Senator Palpatine
Like Yoda, many details regarding Palpatine's past have not been revealed, making him an enigmatic character. Few details of Palpatine's early life are known, although Palpatine was born on the eleventh day of the eighth standard month, in the year 82 BBY, apparently in the capital city, Theed of the obscure Mid-Rim world of Naboo in the Chommell sector. As an adult, Palpatine ran for political office numerous times, suffering a string of defeats. In 52 BBY, however, he was elected sectorial senator for the Chommell sector after the former Senator, Vidar Kim, was mysteriously assassinated by a hit-and-run gunman; whether Palpatine was involved is unknown.
Originally regarded as somewhat unambitious and unassuming by his peers, Senator Palpatine would surprise everyone as he became increasingly popular, cultivating friendships with respected public figures, military commanders, and even Jedi Masters (such as Jorus C'Baoth). Palpatine wrote extensively; his scholarly notes on power became popular texts among political and military science students, his theories even taught at leading universities throughout the galaxy. Despite his growing influence, Palpatine shunned publicity, and would spend many hours alone reflecting in his modest, yet well-appointed quarters.
Palpatine as Darth Sidious
Palpatine as Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith. He contacts his minions via hologram.Due to the destruction of records by Palpatine when he became Emperor, little is known for certain about his early life. It is unknown when Palpatine first turned to the dark side of the Force and took the Sith name "Darth Sidious," but it apparently predated the events of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace by several decades. It may be assumed that his Sith Master was Darth Plagueis. Plagueis reputedly was capable of manipulating midi-chlorians to create life and avert death. Sidious murdered his master in his sleep, but not before (he claimed) he had learned Plagueis' power. As a dejarik grandmaster moves pieces on a board, he methodically plotted his rise to power over several decades, aided by his incredible foresight and knowledge of politics, bureaucracy, and psychology. A self-proclaimed savior and genius, Darth Sidious would go on to accomplish the ultimate goals of the shadowy Sith Order: the nigh complete destruction of the Jedi Order and the domination of the galaxy.
Sidious began training an apprentice, Darth Maul, sometime before 52 BBY. Maul was a Zabrak kidnapped from Iridonia as an infant, then trained in the ways of the Sith and all forms of combat; he was especially taught aggression, anger, and boiling hatred toward the Jedi. Even though much effort went into perfecting Maul into an ultimate Jedi-killing weapon, he was merely a pawn in Sidious' grand strategy.
Palpatine used Maul to assassinate early political enemies, gaining him influence, especially in illicit circles. This eventually led to a secret alliance with the Trade Federation, a consortium which controlled shipping throughout the backwaters of the galaxy, that was large and powerful enough to be granted full representation in the Senate along with representation of its smaller customer systems. (This political clout was one of the Trade Federation's methods of forcing its backwater customers to remain loyal, since they could threaten to withdraw Federation representation.)
Palpatine's chancellorship
At Palpatine's behest, the Senate had voted to levy taxes on commerce in order to raise funds for the Republic. Palpatine, in his role as Darth Sidious, persuaded and intimidated the Trade Federation into blockading Naboo as a protest. He assured them that the blockade would bring them greater control and profits, as the Senate would be unable to act. Meanwhile, in his role as Naboo's Senator, Palpatine convinced Naboo's Queen, Padm Amidala, to endure the blockade; he advised her that her government could not force the issue, and that the Senate wouldn't let the dispute continue for long. This led to the events opening The Phantom Menace. The Queen came to Coruscant, eventually called for a vote of no confidence, which removed Chancellor Finis Valorum and elected Palpatine as the replacement.
Liberation of Naboo
Even before the final election, Palpatine was in a confident mood. He felt confident that his position as Naboo's Senator would create a strong sympathy vote for him in the Senate (which it did). When Queen Amidala made clear her intentions to return to Naboo to reclaim the planet from the Trade Federation, he made a show of concern and made a half-hearted attempt to keep her from going. She was not to be swayed. She left, taking Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi with her for collateral. To his great surprise, however, the Queen, along with the Gungans and the Naboo managed to infiltrate the palace, and the Naboo starfighter forces managed to defeat the Trade Federation droids, freeing Naboo.
