Eighty-four years before the Battle of Yavin, Sheev Palpatine was born on planet Naboo. He belonged to a dynastic and noble Palpatine family, but since there were no records of his father or mother, it was believed that he was the last of his ancient bloodline. He was raised in the cultural city of Theed. Over the centuries, he formed many connections with various credible politicians. This gave him a plethora of knowledge on governance and the subtleties of power and manipulation. Since his early days, he knew how to manipulate people and situations to his advantage. 

Information about his training under the Darth Lord of the Sith, Darth Plagueis, was only known to a few. He became his apprentice and took the name Darth Sidious. From Darth Plagueis, he learned all that his master knew about the dark side of the Force. He also constructed his Sith lightsabers under his apprenticeship. During this time, he started to also secure political power. In his travels, he learnt tactics to advance his power. Under his training with Plagueis, he was taught that according to Darth Bane’s Rule of Two, one was the master, and the other was the apprentice. And keeping this, they would be able to unleash the full power of the dark side and become mortal for ten thousand years. 

The master of Darth Sidious, Darth Plagueis, was obsessed with becoming immortal. For this, he had learnt how to manipulate the midi-chlorians to create life. According to Plagueis, the secret of mortality was in science. So, he and Darth Sidious conducted many unnatural experiments to find the secret to mortality.

Double Life and Taking Darth Maul As an Apprentice

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As Sheev Palpatine in public view, he took great interest in the politics in Naboo. He was one of the officials who attended the opening ceremony of the power generator in 65 BBY. His master, Darth Plagueis, even managed to make him a Senator in the Galactic Republic Senate in 52 BBY. This role of Palpatine made him the Senator of the whole Chommell sector consisting of thirty six planets. 

Darth Sidious took it as his responsibility to carry out the Grand Plan initially made by the Sith Lord, Darth Bane. In the process of executing this whole plan for the galaxy, Sidious planned to keep his identity a secret and deceive the Senate, the Republic, and the Jedi. Even as a Senator, Palpatine was known to have the backing of mysterious friends and allies outside of Naboo locals. According to rumors, these were shadowy organizations and individuals like financiers, industrialists, and many more. 

As Darth Sidious, he sought to have an apprentice. For this reason, he travels to the planet of Dathomir and meets with the Nightsister Mother Talzin, who knows magick. He considered having her as his apprentice. Eventually, he chose the Zabrak Nightbrother, who was Talzin’s infant son who became the formidable Darth Maul. Maul was always afraid of Sidious when he met with his mother Talzin, but Sidious was drawn to Maul for his inability to control his aggression. By manipulating Talzin to give Maul to a keeper or he won't make her his apprentice, he succeeded in his plan of torturing Maul. As a result, Maul eventually hated his mother Talzin for giving him up to the tortuous keeper and his sons. After some time in the Selection Arena, Maul used the dark side of the Force to Force-choke the keeper and his two sons in front of Darth Sidious and Talzin.

Betraying Talzin of his apprenticeship, he stole his son, Darth Mau, and left the planet. According to the Rule of Two, there could only be one master and one apprentice. So, the next step he took was to betray his master by breaking into his apartment and killing him in his sleep.  Now, as the Sith Master himself, he trained Maul to become a weapon of the Sith. He saw Maul's exceptional combat and dark-side abilities as an asset to his Grand Plan. At one point in training Maul, he took him to Malachor. Here, Maul saw visions of the great battle that occurred millennia ago between the Jedi and the Sith. As he saw his Sith brothers dying one after another, a desire for revenge against the Jedi Order was inculcated in Maul. This further motivated Darth Maul to become a huge part of Sidious's plan of destroying the Jedi Order and restoring the Sith’s power once again in the galaxy.

Manipulating Dooku and Withholding Maul

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In 42 BBY, Dooku met Palpatine, a Jedi, through his former Padawan Rael Averross after Dooku addressed the Senate. He left the Jedi Order to become the Count of Serenno. Dooku joined Sidious, who manipulated his anger toward the Republic. Dooku betrayed Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, took the commission of the clone army in Kamino, and erased Kamino from the Jedi Archives to keep the plan a secret. Now, Darth Sidious also had Dooku alongside Darth Maul to carry out his Great Plan of destruction of the Jedi Order.

