as the Emperor in the original trilogy, and his twisted resurrection in the sequel trilogy.However, theStar Warsfilms only scratch the surface ofhow truly despicable Darth Sidious really is.
A great number of iconicStar Warsstories don’t exist in the movies or television series at all, but rather in the comic books. SomeStar Warscomics are continuations of the established canon, while others exist outside the main continuity asStar Wars Legends(otherwise known as the Expanded Universe). But no matter their standing, the comics offer fans new, interesting, and exciting stories featuringStar Wars’ greatest characters - and that includes Emperor Palpatine. Here are10 of the best Emperor Palpatine moments that fans only saw in theStar Warscomics!
Ian McDiarmid also played Henry Fielding inCity of Vice(2008).
Star Wars: 10 Best Darth Vader Stories in Comic History, Ranked
Darth Vader has no shortage of incredible stories in Star Wars' comic book history, but some are better than others. Here are his 10 best, ranked!
10Emperor Palpatine’s First ‘Resurrection’ Happened Before the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Shattered Empireby Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto
Emperor Palpatine famously returned from the grave inThe Rise of Skywalker, but this comic confirms that Palpatine was ‘resurrected’ well before then, though not in the strictly literal sense.Mere months after the Battle of Endor,one of Palpatine’s top Imperial Captains receives a visit from a mobile messenger, with a recorded message from Palpatine ordering him to initiate Operation: Cinder.
Operation: Cinder was a part of the Emperor’s Contingency, which dictates that the Empire systematically destroy every planet in the galaxy upon Palpatine’s death, giving Sidious time to revive himself and build up a new Empire from scratch. WhilePalpatine hadn’t yet literally resurrected, he was still very much pulling the strings, and he even did so through a messenger droid that wore his face.
9Darth Sidious Actually Uses His Lightsaber Post-Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars: Hidden Empireby Charles Soule and Steven Cummings
Emperor Palpatine is so unbelievably powerful that he doesn’t even need to wield a lightsaber. His mastery of the dark side of the Force allows him to manipulate the mind of anyone who would oppose him, and his famous Force-lightning is perfect for when he finds himself in a fight. However, just because he doesn’t need to use a lightsaber doesn’t mean it’s not awesome to see his dueling skills in action, and that’s whatStar Wars: Hidden Empiredelivers.
Emperor Palpatine is so unbelievably powerful that he doesn’t even need to wield a lightsaber.
The last time Palpatine used a lightsaber was inRevenge of the Sith, but when he and Darth Vader areambushed by the Crimson Dawn while investigating the Fermata Cage inHidden Empire, Palpatine ignites his red blade once again- a special treat forStar Warsfans everywhere.
8Emperor Palpatine was Nearly Killed Before Episode IV (Sort of)
Star Wars Annual 2016#1 by Kieron Gillen and Angel Unzueta
Star Wars Annual 2016#1 introduces one character who came closer than any non-Force user to killing Emperor Palpatine (sort of).Eneb Ray was a Rebel spy who infiltrated an Imperial prison to free a group of galactic senatorswho were going to be quietly executed. Then, when Ray found out Palpatine was there himself, he immediately jumped at the chance to assassinate him.
Unfortunately, the entire thing was a trap set by Palpatine. While Ray killed the man who was impersonating Palpatine, he never even had a chance to actually beat Darth Sidious himself. However,the assassination attempt was the perfect excuse for Palpatine to murder the senators without inciting further rebellion, while also giving the Empire even more anti-Rebel propaganda to spread across the galaxy - another master plan by Palpatine.
7Emperor Palpatine Plots Kylo Ren’s Training During the Original Trilogy
It’s been well-established inStar Warscanon that Emperor Palpatine is able to craft master plans years in advance, andHidden Empireconfirms that that was the case when it came to Palpatine’s training of Ben Solo aka Kylo Ren. InHidden Empire, the Knights of Ren save Vader and Sidious from being trapped in the Fermata Cage. While Palpatine repays them with a jolt of Force-lightning, he also tells the Knights of Ren that he will use them at some point in the future.
That point came in the comicStar Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren, where it’s revealed that -as a part of Kylo Ren’s training - Snoke ordered him to join the Knights of Ren. Snoke (secretly Palpatine) wanted Kylo Ren to learn the ways of the dark side from these lawless brutes, something he planned for all the way back in the original trilogy.
6Emperor Palpatine Has His Own Version of The People’s Court in Star Wars
Star Wars Tales#14 “The Emperor’s Court” by Jason Hall and Ramon Bachs
While Palpatine is a twisted, vile villain, that doesn’t meanStar Warscan’t have some fun with him from time-to-time - and that’s exactly what the franchise does in the funniest way with “The Emperor’s Court”. This story inStar Wars Talesis a self-parody gag-comic that imagines a version of theStar Warsuniverse where the Emperor has his own version of the television showThe People’s Court, and Han Solo is on trial for the alleged crime of ‘shooting Greedo first’.
Not only isthe sight of Emperor Palpatine as a fake judge on TV utterly hilarious, but this comic also plays on one of the funniest ongoing gripes with the original version ofA New Hope: Han shot first. This story adds less than nothing to the wider franchise lore, but it’s still a fantastic comic book moment for Emperor Palpatine.