Future plans for Anakin Skywalker
Palpatine knew he would need the aid of someone with extraordinary power and strength with the Force if he was ever to defeat his enemies. After Obi-Wan killed Darth Maul during the Battle of Naboo, Palpatine set his sights on recruiting another, even more powerful Force-adept: Anakin Skywalker.
The true extent of Palpatine's influence on Anakin's life remains unclear. It has been suggested that Palpatine created Anakin by manipulating the midi-chlorians, but Lucas has said in interviews that the circumstances of Anakin's conception were left deliberately ambiguous. It is noteworthy, however, that upon the analysis of Darth Maul's Sith training, it is revealed that Maul was trained to be an 'unbeatable enemy' who was to be unleashed upon the unsuspecting Jedi. If Palpatine was partly responsible for the conception of Anakin, then it is illogical that he would train an apprentice to complete the tasks that he would later assign Anakin's alter-ego, Darth Vader. It is again noteworthy that we learn in Episode VI of Palpatine's ability to 'forsee' the future with incredible accuracy. If this is so, it is again illogical that Maul would have been trained in the manner that he was if Sidious was knowledgable of Anakin's creation.
When Anakin was brought before the Jedi Council by Qui-Gon, they initially refused to allow him to be trained, because they sensed a dark cloud surrounding the boy's future. He was allowed to remain the Jedi Master's ward, however. When Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan returned to Naboo, Sidious ordered Darth Maul to confront them. In the climactic battle of Episode I, Maul proved his prowess and killed Jinn. Though Maul was in turn defeated by Obi-Wan, Sidious considered it worthwhile Qui-Gon's dying wish was that young Anakin be made a Jedi, a wish which even the Jedi Council was unwilling to deny their fallen hero. Obi-Wan thus became Anakin's teacher despite the Council's concerns, and Anakin was put on the path to being a Jedi Knight. After the Battle of Naboo, with Anakin having proved himself strong in the Force, Palpatine took an immediate interest in the boy.
New apprentice
Palpatine ultimately intended to make Anakin his apprentice, but did not have the time to train the boy himself. Until Anakin was a Jedi, Palpatine would have to temporarily employ another to do his bidding. At about the time of the Battle of Naboo, the perfect candidate appeared: a disaffected Jedi Master named Count Dooku, who had considerable power in the Force, and was a superbly accomplished swordsman in Form II, which was bred for lightsaber combat. Dooku had been appealing to the Council to take the threat of the Sith more seriously. When the Council did nothing, Dooku resigned from the Order in disgust. Palpatine (as Sidious) approached and persuaded him that the Republic was collapsing under its own weight, and that a new order was needed to turn the galaxy into an egalitarian paradise, in which no one would know the starvation and poverty that afflicted the systems that the laissez faire Republic ignored. In exchange for Dooku's service, Sidious promised to teach him about the dark side and how to use it to remake the galaxy in their image. Dooku eventually took on the name Darth Tyranus, in Sith tradition. Although Dooku had grand plans for a future Galactic Empire, Palpatine only intended him to be a placeholder for Anakin Skywalker.
Clone Wars
At the same time, an associate of Dooku's, the obscure and mysterious Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, ordered an army of clone troopers from the distant planet Kamino out of fear of an approaching military danger (and the promptings of Palpatine). As a test of loyalty, Darth Sidious ordered Tyranus to murder Sifo-Dyas and take over the project. Tyranus hired the bounty hunter Jango Fett as the template of the clones; as Count Dooku, he slowly assembled and became the de-facto political leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems (also known as the Separatists). These plans would prove to be vital to Sidious' ultimate objective a decade later.
A decade after Palpatine's nomination, Dooku's Separatist forces became a severe threat to the Republic. Publicly, Palpatine wanted to negotiate with them, but the discovery of a secret droid army forced by Obi-Wan and Anakin's investigation on Geonosis made it obvious that they had no interest in peace. However, Palpatine lacked the authority to activate the Republic's new clone army. To that end, he had several of his supporters in the Senate make a motion to confer absolute authority on him to deal with the Separatist threat. The motion was carried. Feigning sorrow at this decidedly undemocratic turn of events, Palpatine promised to return this authority once the crisis passed. As Darth Sidious, he had already ensured that the crisis (and hence his authority as Chancellor) would last for many years by playing both sides against each other. While advocating more power for the Chancellor as Palpatine, he secretly advised the Separatists as Sidious, propping up their war effort by funneling them information and materials.