In 33 BBY, Darth Sidious came to his hideout in Coruscant, where he had met with Maul to scold him for letting Jedi feel his existence. Darth Sidious warned Maul that his impatience would compromise their long-term plan of destroying the Jedi Order. He sent Darth Maul to a place where some pirates were hassling their mining facilities and to test his loyalty by setting him up to fight a Jedi Padawan. Darth Maul murdered the Jedi without even realizing it, and Sidious knew it well. Then, Maul murdered a Force-sensitive thief, and again Sidious cautioned him not to behave in such a manner so that the Jedi could come to know of his identity. To make him learn a lesson on patience, Darth Maul was taken back to Malachor by Sidious. Here, Darth Maul learnt patience and planning to defeat the Jedi.

Invasion of Naboo

Senator Sheev Palpatine of Naboo, secretly Darth Sidious, orchestrated the invasion of Naboo as part of his grand plan for domination in the galaxy. He also took advantage of the greed within Nute Gunray and Rune Haako of Trade Federation to blockade the planet. He negotiated with both of them to protest the new Republic taxation of trade routes by invading Naboo with droids. Palpatin promised them protection and more power.

Darth Sidious commanded the Trade Federation to take Queen Padmé Amidala hostage and get her to sign a treaty. This would make the invasion seem legal. However, this treaty was just a means of distraction. His ultimate plan was to cause chaos and get a glimpse into the weaknesses of the Republic. He maneuvered behind the scenes in the Senate while also making sure that the Republic's reaction to the situation was slow and inefficient.

Queen Amidala had escaped to Coruscant and made a plea for help, so Darth Sidious was able to exploit her frustration and urged her to initiate a vote of no confidence in Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum. This would remove Valorum from his position and establish Sidious as the leader with a compassionate appearance and sufficient qualifications to be voted in as the new Supreme Chancellor. While all these political events were taking place, Darth Sidious brought the Jedi into the situation by making sure that the Jedi Council sent Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi to negotiate with the Trade Federation. This helped distract the Jedi from finding out his Sith identity.

Although Naboo was eventually liberated and the invasion stopped, Darth Sidious had succeeded. He obtained tremendous political influence and revealed weaknesses in the Republic that would ultimately pave the way for his greater ambition to destroy the Jedi Order and to change the Republic into the Galactic Empire. The invasion of Naboo was an elaborately calculated move in the grand strategy of galactic domination that Sidious employed. 

Separatist Crisis

This is another crisis orchestrated by Darth Sidious as a part of his Grand scheme of plan to harm the Jedi. The Separatist Crisis of 24–22 BBY saw thousands of star systems secede from the Galactic Republic and pledge allegiance to Count Dooku and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. This political crisis led by Dooku and his Sith master, Darth Sidious (Chancellor Palpatine), was designed to create a galaxy-wide war in which the Sith would attain control of the Republic, and it would be reconstituted into the Galactic Empire. They secretly established a clone army on Kamino to fulfill the needs of the Republic.

During this time, Palpatine made public to the world that he wished for a peaceful resolution with the Separatists. Members of the Confederacy would also have liked to avoid war. But following an assassination attempt on Senator Padmé Amidala, the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered the clone army and the Separatist leaders, comprising the Trade Federation, which supported Dooku's cause. These leaders provided resources, like battle droids, to the Separatist forces.

The crisis started with the First Battle of Geonosis when Jedi and clone troopers rescued captured Republic leaders. It later ended in favor of the Republic when the Separatists were defeated. But this was a victory in disguise for Darth Sidious. This victory in the Clone Wars gave Palpatine the ideal opportunity to play on the situation. He manipulated the situation of war and told the galaxy that the Republic needed a more secure and central government for protection and presented himself as the solution. By using war as a reason, he dissolved the Republic and declared himself Emperor. In this manner, he effectively turned the galaxy into the Galactic Empire.

