Emperor Palpatine is the shrewd and mastermind behind the Clone Wars and the fall of the Republic. He was the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who disguised himself as Emperor Palpatine. Through his political power and manipulation, he influenced situations and betrayed people to attain the destruction of the Jedi Order. 

For this reason, he is known as one of the most formidable Sith Lords in the galaxy. But unlike most Sith Lords with a strong connection to the dark side of the Force, Darth Sidious didn't use his lightsabers as much. That's because he was playing this role of Emperor Palpatine for public view, and him using lightsabers and the dark side would reveal the existence of the Sith and him as the Sith Lord. Darth Sidious also had a finer and exquisite taste in terms of art and enjoyment in life. This is also reflected in the weapon he seldom wields - his lightsabers! 

In this blog, we will discuss how he created his first lightsaber. We will also talk about what makes them different from other sabers and how he wielded them in battles or duels in his long-lived time in the galaxy. So, without further ado, let's get into it!

Creating his Exquisite Lightsaber

Palpatine became the apprentice to the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Plagueis. During his apprenticeship to his Sith Master, he created his first Sith lightsabers. It was a pair of almost identical lightsabers with an electrum finish. Despite his extreme skill in battle, Sidious seldom used it. That's because carrying these openly in public would reveal him to be a Sith Lord. Thus, he relied more on manipulation and used servants or his Sith apprentices such as Darth Maul or Dooku as the means to achieve his dark objectives against the Jedi and Republic.

Design and Features of Sidious Lightsabers

Darth Sidious's lightsabers were crafted from practically indestructible phrik material. Both lightsabers had an aurodium flat blade emitter and an electrum finish. They contained corrupted kyber crystals, hence giving the blades their red color. The blade shape was straight and cylindrical, and the blade hilt was 19 cm in length. They were designed for elegance and durability.

One of the lightsabers was ingeniously hidden inside a neuranium statue on his desk in the Senate Office Building, Coruscant. This kept the saber hidden in plain sight. 

Lightsaber Usage By Emperor Palpatine

Usage in Clone Wars

In Mandalore, Darth Sidious used both lightsabers to confront his Sith apprentice, Darth Maul, and Maul's younger brother, Savage Opress. Using both his sabers, he separated the brothers, disarmed Opress, and killed him. On the contrary, Darth Maul gave him a tough time as he also used two lightsabers in his duel with Darth Sidious. Soon, Darth Sidious disarmed Darth Maul and overpowered him. 

Then, in the Second Battle of Dathomir, Darth Sidious used one of his twin lightsabers. He faced off Darth Maul again with Savage Opress’s mother Talzin. He also had his apprentices, Dooku and General Grievous, on his side. All three of them together easily overpowered Talzin and killed her in lightsaber combat. 

Usage After Rise to Power

At the end of the Clone Wars, Emperor Palpatine’s real identity, Darth Sidious, was revealed to the Jedi. This led to the Jedi Masters confronting him in his office. This duel in Palpatine’s office is the climatic point as it was four Jedi Masters, namely Agen Kolar, Saesee Tinn, Kit Fisto, and Mace Windu, against Emperor Palpatine. Palpatine easily slayed Agen Kolar and Saesee Tinn. Kit Fisto was also killed shortly afterward. With the experienced Jedi Master Mace Windu, the duel was longer. Mace Windu guided the duel from the Palpatine's Office to the ledge outside. 

Mace Windu disarmed Palpatine with a kick to his face, which made him off-balance. This caused the Sith Lord to drop his lightsaber, which then fell out of the window onto the street of Coruscant. Mace Windu was about to strike and finish the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, but the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker barged in and stopped him. After Mace Windu ignored Anakin's pleas to not kill Palpatine, Anakin Skywalker killed Mace Windu to save Emperor Palpatine. Now, Palaptine was left with one of his twin lightsabers. 

After Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda found out what had happened, Yoda went himself to the Senate Building to personally face Emperor Palpatine. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan Kenobi went to meet Anakin Skywalker. He caught Palpatine off guard, who said he was blinded by his pride and that his new apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, would be far stronger than both of them. But, Yoda told Palpatine that his trust in Anakin Skywalker, who later became Darth Vader, was a bad decision, just like the trust he had placed in the dark side.

Yoda dueled with Emperor Palpatine, who used his last and only lightsaber. They came to the heart of the Senate: the Galactic Senate Chamber, for the duel. Palpatine hurled Senate Pods at Yoda. The Jedi Master Yoda was exhausted from trying to avoid them. Then, Palpatine blasted Force-lightning at Yoda. With the last of his strength, Yoda managed to repel it, and they both fell over the edge of the pod. Palpatine clung to a senate pod, whereas Yoda dropped down to the Senate floor, with only his cloak remaining. He managed to escape with the help of Bail Organa and then retreated into exile.