Once the Clone Wars broke out, Palpatine issued one decree after another, citing the Senate's inability to effectively wage the war as a dire need for dictatorial mandates. Over the years, the Senate granted him more and more emergency powers until he could effectively take any action without Senate approval; he had a substantial majority in the Senate in any case. This made him a virtual dictator. Each time, Palpatine claimed that he accepted these new powers only reluctantly, when in fact he had carefully orchestrated events behind the scenes to ensure that the Senate would vote the way he wanted. The people and the Senate willingly gave up their freedoms in the name of security, as the ominous specter of a Separatist assault on Coruscant virtually eliminated all opposition.
As shown in the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, the novel Labyrinth of Evil, and Revenge of the Sith, General Grievous, the Supreme Commander of Separatist Army, kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine under the command of his alter ego, Darth Sidious, shortly before the end of the Clone Wars. Kenobi and Anakin returned from the Outer Rim sieges to rescue the Chancellor and stop Grievous from escaping in the Battle of Coruscant. There Anakin killed Dooku/Tyranus at Palpatine's urgings, leaving Darth Sidious without an apprentice and the Separatists without a political leader. Grievous took the helm to some extent, reporting directly to Sidious, but soon died at Obi-Wan's hands.
Great Jedi Purge begins
Palpatine manipulates Anakin SkywalkerSoon after his rescue, the Senate gave Palpatine who again feigned reluctance personal control over the Jedi Council. By that control over the Jedi Council, he also became the supreme commander of the clone army.
At about this time, he renewed his friendship with Anakin, now an angry, headstrong young man chafing under Obi-Wan's stern tutelage. Sensing Anakin's ambition and need for an encouraging father figure, Palpatine fed the young man's ego by assuring him that he would one day be the greatest Jedi in the galaxy, even greater than Master Yoda. Around this time, young Skywalker saw a vision of Padm Amidala, now his pregnant wife, dying after giving birth to their child. Palpatine could have planted this vision of the future in Anakin's mind himself, as he and Exar Kun later showed the ability to enter the dreams of Luke Skywalker to similar effect.
Palpatine's first act with his new authority was to appoint Anakin as his personal representative on the Council; Anakin was accepted, but denied the rank of Master because other members were suspicious of his friendship with Palpatine, and of Palpatine himself. In addition, they were by no means sure Anakin was experienced enough to merit the title. Aside from spying on the Council, Palpatine used Anakin's appointment as a means of manipulating the young Jedi; appealing to Anakin's anger towards the Council, his desire for power, his fear for the life of Padm, and the Council's apparent distrust of him, to help turn him to the dark side. However, the Council saw a chance to turn this to its advantage. The Jedi Masters had tracked Darth Sidious to Palpatine's inner circle, and wanted Anakin to spy on the Chancellor as the Clone Wars drew to a close.
Palpatine, his identity as a Sith Lord exposed, duels with Mace Windu in his private chambers.Palpatine soon revealed to Anakin that he was, in fact, Darth Sidious. He encouraged Anakin to become his new apprentice, and promised him power over life and death including the power to save Padm, but in truth, was using him to help him take over the galaxy. Disillusioned, Anakin reported Palpatine's true identity to Jedi Master Mace Windu. When Windu arrived (along with Jedi Masters Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar and Saesee Tiin) to arrest him, Palpatine speedily produced an electrum lightsaber from his sleeve and revealed his masterful swordfighting skills, quickly dispatching all but Windu. The Sith Lord and the Jedi Master fought an intense duel until Palpatine seemingly erred, giving Windu the chance to disarm him with a powerful kick, cornering him on the window sill of his office. Just then, Anakin arrived, only to see Windu towering above Palpatine. Palpatine took advantage of Windu's distraction to let loose a deadly stream of Force lightning at the Jedi, who barely blocked the barrage with his lightsaber and deflected it back to its source, twisting and transforming Palpatine's face through the power of the Dark Side into the visage of a wizened man with glaring yellow eyes and corpse-gray skin.