Betraying his Apprentice, Darth Tyranus

Darth Sidious, posing as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, carefully prepared for the downfall of his Sith apprentice, Count Dooku. This was to pave the way for his new and more promising apprentice, Anakin Skywalker. He considered Anakin's great potential enough to make him better than Dooku, whom he felt had become limited. Dooku had played his role in the Separatist cause, but for Sidious, there was so much more with Anakin. He believed that Anakin Skywalker was gifted and had the true power to achieve his objective of dominating the galaxy.

Darth Sidious had a multi-layered strategy. First, he played on Dooku; he used Dooku to execute his will but kept Dooku away from knowing about the betrayal in store for him. He engineered opportunities that would be made available for the Jedi Knight Anakin to prove his dark powers, thereby sending him further toward the dark side. Meanwhile, in the background, Darth Sidious instilled distrust within the Jedi Order, thereby eroding Anakin's allegiance to the Jedi.

When the time was ready, Darth Sidious prepared the background for Dooku's demise. The Battle of Coruscant was the ideal setting. The situation was then used by Sidious to facilitate an opportunity where Anakin was to kill Dooku. In the heat of a fight on board the Invisible Hand, Anakin disarmed Dooku's both hands and was ordered by Emperor Palpatine to kill Dooku. Although Anakin Skywalker was hesitant to kill Dooku, Palpatine urged him to kill Dooku. Dooku noticed that he was being betrayed by his Sith Master but still chose not to speak his truth. Anakin Skywalker, in a rage, chose to kill Dooku using his dark side of the Force and abandoning his Jedi training.

By killing Dooku, Sidious killed off a mighty individual who might have equaled him and thus secured Anakin's loyalty. This sealed his fate as Darth Vader. It furthered the last mile in bringing the Galactic Empire into existence and ultimately destroying the Jedi.

Sith Identity Revealed to Jedi

As the Clone Wars were ending, the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered the Clone Army on Kamino and was able to trace it back to Palpatine’s manipulation of the events in the galaxy. Moreover, Anakin Skywalker was also seen being greatly involved in the ongoing war. Eventually, Jedi Masters connected the dots and discovered Palpatine's real identity, Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious. Once his identity was confirmed, the Jedi Master Mace Windu and other Jedi Council members left to confront Sidious in Coruscant's office.

Darth Sidious quickly killed the three Jedi Masters, namely Agen Kolar, Saesee Tin, and Kit Fisto. With Mace Windu, his duel was longer. At one point in their duel, Mace Windu disarmed Darth Sidious, knocking him to the ground. Just when Mace Windu was about to kill the orchestrator of the galactic chaos, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker intervened. Although Anakin Skywalker was given instructions to stay at the Jedi temple, he came to the Chancellor's office. This was because Chancellor Palpatine had given him the hope and promise that he could save his pregnant wife, Padmé Amidala, which Anakin saw dying in a vision. 

Mace Windu ignored Anakin Skywalker and declared the defeat of Darth Sidious and the Sith. In response to this, Darth Sidious struck Mace Windu with Force-lightning. But Mace Windu was able to block most of the energy and deflect most of it back at the Sith Lord. Anakin Skywalker interrupted Mace Windu, saying that this is not the Jedi way to kill someone and that he can arrest Darth Sidious instead. But Mace Windu had realised that Palpatine was a powerful politician and controlled the Senate as well as the judiciary. So, killing him was better than leaving the dangerous Sith Lord alive.

Anakin Skywalker was still protesting to not kill Darth Sidious as he knew he needed him to save his dying wife Padmé. As Mace Windu was about to make his final killing move on Darth Sidious, the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker acted and severed the lightsaber-holding hand of the Jedi Master Mace Windu. This allowed Darth Sidious to then kill Mace Windu, once and for all. 

After the duel, Anakin Skywalker pledged his loyalty to Darth Sidious. He became the Sith Lord Darth Vader. The Jedi had attempted to kill the so-called Emperor Palpatine. This gave him an excuse to execute his full plan of seizing control over the galaxy. He announced Jedi as traitors and issued an Order 66 to the Grand Army of the Republic and the clone troopers. Order 66 ordered the killing of all Jedi in the galaxy by the clone troopers. After a short time of this Jedi Purge, he declared himself as the Emperor and transformed the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire. This Galactic Empire ruled for 20 years or so under the Emperor, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious in disguise. 

