175-575: Sheev Palpatine is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He first appeared in the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back as The Emperor . He is also known by his Sith name, Darth Sidious , which was first used in the novelization of the 1999 film The Phantom Menace . Palpatine appears in all three film trilogies in the Skywalker Saga , and is portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in all five films in which he physically appears. In
350-565: A Force spirit . On the ice planet Hoth , he instructs Luke to travel to Dagobah to find the exiled Jedi Master Yoda. Yoda is reluctant to mentor Luke, but Obi-Wan convinces him to continue Luke's training. When Luke intends to leave Dagobah to rescue his friends in Cloud City , Obi-Wan beseeches him to stay, but Luke leaves anyway. In Return of the Jedi (1983), Obi-Wan appears to Luke after Yoda's death on Dagobah. Obi-Wan confirms that Vader
525-611: A Jedi mind trick to compel Imperial troops to let them through a checkpoint. Obi-Wan and Luke hire the smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca to take them to Alderaan aboard Han's ship, the Millennium Falcon . During the journey, Obi-Wan instructs Luke in lightsaber combat. Obi-Wan suddenly feels "a great disturbance in the Force"; soon after, he and the others find that the Empire has obliterated Alderaan. The Falcon gets caught in
700-480: A Lucasfilm story group member who collaborated on the comic confirmed that a direct connection between Palpatine and Vader was not their intent. The character also appears in the final chapter of the comic book Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren (2020), which illustrates Palpatine's manipulation of the young Ben Solo into becoming Kylo Ren. Star Wars Star Wars is an American epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas , which began with
875-434: A 10-episode adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back debuted in 1983. Billy Dee Williams joined the other two stars, reprising his role as Lando Calrissian. In 1983, Buena Vista Records released an original, 30-minute Star Wars audio drama titled Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell , written by Daley. In the 1990s, Time Warner Audio Publishing adapted several Star Wars series from Dark Horse Comics into audio dramas:
1050-522: A Jedi, with or without the approval of the Jedi Council. Later, Yoda proclaims Obi-Wan a Jedi Knight and reluctantly allows Anakin to become his Padawan . The second film of the trilogy, Attack of the Clones (2002), takes place ten years later. Anakin has grown powerful but arrogant, and believes that Obi-Wan is holding him back. After they save Padmé from an assassination attempt, Obi-Wan traces
1225-534: A Jedi. Enraged, the Emperor attacks Luke with Force lightning . Unable to bear the sight of his son in pain, Vader throws the Emperor down a chasm shortly before the Death Star is destroyed. In the 1999 prequel Episode I: The Phantom Menace , set 32 years before A New Hope , Palpatine (named onscreen for the first time) is depicted as a middle-aged Galactic Senator from the planet Naboo . As his alter ego ,
1400-478: A different form." When outlining The Empire Strikes Back , Lucas decided he wanted Obi-Wan to return as a spirit to continue training Luke. Partly due to Guinness' failing health, Lucas realized that he would also need another mentor character. This new mentor would eventually take the form of Yoda . Lucas described Obi-Wan's character development in The Phantom Menace : "In the beginning, Obi-Wan
1575-399: A dying Howard Hughes ." Palpatine's role in the prequel films required McDiarmid to portray two aspects of the same character. Recalling the initial days of shooting The Phantom Menace , McDiarmid stated, "Palpatine's an interesting character; he's conventional on the outside, but demonic on the inside — he's on the edge, trying to go beyond what's possible." McDiarmid added another layer to
1750-401: A ferocious lightsaber duel, which ends with Obi-Wan severing several of his limbs. Obi-Wan leaves Vader burning to death, unaware that he will be rescued by Sidious moments later and eventually turned into a cyborg. Obi-Wan takes Padmé to the asteroid Polis Massa , where she dies after giving birth to the twins Luke and Leia. He assists in hiding the children from the newly created Empire: Leia
1925-485: A final lightsaber duel; with his dying breath, Maul asks Obi-Wan if he is protecting the "Chosen One", and Obi-Wan replies that he is. After Maul's death, Obi-Wan is seen watching over Luke Skywalker from a distance. In Rebels , Obi-Wan was voiced by Stephen Stanton , who replaced James Arnold Taylor. Rebels creator Dave Filoni , who worked with the character during the full duration of Star Wars: The Clone Wars , said he considered asking McGregor to reprise and voice
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#17327879328392100-514: A kindly old man and shows Ezra a vision of his dead parents through a doorway, promising that the youth will be with them if he enters it. Ezra is initially mesmerized by Palpatine's promise and goes to enter the door, but finally resists and destroys the reconstructed Jedi Temple and the illusion. Palpatine's hologram emerges from the rubble, flickering to show his true self, and commands his Royal Guards to kill Ezra, though Ezra manages to defeat them and escape. According to series creator Dave Filoni ,