Palpatine attacks Mace Windu with Force Lightning.Palpatine eventually ceased his lightning assault, declaring that he was too weak to continue. Anakin pleaded for Palpatine's life out of guilt for killing the unarmed Dooku, as well as fear of losing his last chance to save his wife. Windu, however, insisted that Palpatine should be executed since he controlled the Senate and the courts making a fair trial impossible. As Windu prepared to put an end to Palpatine's life, however, Anakin came to the Chancellor's defense, severing Windu's saber hand. With the Jedi Master defenseless, Palpatine sprang to life and blasted a stunned Windu with another torrent of Force lightning, hurling him out the window to his death. Emotionally drained and left with little choice, Anakin pledged his allegiance to Palpatine, becoming his new apprentice: Darth Vader.
Along with partial audio recordings (according to Matthew Stover's adaptation), Palpatine used his newly deformed face as evidence of an assassination attempt by the Jedi. Citing the supposed Jedi rebellion as a justification, Palpatine declared martial law and issued Order 66, directing the clone troopers to kill their Jedi generals. He also sent the 501st legion of clone troopers, led by Darth Vader, to kill everyone in the Jedi Temple, including the younglings. Among the very few known survivors were Yoda and Kenobi.
Palpatine becoming Emperor
Emperor Palpatine duels with Master Yoda in the Senate chamber.Using the additional sympathy from the attempt on his life, combined with his already significant power base, and the apparent take-over by the "guardians" of the galaxy, he convinced the Senate to fully sanction and support the Galactic Republic's final transformation into the Galactic Empire, and him as Emperor of the galaxy. Palpatine did not, and needed not, reveal his identity as a Sith Lord to the Senate or public at large, for he was the beloved ruler and savior of the galaxy by then. Certain personnel knew, such as the various Dark Jedi and Dark side adepts, close aides like Mas Amedda or Sly Moore, and members of the Imperial Privy Council and other high-ranking Imperial servants; generally, however, the Emperor's Force abilities and Sith allegiance were unknown to the public.
As his first act, Palpatine tasked Vader with ending the Clone Wars by killing every remaining Separatist leader hiding on Mustafar. Shortly thereafter, Yoda confronted Palpatine on Coruscant in a final, desperate attempt to take back the Republic, while Kenobi set off for Mustafar to battle Vader.
Palpatine unleashing Force lightning on Yoda.Yoda daringly confronted the Emperor in his antechamber under the Galactic Senate chamber. The two exchanged Force blows and then drew lightsabers. The supreme masters of the Jedi and the Sith fought each other in a titanic battle that moved them into the deserted Galactic Senate chamber.
Unable to break through Yoda's lightsaber form, Sidious dispensed with traditional saber dueling and used the dark side to levitate pods and hurl them at his adversary. Yoda followed suit. In a dramatic conclusion atop one of the pods, Palpatine fired another round of Force Lightning at Yoda. The initial bolts caught Yoda off guard, knocking his lightsaber away. The Jedi Master then used the Force to deflect the Emperor's lightning. Yoda reeled a bit from the pressure of Palpatine's attack, but soon pressed his own defense forward, much to the surprise of the Emperor. Master Yoda then "shoved" his deflection towards the Emperor, creating a small shockwave that knocked both combatants from the pod. Palpatine was able to grab the edge and climb back up, however , Yoda's grip slipped, and he plummeted to the bottom of the chamber. Realizing that he could not defeat Palpatine in his current position, the venerable Jedi Master had no choice but to retreat from the Senate chambers, leaving the Sith Lord victorious. Palpatine summoned clone troopers to pursue him, but Yoda signaled Senator Bail Organa, who arrived in his speeder to rescue the dispirited Jedi. Having failed in his task, Yoda went into self-imposed exile on the remote swamp planet of Dagobah.