Rebel Alliance  Against The Galactic Empire

The Rebel Alliance was formally established with the Declaration of the Rebel Alliance by Senator Mon Mothma. He united different rebel cells, such as those led by Bail Organa and Luthen Rael. These early movements eventually became part of the Alliance, which included rebel groups such as the Phoenix Cell and the crew of the Ghost. Ahsoka Tano, Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, and Captain Rex, among other Jedi of the Clone Wars, were also present in organizing and aiding the cause against the Galactic Empire. 

Instead of direct battles with the Empire, the Alliance fought by setting up small bases rather than trying to control entire planets. A turning point for the Alliance came when they managed to steal the plans for the Death Star and destroyed it in the Battle of Yavin, with the help of Luke Skywalker. This shifted the balance of power in the galaxy and started showing the Empire that the Rebellion was a force to be reckoned with.

Despite the early success of the Alliance, they suffered a devastating blow when they were defeated by Darth Vader and the Empire in the Battle of Hoth. The drastic defeat made it necessary for the Alliance to scatter its forces to survive. Later on, the Rebellion struck a massive blow by attacking the construction site of the second Death Star during the Battle of Endor. They destroyed the station, as well as crippling the Imperial Navy by taking one of its Super Star Destroyers. In the end, he redeemed himself as he killed Emperor Palpatine, and, though he died in the process, the Alliance emerged victorious, leading to the fall of the Galactic Empire.

Darth Sidious's Death and Resurrection

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In the Galactic Civil War, Emperor Palpatine was planning to betray Darth Vader and replace him with his son, Luke Skywalker. This wasn't the first time he had betrayed his apprentice. But, this time, his plan failed when Darth Vader renounced the dark side and killed Palpatine instead to save his son, Luke Skywalker. This act destroyed the Sith, and the balance of the Force was restored. It also fulfilled Anakin Skywalker's role as the prophesized Chosen One.

Despite the death, Darth Sidious utilized his knowledge to transfer his essence into a clone body, which was not perfect. He planned for failure through a backup plan called the Contingency that would destroy the Galactic Empire and replace it with a new Sith Empire. He helped give rise to the First Order and even created Supreme Leader Snoke. Snoke then influences Ben Solo (the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo) to the dark side. Snoke was successful in turning Ben Solo to the dark side, and he became Kyloe Ren. As Kylo Ren, he served as the leader of the First Order. Ultimately, Darth Sidious's return was revealed in 35 ABY. But, he was attacked by the Resistance in the form of a surprise attack on his hidden base on Exegol.

During the battle at Exegol, Darth Sidious would finally find out the dyad within the Force with Rey and Ben Solo. This bond that united the two individuals across vast distances was powerful and unique. Darth Sidious, who longed to exploit and dominate the Skywalker bloodline, saw his granddaughter, Rey, as key to his end goal of achieving eternal rule.

This plan of Darth Sidious failed as notable figures such as Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, among others, were communicating with Rey through the Force. In the final battle, Rey uses the power of the Jedi to reflect Palpatine's energy at him. She was able to finally destroy him and his Sith Eternal followers. By carrying out this, she not only ended Darth Sidious’s reign but also prevented his plans for a new Sith Empire. This finally brought an end to the Sith rule in the galaxy. 

FAQs

How did Emperor Palpatine gain power in the galaxy? 

Emperor Palpatine rose to power by manipulating the Galactic Republic and creating the Clone Wars. He assumed the identity of Chancellor Palpatine and erased the Jedi from the face of the galaxy using Order 66. He converted the Republic into the Galactic Empire, declaring himself Emperor.

Why would Sidious desire for Luke to succeed Darth Vader?

Darth Sidious wanted to replace Darth Vader since he felt Luke had a greater potential in his strong connection with the Force than Vader did. He felt that Vader was now weakened after all his injuries, and Vader was not as effective of an apprentice for Darth Sidious anymore.

What happened next after Darth Sidious died?

With Sidious's death, the Sith are exterminated, bringing balance to the Force. The galaxy transitions into the New Republic. The power of the Empire finally falls apart.