“The Sith had undoubtedly been planning this for years. Maybe generations. […] She should have known Palpatine would have a contingency plan in place.”
It’s hard to keep a good villain down. When Star Wars was launched in 1977, we never met the Emperor of the fabled and hated Galactic Empire that Luke is so eager to rebel against. Little did viewers know in 1977 that they were being introduced to a highly complex villain, whose plans for galactic conquest would stretch over 60 years, including magic, political subterfuge, clones, apprentices, and lots and lots of Force lightning. Have you ever wondered how broad and complex his plan was? Read along as we uncover the Curious Case of Sheev Palpatine and his plan that changed a galaxy!
But Sheev did not sit idly by as the galaxy crumbled around him. As Darth Sidious, he killed his Master, Darth Plagueis, presumably after learning all that Plagueis had to teach him about the secret to immortality. He was actively recruiting and creating new apprentices, seeking the mythical dyad of old. The dyad, the basis for the famed Rule of Two, was a powerful connection between two users of the Force, both of whom would share their power together to be an unstoppable Force. Sheev had hoped that he and one of his apprentices would become the dyad, or that he would discover that he was half of it. In light of this, he took a baby from Mother Talzin of Dathomir, who would eventually become the Sith warrior Darth Maul. He would give careful attention to this apprentice, bringing him He would also recruit from the Jedi Order, working his dark tendrils into the hearts of Jedi Master Dooku and Rael Averros. The Force hints that Sheev had his hand in the formation of Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine; or, at least, he was influencing his life from an early age.
With Sith Lords Darth Tyrannus and Darth Maul in hand, Sheev started to make his first moves toward galactic conquest. In the year 32 BBY, Sheev Palpatine oversaw the blockade of his native planet, Naboo. He worked with the Trade Federation to start blockading planets that did not sign treaties with the Trade Federation, bringing starvation to populaton. As the Republic was inactive in moving against the Trade Federation, a sitting member of the Senate, Queen Amidala pushed for a vote of no confidence in the current Chancellor, Finnus Valorum, moving the Senate and Congress to elect Sheev Palpatine as their newest Supreme Chancellor. Darth Maul was fatally wounded (but survived) as the Trade Federation’s droid army was driven from Naboo, setting Sheev’s plans back.
This set back would not last long. Sheev was still actively putting other plans into motion while simultaneously taking advantage of growing crises across the galaxy. Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas had recently ordered a clone army from Kamino, but was killed in action over the planet Oba Diah. Darth Tyrannus took over the clone project, providing Jango Fett as the clone template. These clones would be sold to the Republic as their first Army in Darth Sidious’s manufactured war against the rising Separatist forces. Sometime during the process of creating the clones, the Kaminoans inserted a chip into their brains, which would inhibit misbehavior but also make them completely compliant to any commands that were issued to them. At this time, Darth Sidious might have also started to plot with the Kaminoans to preserve his own body (and perhaps Snoke’s body as well), if something were to happen to him.
Sidious also worked to bring a new Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, to his side. He became a mentor to the boy, and Anakin would see Palpatine as a sort-of father figure that he never had. Palpatine would stoke Anakin’s misgivings about the Jedi and the Republic, showing him the decay and rot that infiltrated to the core of the Senate itself. Palpatine saw that Anakin had great power, and some inklings toward darkness, and wished to bring those to bear, creating a new apprentice for himself in the meantime.
Crisis was engulfing the galaxy at the same time. Seeing the ineptitude of the Republic, many planets and systems were withdrawing from the Republic, joining the cause of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The Confederacy was spearheaded by Count Dooku, the public face of Darth Tyrannus. The Confederacy gained the support of financial institutions, like the Trade Federation, the Techno-Union, and the Banking Clan. The Confederacy would soon go to war with a droid army, created by the Trade Federation but engineered by the Geonosians, against the Republic’s clone army. In the end, both Separatist and Republic victories worked to his advantage. Any Republic victory would mean that he would have easier control over systems when he took over. Any Separatist victory would mean that faith in the Republic would waver, allowing quicker succession and more loyal planets when he took power. And, either way, if Jedi died in the process, good riddance.