5Darth Sidious Fights Mother Talzin in an Epic Force-Lightning Battle
Star Wars: Darth Maul - Son of Dathomirby Jeremy Barlow and Juan Frigeri
Palpatine is the most dangerous when he’s operating behind the scenes, pulling the strings from the shadows. That being said, seeing him fight is a stark reminder that Palpatine is also a major powerhouse, not just a master manipulator - and this is one of his coolest fights inStar Warshistory.When Darth Maul and Mother Talzin attempt to dismantle Darth Sidious' plans during the Clone Wars, Palpatine decides to handle them personally, leading to an epic magick/Force-lighting battle between Palpatine and Talzin.
This fight is especially cool when considering that Palpatine and Talzin used to be allies who exchanged knowledge and practices in the ways of magick and the dark side, with their end goal being to rule the galaxy side-by-side, meaning this battle isn’t just visually stunning, it’s also wrapped in deep lore.
4Palpatine Reveals the Horrific Power Behind His Rise of Skywalker Fleet
Star Wars: Darth Vader#11 by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco
Darth Sidious' fleet of Star Destroyers on Exegol inThe Rise of Skywalkeris perhaps the most impressive fleet of ships inStar Warshistory, as each one has the capability of destroying entire planets with a single blast.Episode IXfailed to adequately explain how Palpatine was able to create such a fleet, which is why this comic book issue is so significant. When Darth Vader travels to Exegol to challenge Palpatine, he sees thatSidious has a mountain of red kyber that he’s been installing pieces of within the cannons of the Star Destroyers.
Kyber what gave the Death Star its planet-destroying power, which is why the Star Destroyers on Exegol are so dangerous inThe Rise of Skywalker- somethingStar Warsfans wouldn’t have known if not for this comic book moment.
3Darth Sidious Confirms His Unparalleled Power Fighting Darth Vader
Star Wars: Darth Vader#40 by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco
The one thingStar Warsfans never got in the films is a battle between Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine.Sure, Vader killed Palpatine inEpisode VI, but they didn’t really fight.The comics, however, have remedied that with this issue. In the current continuity ofStar Warscomics, Darth Vader wants to usurp Palpatine, and Vader’s open defiance of his master begins inStar Wars: Darth Vader#40, when he goes to the Emperor’s Palace to kill Palpatine himself.
The two battle on the steps of Palpatine’s citadel. Darth Vader attacks his master with his lightsaber, while Palpatine uses his Force-lightning to brutally beat Vader into submission. This fight not only gave fans what the movies never did, it alsoconfirms Palpatine’s unparalleled power by showing how easily he could defeat someone as strong as Darth Vader.
2Emperor Palpatine Explains Exactly How He Eradicated the Jedi (Not Just with Order 66)
Star Wars: Purgeby John Ostrander and Doug Wheatley
Sheev Palpatine used Order 66 to wipe out the vast majority of the Jedi in one fell swoop, but as Star Wars fans are painfully aware, he didn’t get all of them. So, how did he ensure that the remaining Jedi wouldn’t be a problem? Sidious explains exactly how to Darth Vader, after Vader succeeded in killing a small group of Jedi. Palpatine uses the story of Vader’s victory to strike fear in the hearts of any remaining Jedi - something Palpatine had been doing all along.
Sheev Palpatine used Order 66 to wipe out the vast majority of the Jedi in one fell swoop, but as Star Wars fans are painfully aware, he didn’t get all of them.
Palpatine’s plan to get rid of the Jedi didn’t stop with simply killing the majority of them, but to use the deaths of some Jedi to scare the othersinto hiding. That’s how Palpatine eradicated the Jedi inStar Warscanon, which is articulated perfectly during this comic book moment.
1Emperor Palpatine Actually Succeeds in Turning Luke Skywalker to the Dark Side
Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogyby Tom Veitch, Cam Kennedy, and Jim Baikie
Arguably the coolest ‘Emperor Palpatine’-focusedStar Warscomic isn’t even canon, but rather exists inLegendscontinuity:Star Wars: Dark Empire.Dark Empirewas the inspiration forThe Rise of Skywalker, as it details Palpatine coming back to life in a clone body following the events of the original trilogy. And the reason it’s so iconic is thatDark EmpireshowsPalpatine doing the one thing he failed to do in the films: turn Luke Skywalker to the dark side.
Dark Empire also features an utterly badass lightsaber duel between Palpatine and Luke, something that movie fans were also robbed of seeing. All-in-all, if one is looking for an awesomeStar Warsstory with a heightened focus on Darth Sidious, they need look no further than theDark Empire Trilogy, making this comic one of the 10 bestEmperor Palaptinemoments of all time.
Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious
The senator for Naboo, Palpatine rose to power and influence during the dying days of the Republic. In reality, his public persona was just a mask; he was really Darth Sidious, greatest of the Sith Lords, and he used his political skills and Machiavellian cunning to bring down both the Republic and the Jedi. Palpatine ruled his Galactic Empire for decades, until he was betrayed by his apprentice, Darth Vader. Even this wasn’t enough to stop the Emperor, however, as he was resurrected by his followers - only to be defeated once again.