On Mustafar, Vader did not fare as well as his master, and was severely injured in his duel with Obi-Wan, losing an arm and both legs and sustaining near-fatal third-degree burns and lung damage. Sensing his new apprentice was in danger, Palpatine traveled to Mustafar, leaving the search for Yoda to his troopers, led by Commander Thire. Palpatine brought what was left of Vader's body back to Coruscant and had it placed in a black armored suit with extensive life support systems in order to sustain him. Once Vader regained consciousness, Palpatine told him that he had killed his wife in a fit of rage (Padm had in fact died in childbirth after delivering healthy twins, Luke and Leia). As Palpatine intended, this broke what remained of Vader's spirit and bound him to the Empire's service.
Palpatine and Vader overseeing the construction of the first Death Star.With the Jedi Order all but destroyed, the Separatists defeated, and his new Empire inaugurated, Palpatine became a shadowy and detached despot determined to bend the galaxy to his will. To that end, he embraced the use of massive displays of force to cow opposition. After experimenting with Torpedo spheres and the asteroid battleship The Eye of Palpatine (which participated in the Purge), Palpatine ordered the creation of one of his most powerful weapons: the Death Star, a moonsized battle station with a laser so strong it could destroy a planet. Palpatine had manipulated the Geonosians into developing the early technical designs of this weapon through his late apprentice, Count Dooku. After his escape from the Battle of Geonosis, Count Dooku submitted the design to his master. Palpatine later assigned Wilhuff Tarkin, an ambitious Imperial officer infamous for landing his ship on a platform full of protesters, to supervise the further development of the weapon at Tarkin's secure Maw Installation. The Empire's policy of state terrorism became known as the Tarkin Doctrine, explained by its namesake as "rule through the fear of force rather than force itself."
Palpatine ruled the galaxy from his throne on Coruscant (now renamed Imperial Center), with Vader as his righthand man; his empire was run by the sector and Grand Moffs, and supported by a dizzying array of agencies and special organizations, ranging from COMPNOR to Imperial Intelligence to the Imperial Starfleet, as well as dark side adepts such as the Emperor's Hands. By this time, he had dissolved the Senate and formally devolved power to regional governors and sector moffs power they had informally possessed for years.
In 0 BBY, the Emperor dissolved the Senate, thus erasing the last institutional remnants of the Old Republic. In the absence of the Senate, the Death Star would enforce the Emperor's law.
Destruction of Alderaan
For more details on this topic, see Alderaan.
To demonstrate the Death Star's might, Tarkin, with Palpatine's blessing, completely destroyed the Core world of Alderaan, from which Leia Organa was secretly funding and leading the Rebel Alliance. To avoid public outcry, Palpatine claimed that the planet's government, who had been pacifists for generations, were plotting to take over the Empire and had an illegal weapons program. He then offered the survivors sanctuary on Byss, where they were enslaved.
Galactic Civil War
Emperor Palpatine ruled with an iron fist during the Galactic Civil War.Shortly after the destruction of Alderaan, the Death Star itself was destroyed by the Rebel Alliance in the Battle of Yavin. Tarkin, who was on board the battle station at the time and refused to evacuate, was killed in the station's destruction.
Three years later, following a major Imperial victory in capturing a Rebel base on the ice planet Hoth, Palpatine told Darth Vader that his son, Luke Skywalker, was actually alive and was the Rebel pilot responsible for the destruction of the Death Star. He was now trained in the Force and becoming a great threat for the Sith. Vader convinced Palpatine that it would be beneficial for both of them if Luke was converted to the dark side.
Palpatine conversing with Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back. Unbeknownst to Vader, Prince Xizor is standing beside Palpatine, listening in to their conversation. In actuality, Vader had already discovered that his son was alive several months prior, and had been actively searching for his son during that interval; Vader had been secretly planning to use Luke to help him overthrow his master. What Vader didn't know was that Palpatine was toying with him; Palpatine knew that Vader planned to use Luke against him, and hoped that he could actually make Luke kill Vader and become his new apprentice, knowing that Luke had the potential to become even more powerful in the Force than his father.