At the end of the Clone Wars, it was time to make his move to become the ruler of the galaxy, which happens over the course of a few, but fateful, hours. Sidious used his newfound emergency powers, granted to him during the course of the Clone War, to declare himself the first Galactic Emperor, removing all term-limits held against him, giving him unilateral power to control the Republic. He had successfully brought Anakin Skywalker to the dark side as Darth Vader, and sent Darth Vader to murder the Separatist Council. He then issued an executive order to the Clone Troopers, Order 66, which was a command to destroy all Jedi Generals in the case of a Jedi insurrection. With most of the Jedi dead, and Darth Vader under his command, Palpatine had finally believed that all power belonged to him.
Unfortunately for him, this was not the case. He and Darth Vader were not the dyad that he had hoped they were. Instead, Vader was severely injured on Mustafar and required a mechanical suit to survive. Palpatine commissioned the help of Dr. Cylo, who rebuilt Darth Vader with a new body, helping the Sith Lord survive. But Dr. Cylo also had other skills useful to the Emperor: he could transfer his consciousness from one mechanical body to the next in the case of a body’s destruction. Palpatine had seen something similar, as the spirit of Mother Talzin survived the death of her body, causing her to possess Darth Tyrannus in an effort to prolong her life. The idea of spirit-transferring became one of Palpatine’s biggest obsessions, leading him to prioritize finding a replacement for Darth Vader and digging deeper into his studies of Force lore, magic, and relics. We will look at both of these in turn.
First, Palpatine became obsessed with finding a replacement for Vader. This may be due to Vader’s injuries on Mustafar, making him a less than ideal Sith warrior, but he might have also been afraid that if the time came, Vader was not a suitable host for Sheev’s spirit. He commissioned Dr. Cylo to make cyber enhanced replacements, from a Trandoshan who couldn’t feel pain to two young duelists, proficient in lightsaber combat. Sheev also turned former Jedi and other Force-sensitives into a group known as the Inquisitorious, Jedi hunters who would be under the command of Darth Vader. He might have also continued his program of stealing Force sensitive children, begun in the Clone War, into the Imperial era in an effort to find a body replacement for himself.
Second, Palpatine dug deeper into his studies of Force magic and lore. Toward the end of the Clone War, his interactions with Mother Talzin, as discussed above, pushed him to study the magic more deeply than he had previously. At some points in the war, he utilized Sith magic in an attempt to attack Jedi, coming into conflict with Anakin and Yoda themselves. He could also use this magic to disguise himself as other people, appearing once as slain Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. During his reign, he would travel to a Sith temple buried below the former Jedi Temple on Coruscant, known then as Imperial Center, to study more deeply. He would also collect a variety of artifacts, some imbued with great power, which would help strengthen his hold on the galaxy.
At some point during his studies, he came across the legend of Mortis and the World Between Worlds. He might have first been alerted to its presence when Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano were trapped on the world during the Clone War. His studies revealed that the Jedi Temple on Lothal was a nexus point for the World Between Worlds, a place where the Force could be used to move across time and space. In an attempt to gain access to the World Between Worlds, he used Sith magic to attack Jedi Ezra Bridger and Rebel Intelligence agent Ahsoka Tano, who repelled the attacks and block Sheev’s access to the World Between Worlds for good. Another attempt to trick Ezra into allowing him access would prove futile only months before the disastrous Battle of Yavin.
Darth Sidious, as Emperor, did not seem wholly concerned about politics; it was really a means to an end while he grew as a Sith Lord. But there were still politics to attend to. While he was studying Force magic and searching out a replacement, Palpatine became obsessed with protecting his own power. As he told Anakin almost two decades prior, those who gain power are always afraid of losing it. The most significant way in which he tried to protect his power was authorizing and watching the progress and construction of the feared Death Star battle station. The design was initially taken from and overseen by Geonosians, led by Poggle the Lesser, but the project would soon transfer under the oversight of Orson Krennic. The station was designed with the power to destroy cities and planets, destroying Nu-Jedha and Alderaan before the Death Star’s destruction over Yavin. Production of a second Death Star would be hurried, and the station was used as bait to lure the Rebel Alliance into a trap near Endor and Kef Bir.
Aboard that station, Palpatine would put his ultimate plan for a successor in place. After the destruction of the first Death Star at the hands of Rebel pilot Luke Skywalker, both Darth Sidious and Darth Vader became obsessed with hunting the young Jedi down. Palpatine did his best to seduce Luke over time, but Luke resisted the Emperor’s temptations. Palpatine would arrange events to bring Luke on board the second Death Star, where Palpatine would try to use Darth Vader and the destruction of the Rebel fleet as an impetus for Luke to switch to the Dark Side. Sheev even commanded Luke to strike him down, solidifying Luke’s turn to the Dark Side, potentially even giving Palpatine a chance to leave his own body and possess Luke’s instead.
