Villains Unveiled
Somehow he has returned
For this latest edition of Villains Unveiled we are circling back to a galaxy far, far away to revive the intergalactic tyrant we all know and love—Sheev Palpatine. Much like his unexpected return in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Darth Sidious is back and more decrepit than ever! First and foremost, I want to give a big shoutout to author Tommy-Lee Sexton who responded to a social media video I posted and declared that out of the bad guys that have been featured so far on this series, ol’ Sheev was his favorite. So, as promised, this is a “special edition” bonus episode showcasing even more of the best of the worst—the Emperor!
You can follow Tommy on Instagram: @tommyleewrites
Tommy’s YA sci-fi novel Eye of Destiny - The Starling Chronicles is available now in print and as a digital ebook on Amazon.
Back in an earlier blog post of this series, Dark Side Story, we dived deep into the lore of one of if not the biggest bad in all of Star Wars, but like the universe itself, Palpatine’s legacy is constantly expanding. In Rise of Skywalker, it was revealed that Snoke, the Supreme Leader of the First Order, was an offshoot clone of Sheev. Possessing Force sensitivities, Snoke (portrayed by Andy Serkis) ruled the remnants of the Imperials, seemingly taking the place of the former Palpatine — even mentoring Kylo Ren/Ben Solo (played by Adam Driver), in a role decidedly similar to that of his grandfather, Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker. Though an independent being, Snoke undoubtedly operates under the influence of Palpatine, whether or not he was fully aware of his true origins. Snoke was one of the many contingency clones created by Palpatine during the Empire’s reign over the collective solar systems in the known Star Wars universe. Snoke would meet his end during a battle involving Kylo Ren and Rey (played by Daisy Ridley) in Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017), ushering in the time for Palpatine to reveal his resurrection.
Cloning has long been a part of the Star Wars mythos, and in an episode of the Disney+ streaming series, The Mandalorian, a story delved into the development of what is theorized to be the Palpatine contingency program. In Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), the initial armies of troopers serving then Supreme Chancellor Palpatine were, of course, made up of genetic duplicates of the bounty hunter Jango Fett (played by Temuera Morrison). Star Wars Legends tales feature many adventures surrounding clones and is an intricate part of any version of the general canon. The Palpatine seen in Rise was indeed a replicated body of the Emperor, though his appearance was far more ghastly than when moviegoers last saw him (chronologically) in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983).
In Rise, Rey learns the truth of her heritage - she is the granddaughter of Palpatine. The genesis of her progeny is shrouded in mystery (though it is speculated that Palpatine’s “son” was nothing more than another clone who did not possess Force abilities), but Rey ultimately decided to carry on the lineage of the Skywalker name instead, preserving the memory of the key figures using the light side of the Force. Palpatine’s lust for power, however, will remain immortal in the minds of sci-fi fans forever.
Rey serving as the Skywalker steward is possibly more than her simply adopting the namesake - in a story explored in Marvel’s Darth Vader comic book series, Vader experiences visions that appear to be inspired by real life lore: the creator of Star Wars, none other than George Lucas, is said to have conceived an early draft of the Prequels where Palpatine confesses to Anakin that he manipulated the midichlorians which resulted in Anakin’s immaculate conception. This would’ve meant that essentially Palpatine is Anakin’s father. In the issue of the comic book, Vader’s hallucination supports the theory of Papa Sheev, but it is very much open to interpretation. If it is ever considered “official,” then this would imply that Rey, her parents, and Palpy himself are in a bizarre way related to Anakin, Luke, Leia, and Ben Solo (and Han Solo through marriage) - but considering Kylo and Rey’s romantic storyline, perhaps this theory is best left simply a bad trip Vader once had. There has been enough brother-sister kissing in Star Wars as it is!
All jokes not aside, but rather, emphasized and exemplified! The 1976 film Taxi Driver, starring Robert De Niro and directed by Martin Scorsese, featured a corrupt politician character named Charles Palantine (played by Leonard Harris). Playing with the spelling resulted in our beloved baddie Palpatine, which, according to real life legend, was Lucas making a subtle reference to his pal Scorsese.
A villain so cold as ice, we had to do him twice! Since we double-dipped into the Dark Side, let’s upgrade Palpatine’s villainous category.
Villain ranking: TYRANNICAL
Emperor Palpatine continues to be a vast evil figure in all of entertainment, spreading his brand of doom and gloom throughout movies, television, video games, comic books, novels, and more. His presence will be long remembered, regardless of who is or isn’t cloned.
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Unsecret Identity: Eric Icarus - Book One and Unsecret Origin: Eric Icarus - Book Two are available now from the Amazon as a paperback and as an ebook, also available in digital format on Kobo and BookBub.
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