Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is bringing back a dangerous villain thought to have been dead for years: Sheev Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious. Palpatine was the Galactic Emperor and Sith Lord who ruled the galaxy from the fall of the Galactic Republic to the rise of the Galactic Empire. Palpatine has been present in every Star Wars Skywalker Saga film, in one form or another, he was briefly mentioned in Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and his voice can be heard during the vision of Rey touching Luke Skywalker's lightsaber in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

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However, the last time viewers saw the Emperor on screen (that is, in the in-universe timeline) was in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, when he was thrown off a ledge by Darth Vader by the reactor of the Death Star, an act that helped Darth Vader redeem himself and return to the light. With his and Darth Vader's deaths, the Sith were destroyed, but it turns out Palpatine isn't entirely gone, and he's the one behind the Ben Solo/Kylo Ren corruption. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will see the return of Palpatine, and with that the reveal of what his true plan has been all along.

Palpatine is no stranger to Star Wars fans, but those unfamiliar with the original trilogy and prequels may feel a bit lost when it comes to this character and his importance in the Skywalker Saga, although it's also valid and understandable that Even those who have seen all the movies at some point don't remember much about it. With Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker almost here, it's a great time to take a look at who Palpatine really is.

Who is Emperor Palpatine?

Sheev Palpatine is a native of Naboo who had an affinity with the Force but was seduced by the dark side. He led a double life for years: as Palpatine, he served as the representative of his homeworld in the galactic capital and became Supreme Chancellor, manipulated everything from the inside and worked for the dark side as Darth Sidious. In other words, Palpatine's identity was Sidious's cover for creating conflict and giving himself dictatorial emergency powers so that he could eventually destroy the Republic. As a Sith Lord, Palpatine had three apprentices: Darth Maul, Darth Tyranus (Dooku), and Darth Vader.

Emperador Palpatine Origen y Darth Plagueis

Palpatine met the Sith Lord Darth Plagueis, who took him on as an apprentice and gave him the name Darth Sidious. Plagueis taught him everything he knew about the dark side of the Force, and Palpatine realized his master's greatest discovery: the secret of eternal life. Plagueis was obsessed with extending his life as long as possible, and found a way to influence the midi-chlorians to achieve this. Plagueis was very powerful and even earned the epithet of "the wise", but he could not foresee his death at the hands of his apprentice. Sidious killed Plagueis while he slept, as he had learned everything he needed from his teacher. Years later, he used this story to turn Anakin Skywalker to the dark side, as the young Jedi had been having premonitions of his wife's death in childbirth, and he was intrigued by Plagueis's ability to prevent death.

Following Plagueis's death, Sidious began searching for an apprentice, which he found in Darth Maul, whom he trained to be a weapon of the Sith thanks to Maul's prowess and combat abilities. Sidious also managed to lure Jedi Master Dooku to the dark side, taking him on as an apprentice after the fall of Darth Maul. Palpatine was a master at manipulation, and he used that talent to further the Sith's plan to supplant the Republic with a new Sith Empire and destroy the Jedi Order.

Powers of Emperor Palpatine

Palpatine is one of the most dangerous characters in the galaxy as he had extreme levels of mastery over the powers of the dark side. He used Force lightning as a method of torture and a deadly attack, as seen in Return of the Jedi when he attacked Luke in front of Darth Vader, and in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith when he killed to Mace Windu. He was so skilled in Force lightning that he could hit multiple enemies at once. Palpatine could also produce a dark aura, which consists of charging the air around the caster with malicious Force energy, damaging those caught within its radius.

He was also highly skilled with telekinesis and Force choke, and was really good at foreseeing the future, allowing him to prepare for almost any contingency. Palpatine was skilled in Sith magic, the use of Force Persuade and Force Dash, could telepathically communicate with Darth Vader from hundreds of light-years away, and could sense the thoughts and feelings of others, including those of powerful Force adepts such as Darth Vader. Vader and Luke Skywalker. On top of all that, he was also adept at lightsaber combat.

Sith Master Plan of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader

The Sith had a plan that had been in the works for centuries, and their primary goal was to destroy the Jedi Order and destroy the Galactic Republic, making way for the Sith Empire. The plan was to infiltrate the Republic and hijack it from within, so it's easy to see why Palpatine managed to pull off the plan. The acquisition of the Sith affected politics, economics, society, and the organization and philosophy for Force users. There was a realignment of both sides of the Force and Palpatine ended the Rule of the Two Sith, allowing him to train many new dark side adepts. The Emperor ruled the galaxy for a long time with Darth Vader as his latest apprentice, and his reign remained unchallenged until the rise of the Alliance, sparking the Galactic Civil War.

As for Darth Vader, Palpatine was aware of Anakin Skywalker's Force abilities and his visions of his wife's death, which made it easy for him to turn Skywalker to the dark side. Palpatine took him on as an apprentice and gave him the name Darth Vader, but not before appointing him as his representative to the Jedi Council, which was part of his plan. It was through Vader that Palpatine was able to destroy nearly all of the Jedi, and he knew that Vader was an important part of the Empire's survival, which is why he made sure he survived after being dismembered and burned on Mustafar. However, like Plagueis, Palpatine was killed by his apprentice, or so it was believed.

Emperor Palpatine Returns in The Rise of Skywalker

The return of the Emperor is the biggest surprise the Star Wars sequels have brought. His return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was revealed in the first trailer, but he has not physically appeared in any trailers or television spots. However, one of the final teasers confirmed that he is the one behind Kylo Ren's corruption, manipulating him through the mask of Snoke and Darth Vader. Exactly how and why he's back is perhaps the biggest question the movie has to answer, but fans have come up with a couple of theories.

The most popular one says that he transferred his essence to a nearby relic, which is Darth Vader's mask, which explains how Kylo has been communicating with her. Another theory that has drawn a lot of attention is that Palpatine is actually Darth Plagueis. In his quest to defeat death, Plagueis killed Palpatine and took over his body, thus extending his life by using another body. This theory would explain why Palpatine is so obsessed with the Skywalkers, since he needs a powerful new body to continue living, and the Skywalkers (Anakin, Luke, Kylo) are the perfect hosts.

Palpatine's return helps bring all of the Skywalker Saga movies together and establishes him as the greatest (and very powerful) threat in the galaxy. Whether he still has the full use of his powers remains to be seen, but even if he doesn't, his manipulation and strategy skills alone are enough for him to continue to be one of the most dangerous characters in the world. 

Edit & Design . Floux Jaffa