In The Empire Strikes Back, Vader lured Skywalker, who had by now been trained by Yoda, to Cloud City. There, father and son engaged in an emotional lightsaber duel, in which Vader cut off Skywalker's right hand and revealed that he was Luke's father. Vader then offered Luke the chance to join him, kill Palpatine and rule the galaxy together. Although profoundly shaken by this claim, Luke refused to be corrupted and narrowly managed to escape.
Fall of the Empire
By the time of the Battle of Endor, Palpatine planned to sacrifice Vader and replace him with Luke Skywalker. The following year, the stage was set in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi for the endgame. Palpatine knew that if the Rebels were to discover the location of the second Death Star while he was on board, they would not be able to resist the opportunity to strike directly at him. With this knowledge, he crafted an intricate trap that was to destroy the Rebellion once and for all. Following the suggestion of Prince Xizor, Palpatine allowed Rebel spies to learn of its location and of the shield generator on Endor while planting disinformation which suggested the Death Star was not yet operational. In reality, the station's prime weapon was complete and fully functional, and an enormous contingent of the Imperial Starfleet was there to protect it. The Rebels took the bait and planned to attack the station with all of their resources. First, however, it would be necessary for them to deactivate the protective shield that projected from a generator on the moon of Endor.
Vader, meanwhile, continued to push his quest for the young Skywalker in hopes of luring him to the dark side. While Vader's contact with Luke seemed to awaken something of a conscience within him that Palpatine disapproved of, he agreed to the idea, with the apparent intent of sacrificing Vader to make Luke his new apprentice.
Luke was convinced that his father could be redeemed from the dark side, and so allowed himself to be captured on Endor and brought to the Death Star. There, Palpatine manipulated him into battling his own father so that he could inherit his mantle at the Emperor's side, and become Palpatine's new apprentice. Luke resisted at first, until Vader probed his mind and learned that Leia was Luke's sister. With this knowledge, Vader speculated that he could corrupt her instead, a threat that enraged Luke and drove him to attack Vader with full fury. Although he nearly killed Vader, severing his right hand, Luke controlled his anger at the last minute; realizing that he was dangerously close to suffering his father's fate, he discarded his lightsaber and proudly turned to face the Emperor, stating: "I am a Jedi, like my father before me."
Seeing that Luke had become a lost cause, Palpatine attacked him with deadly Force lightning. Luke almost died in the assault. At that moment, however, Vader's horror at seeing his son in pain broke Palpatine's hold on him, and he became Anakin Skywalker once again. Seizing his former master from behind, Anakin lifted up the Emperor, in the process enduring a torrent of Force lightning that shorted out the life support system in his suit. Mortally wounded, he used his last ounces of strength to cast the Sith Lord into one of the Death Star's massive reactor shafts. The Emperor was incinerated upon collision, in an explosive blaze that engulfed the surrounding area. Redeemed, Anakin Skywalker died peacefully in his son's arms moments later as the two attempted to escape the Death Star. The Rebellion, meanwhile, with unexpected help from the native Ewoks, overcame the Imperial Garrison. This allowed Lando Calrissian to lead a successful Rebel fleet assault against the Death Star, destroying the reactors which caused the battle station to be consumed in a massive explosion. Luke Skywalker would eventually serve as a guiding force for the restoration of both the Republic and the Jedi Order.
Fall of the Republic and Galactic Empire periods
Palpatine appears very frequently in the Expanded Universe material which covers the prequel era. In the novel Cloak of Deception, a prequel to The Phantom Menace, he set up his bid for the Chancellorship by discrediting Chancellor Valorum, and had chosen to stay in politics after Naboo's accepted retiring age of 20, suggesting that he started politics as a child like Padm Amidala did. In the comic Star Wars Republic, it is hinted that he is behind the assassination of the former Naboo Senator as well as the abdication and murder of Naboo's King Veruna, and also that he assassinated his predecessor, Valorum. In the various Clone Wars stories, he took an increasingly active interest in Anakin Skywalker's development into a Jedi.
Palpatine plays a major role in Shadows of the Empire, where Prince Xizor attempted to discredit Darth Vader through a plot to kill Luke Skywalker and replace Vader as the Emperor's second in command. Vader, who was obsessed with the idea of turning his son to the dark side rather than killing him, ultimately killed Xizor. Eventually, it is revealed that Palpatine knew of Xizor's treachery and implied that he would have disposed of him later if Vader had not.