Usage in the Galactic Empire

After Obi-Wan Kenobi left Anakin Skywalker to die, he was rescued by Darth Sidious. He reconstructed him as the cyborg, Darth Vader. When Darth Sidious tells Darth Vader that his pregnant wife Padmé Amidala died, Vader throws his master Sidious against a wall. Darth Sidious convinces him to let him down. Once Vader does so, Sidious shocks Darth Vader with bolts of Force-lightning. Sidious then ignites his blade and threatens Vader never to use Force on him; otherwise, he won't spare his apprentice. 

When Darth Vader pursued Jedi Master Kirak Infil'a and took his lightsaber, claiming the kyber crystal. Palpatine sent him to the Sith cave that was the only part of the Sith temple remaining on Mustafar, so he could corrupt it with his pain and anger to make the crystal "bleed." The first time he tried, inside the cave, Darth Vader received an incredible light-side Force vision tempting him to return to the light side. He had a dream where he really rebuilt the lightsaber and went back to Emperor Palpatine with it in his Coruscant in all its green glory. Knowing that Darth Vader was not embracing his dark side nature, Palpatine turned on his apprentice, but in the vision, the cyborg killed Darth Sidious, after which the spirit reconciled with Kenobi.

Emperor Palpatine, once more with his lightsaber, fought his way through a horde of Lyleks on the planet Ryloth alongside Darth Vader. During the fight, he was able to deflect every shot of blasters that came his way using his only lightsaber.

Just before the Battle of Amaxine Station, Palpatine sparred with his apprentice, Darth Vader. They spared while discussing Qi’ra and her plans to destroy the Sith. Afterwards, Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader arrived at Amaxine Station aboard the Executor. Emperor Palpatine claimed that there would be no survivors as they set out to end Crimson Dawn.

When Palpatine and Vader reached the station, they turned on their lightsabers, leading their forces. This included Vader's death troopers and Palpatine's Royal Guards on the station. For Palpatine, this was one of those rare moments when he could attack his enemies in person, and he enjoyed this moment. Even as the plans of Crimson Dawn were destroyed in the Fermata Cage, Emperor Palpatine's rule finally ended much later in the Battle of Endor. It ended when Darth Vader embraced the light side of the Force and sacrificed his life for his son Luke Skywalker, killing the Emperor Palpatine.

With Palpatine's death, the Empire limped along until it was defeated at the Battle of Jakku in 5 ABY. When the resurrected Emperor returned to life in Exegol, Palpatine never reacquired his lightsaber because he thought it a symbol of the Sith's power. Even when his granddaughter, Rey, was sent to destroy the Sith and end the war between the Sith and Jedi once and for all, the resurrected Palpatine did not wield the weapon.

Darth Sidious's Lightsaber Abilities

Darth Sidious was a skilled swordsman who was educated by his master, Darth Plagueis, in lightsaber combat. Though he preferred the dark side of the Force in attacking, only a few were likely to survive against his swordsmanship. His style of fighting was aggressive and charged with rage. This, together with enhanced by the Force, he was able to kill three Jedi Masters within seconds.

Darth Sidious was deadly with two lightsabers as well as with one. He fought single-handedly against groups of opponents, such as the combined forces of Maul, Oppress, and several Jedi Masters. Being highly proficient in Jar'Kai, he has used two sabers against Opress and Maul. During the fight, he managed to disarm Maul and kill Opress. He was just as lethal with one sword, easily dispatching four Jedi Masters and later confronting Grand Master Yoda. Darth Sidious slew Jedi Masters Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin, and Kit Fisto with one blow each. Mace Windu fought him for a while; however, he managed to disarm Darth Sidious, though the Dark Lord ultimately won against him.

Darth Sidious was also highly skilled in blaster deflection. He was skilled in easily blocking every blaster shot aimed at him during a fight on Ryloth. Before the Battle at Amaxine Station, Darth  Sidious sparred with Vader, discussing Qi’ra’s plans to destroy the Sith. Darth Vader lasted longer in this duel, showing his growing strength, but Darth Sidious still dominated.

FAQs

What makes Darth Sidious's lightsabers special?

Darth Sidious had a taste for finer and exquisite things in life. His lightsabers also reflect this aspect of his personality. Sidious' lightsabers were unique because they were made of phrik, with flat aurodium emitters and electrum finishes. They used corrupted kyber crystals, which made them powerful and deadly.

Did Darth Sidious use lightsabers much?

No, Sidious preferred fighting via dark means and manipulation and just used his lightsabers when necessary to avoid revealing his real identity as a Sith.

What happened to Sidious’s lightsabers after his death?

Neither of his lightsabers has ever reappeared since the death of Darth Sidious. Even after his resurrection and when he returned to Exegol, he focused more on the dark side of the Force.