Luke would eventually resist the Dark Side, throwing away his own lightsaber, sacrificing himself for Vader. Vader, when the light within him was brought to the surface, sacrificed himself and threw Palpatine over the edge of a pit in the Death Star, wherein the galaxy would have thought Palpatine dead. Sensing the growing light in his apprentice, Palpatine was already prepared with a plan, and threw his consciousness into the void, saving his soul from death, but necessitating a new, permanent body for his spirit to move into.
This activated Palpatine’s contingency plan, known as Operation: Cinder. Any planet or governor that failed him would be utterly destroyed, similar to the culling of Imperial leaders post-Yavin, but on a scale not yet seen. (This fails to mention Imperial leaders involved in plots against him, who were taken out in other ways.) Major Imperial offensives were carried out against Naboo, Vardos, and no defense was offered to Imperial leaders who failed in battles post-Endor. Palatine did arrange for leaders to take over the Empire after his death, such as Jakku orphan Gallius Rax, with the idea that he would again prune the Empire of its weakest members.
The purpose was two-fold. Palpatine believed himself at the verge of resurrection, as did some of his followers, such as Yupe Tashu. When resurrected, Palpatine would take over the recently pruned and, presumably, stronger, Empire. He also arranged for a strategic retreat of surviving Imperial forces, pulling these forces into the Unknown Regions, where they could regroup and return stronger. Palpatine sensed something in the Unknown Regions, something that suggested a strong nexus in the Dark Side, perhaps even its origins, and was able to map out part of the Unknown Regions through the help of probe droids, Admirals, and strange, alien astronavigators.
Over the next thirty years, the Imperial Remnant would survive on two fronts, fueled by rumors of Palpatine’s return – or, at least, a potential return. In the known galaxy, the Imperial Remnant would remain locked in a cold war with the New Republic, who would keep the Imperials at bay while they built their new government. In the Unknown Regions, the Imperial fleet would grow in size as Imperial loyalists rendezvoused deep in Wild Space. Over time, the Imperial army would be rebranded as the First Order, and control of the First Order would shift from Rae Sloane to Supreme Leader Snoke, who was really a puppet leader for the supposedly late Emperor Palpatine. The First Order would grow in size in secret, while the Imperial Remnant would influence the galaxy to prepare for its return.
Some of those plans involved using warlords and drug lords to cause chaos in the New Republic. These warriors, such as the Amaxine warriors, would shuffle funds back to the First Order, while creating division in the New Republic Senate. Soon, the New Republic Senate would split as a two party system emerged. The Centrists, those who were somewhat sympathetic to the Empire and believed that military control should be centralized within the major governing body, would secede from the New Republic, becoming the backbone of the First Order’s governing body.
But all this time, politics were still not at the forefront of Palpatine’s mind. He would leave the subterfuge and take over attempts of his previous life before, focusing instead on military might, creating an invasion force, and finding a new apprentice. In cloned bodies, Palpatine would survive on Exegol, a Sith world filled with a group called the Sith Eternal. The Sith Eternal would build Palpatine a new fleet, crewed by hundreds of thousands of Exegolian natives, who would become admirals, crew members, and even fearsome Sith Troopers.
He also, in the form of a shadowy voice, influenced the life of the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, Ben Solo. Speaking to him with the voice of Snoke, Palpatine, Darth Vader, and presumably others, Palpatine would twist the young boy’s mind, making him feel as if he were unloved, alone, and hated. These feelings would come to a head when Jedi Master Luke Skywalker reads the young boys’ mind, almost attacking Ben in his sleep. Ben, surrounded by fear and hatred, would destroy the temple (that was Sheev), attack his fellow Jedi, and join the Knights of Ren. He would be known as Kylo Ren, unknowing servant of Sheev Palpatine, under the direct tutelage of Supreme Leader Snoke.
Meanwhile, while attempting to bring Ben Solo to the Dark Side, his own family needed to be brought to heel. As many clones were created, some turned out to be unsuitable for his purposes. One such clone escaped, living his own life, marrying, and bearing a daughter. This daughter was incredibly strong in the Force, and Palpatine sent Jedi hunter Ochi of Bestoon to find her. Unable to locate the girl on Jakku, Ochi murdered Palpatine’s cloned “son” and his wife. This girl would grow in secrecy on Jakku, and a Force bond grew between her and Ben Solo.