In the computer game TIE Fighter, Palpatine was kidnapped by Grand Admiral Zaarin in an attempted coup d'tat, although he was rescued by General Maarek Stele, one of the "Emperor's Hand" secret agents.
Dark Empire
n the Dark Empire series of comics, Palpatine returned shortly after the Thrawn crisis, as "The Emperor Reborn" or "Palpatine the Undying." After his spirit was resurrected from the netherworld of the Force by the Dark Lord ghosts of Korriban, Palpatine took possession of the body of the Emperor's Hand Jeng Droga on the planet Kaal. Droga fled to the Emperor's secret stronghold on the Deep Core planet of Byss, Sate Pestage exorcised Palpatine's spirit and channeled it into a clone of himself. (Palpatine claimed to have been cloning himself ever since his first "death," which he said was even before the Battle of Endor; although Star Wars Database administrator Leland Chee has disavowed this claim.)
Resurrected, Palpatine planned to replace the Galactic Empire with a "Dark Empire," a universe-spanning magocracy ruled through the dark side of the Force alone, without the need for superweapons and technological domination. Byss was modeled on this concept, serving as the Emperor's vision of a utopian society; it was initially inspired by the planet Thule, where the Prophets had set up an entire world solely to serve them and maintain their temples.
Palpatine attempted to take back control of the galaxy, and believed that he had converted Luke Skywalker to the dark side. Luke, however, was secretly working against him, and sabotaged Palpatine's battle plans (see Battle of Mon Calamari). He also managed to destroy most of Palpatine's cloning tanks, thus jeopardizing his immortality. In a final confrontation on his new flagship Eclipse, Palpatine was defeated again by Luke and his twin sister, Leia. The Skywalkers' use of Force Harmony cut Palpatine off from the Force Storm he had created, and it consumed both him and his ship.
The resurrected Emperor Palpatine, as depicted in Star Wars: Dark Empire. During Palpatine's second interregnum, the Empire was ruled by a cadre of Dark Jedi under the guidance of Operation Shadow Hand. Without Palpatine, however, loyalty proved elusive once again, and two Dark Side Adepts attempted to finish the job started by Master Skywalker and eliminate the remainder of Palpatine's clones. They were foiled by Sedriss, Vader's successor as Military Executor, and Emperor Palpatine was reborn.
Palpatine used Umak Leth's Galaxy Gun to coerce systems into accepting Imperial rule. With this strategy, he seemed on the verge of restoring the Galactic Empire to its former glory. Despite the impotence of the Rebel Alliance, internal affairs stalled Palpatine's progress. A traitorous Imperial Sovereign Protector, Carnor Jax, allied with the Emperor's Hand Sarcev Quest and the Imperial Ruling Council, bribed Palpatine's head cloning supervisor to tamper with all of Palpatine's stored DNA samples.
Palpatine's last cloned body deteriorated at an alarming rate due to the sabotage by his traitorous agents, and he began to fall victim to the ravaging dark side energies at his command. Aware of the genetic corruption of his clone supply, he ventured to the ancient Sith burial world of Korriban to seek the wisdom of Dark Lords past. The Sith spirits informed Palpatine that the only way to survive would be to inhabit the body of the infant Anakin Solo, the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia, and Vader's grandchild.
Taking his new flagship, Eclipse II, with him to the baby's sanctuary on the Jedi stronghold planet Onderon, Palpatine landed and slipped by security using his mastery of the Force. When he arrived at where the baby was being held, Luke and his fledgling Jedi Order confronted him. Palpatine easily dispatched them, despite his physical weakness, killing one, fatally injuring another, and incapacitating the others. Unexpectedly, an enraged Han Solo shot Palpatine in the back while he was distracted, killing him. With his body dead, Palpatine's spirit made one last lunge for the baby, but was intercepted by an ailing Empatojayos Brand. Brand used all of his remaining strength to keep Palpatine's spirit from escaping. When he died, he took Palpatine's essence with him. After so many years of conflict and bloodshed, Emperor Palpatine was truly dead.
