Despite being the strongest force of evil in the galaxy,Emperor Palpatinestill managed to face defeat inReturn of the Jedi, even if this defeat didn’t end up lasting forever. At the time of his first defeat, Palpatine was no doubt the most influential figure in the entire galaxy. He had spent decades preparing for this role, launching a political career that would get him into the position of power necessary to take full control when the time came. Palpatine had even orchestrated the Clone Wars by playing both sides to grant himself emergency powers, and two armies.
All this masterminding, however, came crashing down the moment he was defeated on the second Death Star. The evil that Palpatine had embodied was no match for the pure love between a father and his son, and in just a few quick moments, everything Palpatine had spent his life building up came crashing down. It would take many years forPalpatine’s contingency plansto bring him back from the dead, and even then, his reign didn’t last long. How exactly did Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader manage to pull off this key defeat against an ingenious enemy?
Palpatine Believed Luke Would Be A Better Apprentice Than Darth Vader
He Was Strong Both Physically & In The Force
One of Palpatine’s biggest weaknesses was that he couldn’t stop craving more power, as is a common side effect of those who embrace the dark side of the Force. While Anakin was originally the ideal candidate to be Palpatine’s apprentice as theChosen One, and one of the strongest Force-wielders in the entire galaxy,Anakin’s injuries on Mustafar that limited him to his Darth Vader suit took away much of this power, especially in a physical sense. Vader was in pain all the time, and that greatly affected how he was able to wield his power. Palpatine couldn’t stand this.
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Luke Skywalker thus became Palpatine’s perfect candidate to take his father’s place at Darth Sidious' side. As the son of Anakin Skywalker, Luke was powerful just like his father, and he wasn’t being limited physically the way Vader was. There was also the issue of Vader’s own resentment towards his Sith Master; Palpatine was no fool, and, of course, was aware that Vader intended on overthrowing him at some point. Palpatine sought to not only beat Vader to the punch by taking Luke as his own apprentice, but also to cast Vader aside once and for all.
Essence Transfer Meant Palpatine Didn’t Fear Death
He Simply Could Not Lose
Death wasn’t something Palpatine even had to think about because of essence transfer. This process, through the dark side of the Force, would allow Palpatine’s spirit to take on another host if he were to ever be struck down. That was the key;the person who killed him had to complete the act in anger and hatred, as it would allow for them to become an ideal host for his spirit. Palpatine, knowing this from the secrets he learned as a Sith apprentice, felt utterly in control even when death was staring him in the face.
Palpatine knew that, no matter what happened, he would have a victory, in both life and death.
This is why Palpatine encouraged Luke to strike him down aboard the second Death Star. Palpatine knew that, no matter what happened, he would have a victory, in both life and death. Should he have lived, then Palpatine was certain that he could turn Luke to the dark side. Should he have died, however, it would have been the same result: Luke would have been his. Either way, Palpatine was certain that Luke Skywalker would soon belong to his Sith Master, and that his power and influence would only increase - but there was a catch.
Palpatine’s Visions Of The Future Didn’t Hint At Darth Vader’s Redemption
His Visions Were Clouded By Light
Part of the reason why Palpatine was so sure of his victory in both life and death was because of the visions he had had of the future. The dark side gave him this insight, andit’s very possible that a light side act such as Vader’s redemption would have clouded Palpatine’s own visions. This is because canon has hinted at the inverse before, with the dark side clouding the Jedi’s own visions of the future. Assuming the opposite is true, then an act as good-natured as this, the redemption of the Chosen One, would cloud Palpatine’s dark side visions.
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Working in tandem with this was Palpatine’s simple misunderstanding of the concept of love. As someone who had spent their entire life chasing nothing but power,Palpatine could never have predicted that something like love could have defeated him. It was not something he had allowed himself to feel, a consequence of chasing his own ambitions. He never counted on love transforming Vader and giving his apprentice just enough strength and resolve to ultimately defeat him. This oversight made Palpatine vulnerable, and it wasn’t something he could have ever predicted.
Darth Vader’s Love For Luke Meant He Fulfilled His Destiny As The Chosen One
The Sith Were Defeated At His Hand
Vader’s actions thus became a long-awaited fulfillment of the Chosen One prophecy that he was destined to fulfill. The Sith are, by nature, an imbalance to the Force, as the dark side is a perversion. By eliminating his Sith Master and finding the light within himself once again,Vader defeated the only two Sith left and brought true balance back to the Force. The Jedi may not have known for most of those years that there was an imbalance in the Force that existed in the shadows, but it had certainly existed, and Vader was the one to end it.
The Sith technically didn’t return after this act, at least not in the same way. While Palpatine was resurrected, it wasn’t a sure thing, and Rey defeated him again before he could do any true damage to the galaxy. Kylo Ren never achieved Sith status, and Supreme Leader Snoke was nothing but a proxy for the growingSith Eternalcult. This means that, even after the rise of theFirst Orderand the manipulations of Palpatine over time, Vader’s sacrifice still holds weight. Vader was still the one to ultimately destroy the Sith.
AsRey’s upcoming New Jedi Order movieis likely set to follow a brand-new type of villain that has nothing to do with the Sith, Vader’s actions inReturn of the Jediwill still continue to be of the utmost importance. Palpatine was not an enemy that could be easily defeated, yet between his own oversights and unforeseen circumstances he could never have predicted, Luke and Vader were able to accomplish it.Palpatine’s first defeat inStar Warswill always be the most powerful, as he never truly came back from that fateful moment aboard the second Death Star.
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.