The First Order would grow immensely in power over a short period, led by puppet leaders with their own agendas, unknowingly bringing Palpatine’s Empire back to life under a different name. Under the command of Supreme Leader Snoke, Kylo Ren, and General Armitage Hux, the First Order would be seen as an answer to the disarray of the New Republic. Sheev would seed the First Order with agents ultimately loyal to him, such as Allegiant General Pryde, who would report on the First Order to Palpatine, making sure that they stayed in line with his vision and plan.
The truth of the First Order’s “help” to the galaxy, however, was far darker, causing a small cell of insurgents to rise against the First Order, called the Resistance. According to them, the First Order was secretly invading planets, exploiting peoples and land for their own benefit, and even converting the former Jedi training ground, Ilum, into a massive superweapon with the power to destroy entire planets. The Resistance was bringing the First Orders dealings to light, in a way forcing their hand into direct action against the galaxy. The First Order revealed their weapon, Starkiller Base, and destroyed the New Republic capital, currently situated on Hosnian Prime.
After the destruction of Hosnian Prime, the Resistance lead a brave counter attack on the First Order, destroying Ilum and most of their command ships. Still, Palpatine’s plan was undeterred. Right before the destruction of Ilum, Kylo Ren alerted Supreme Leader Snoke to the presence of a scavenger, powerful in the Force, named Rey. Snoke was insistent that the girl be brought to him. His wish was granted, in a way, when Rey, on her own accord, came to his flagship, the Supremacy, in an effort to bring Kylo Ren back to the light. A conflict broke out in which Kylo Ren killed Snoke, and Rey escaped with her life.
Palpatine then saw Kylo Ren as a valuable asset, or even a valuable body to possess. It was time for his (unbeknownst to him) final move, but a final move which would actually prompt his own undoing. He interrupted every radio broadcast across the galaxy, alerting every living being that he returned, and he wanted revenge. This brought Kylo Ren in direct conflict with the not-so-late Emperor, who promised Kylo the Sith Eternal fleet and leadership in his Empire. He also clued Kylo in on the secret family history of Rey of Jakku, revealing that she was his granddaughter, asking Kylo to kill her for him. He also told the Final Order, his name for the Exegolian fleet, that they would attack every free system in the galaxy within 16 hours.
This initial plan was foiled by General Leia Organa, who sacrificed her life to contact Kylo, who was immediately stabbed and healed by Rey of Jakku. Rey healed Ben, bringing him back to full health, when he shed his identity as Kylo Ren and again took the name Ben Solo. Ben raced to Exegol to find Rey and Sheev Palpatine, where they would have their final confrontation. With his clone body wasting away, Palpatine probably knew that Exegol was his final chance at attaining the perfect and eternal life he desperately craved. With Kylo Ren no longer a viable option, he turned his sights on his own granddaughter, Rey Palpatine. When she found him on Exegol, he set up an arcane ritual, wherein she could unleash her anger on him, which would allow him to possess her and rule as Empress Palpatine. (He attempted a similar ritual with Luke Skywalker on the second Death Star, minus the ritualistic elements, but with the same idea of possessing the person who struck him down.) The untimely appearance of Ben Solo would prove to be his undoing, though it initially seemed to be exactly what he was waiting for.
He learned that the dyad he so desperately sought – with Maul, Dooku, Vader – was actually the bond between Rey of Jakku and Ben Solo. He tapped into the energy shared between them, sucking the life energy from the pair, restoring his body to the state it was in at the end of the Clone War. With the unlimited power he had always dreamt of, he shot lightning into the sky to destroy Resistance pilots and ships alike who dared oppose him. Rey, aided by the strength of the Jedi before her, would rise against Palpatine, bringing to bear all of that Sith lightning back on his body, destroying every ounce of life he had left. (Or, so we hope…)
From Naboo to Exegol, Palpatine was a master manipulator and strategist. From working his way up from Senator to Supreme Chancellor to Emperor, Palpatine was able to work from the bottom of the political ladder to the very top, controlling a galaxy. He also knew how to wield power, from ruling over both sides of a war to creating massive superweapons to amassing a gigantic fleet crewed by an entire planet. But Star Wars is not the story of villains – it is the story of heroes, and if has taught us anything, it’s that heroes who fight for the light with love in their hearts will always be victorious over evil.
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