2275-448: A lightsaber and quickly dispatches all but Windu. Palpatine engages Windu in a duel and attacks him with Force lightning; Windu deflects the lightning back into Palpatine's face, deforming it into the gray, wizened visage first seen in the original trilogy. Before Windu can kill Palpatine, Anakin appears and desperate to save Padme, betrays Windu, allowing Palpatine to kill Windu with another blast of lightning. Anakin then reluctantly betrays
2450-430: A master and their apprentice. The franchise is set against a backdrop of galactic conflict involving republics and empires, such as the evil Galactic Empire . The Jedi and Sith prefer the use of a weapon called the lightsaber , a blade of plasma that can cut through virtually any surface and deflect energy bolts. The rest of the population, as well as renegades and soldiers, use plasma-powered blaster firearms . In
2625-493: A message on Obi-Wan 's transmitter that reveals Luke's location on Tatooine. Vader pursues the ship carrying the Path members and Obi-Wan , who decides to lure Vader away and confront him on a nearby planet. As they duel, Obi-Wan regains his connection to the Force and realizes Anakin has completely embraced his identity as Vader. Obi-Wan wounds his former apprentice and leaves him incapacitated. On Tatooine, Reva pursues Luke into
2800-472: A mixed reception from critics and audiences. Several Star Wars films have been produced separately from the Skywalker Saga. In 2008, Lucasfilm released the animated film The Clone Wars , which is set during the prequel trilogy and serves as the theatrical pilot of the television series of the same name . Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, an "anthology" film series set between
2975-494: A moral center, it's just that the only thing that mattered is increasing power." McDiarmid asserted that everything Palpatine does "is an act of pure hypocrisy." McDiarmid noticed that the script for Revenge of the Sith demanded more action from his character than in previous films. Lightsaber combat was a challenge to the 60-year-old actor, who, like his costars, took fencing lessons. The close-up shots and non-acrobatic sequences of
3150-466: A new costume—a formal robe with red velvet—which Kaplan refers to as "his true Emperor's garb". Todd McCarthy of Variety described McDiarmid's portrayal of Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith as "dominant" and "worth writing home about". Reviewing the same film, Ed Halter of The Village Voice wrote that "McDiarmid's unctuous Emperor turns appropriately vampiric as he attempts to draw Anakin into
3325-583: A physically impaired Palpatine is supported by machinery. Palpatine reveals himself as the power behind Ren's former master, Snoke ( Andy Serkis ), whom he created to rule the First Order and lure Ren to the dark side. He then unveils the Final Order, a massive fleet of Sith Star Destroyers built by the Sith Eternal . Palpatine offers the Sith fleet to Ren on the condition that he find and kill
3500-458: A point in the saga when everyone's waiting to see him. It's the Emperor, the arch-villain of all time, and when he says there's a great disturbance in the Force, I mean, that's enough oomph !" Years later, during production of Revenge of the Sith , Lucas decided to shoot new footage for The Empire Strikes Back to create continuity between the prequels and original trilogy. Thus, in the 2004 DVD release of The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition,
3675-413: A portal that shows Jedi Master Kanan Jarrus ' (voiced by Freddie Prinze Jr. ) final moments. While Ezra wants to reach through the portal and rescue Kanan, Ahsoka convinces him not to. Palpatine then reveals himself through the portal and attacks Ezra with Force lightning. However, Ahsoka and Ezra manage to evade him and go their separate ways, thus denying Palpatine full power. Palpatine later returns in
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#17327879328393850-938: A recording of Princess Leia explaining that R2-D2 contains architectural plans for the Galactic Empire 's battle station, the Death Star . Leia asks Obi-Wan to deliver R2-D2 and the plans to Alderaan to aid the Rebel Alliance . Obi-Wan reveals to Luke that he is a Jedi , a peacekeeper from the days of the Republic. He explains that Luke's father was also a Jedi, and was killed by Darth Vader. Obi-Wan gives Luke his father's lightsaber and invites him to come to Alderaan and begin Jedi training. At first Luke declines, but changes his mind after finding that his aunt and uncle have been killed by Imperial stormtroopers . As Obi-Wan and Luke approach Mos Eisley , Obi-Wan uses
4025-472: A senator, but the attempt on her life fails. He then arranges for Anakin (now played by Hayden Christensen ) to guard Padmé on Naboo, which leads to them falling in love and marrying in secret. With the Separatists secretly building a battle droid army, Palpatine uses the situation to have himself granted emergency powers . Palpatine feigns reluctance to accept this authority, promising to return it to
4200-572: A series of murders of Jedi Masters. The Star Wars canon fictional universe spans multiple eras, of which three are focused around each of the film trilogies. The following eras were defined in January 2021, and further refined and expanded in April 2023: The Expanded Universe of spin-off media depicts different levels of continuity, which were deemed non-canonical and rebranded as Legends on April 25, 2014, to make most subsequent works align to
4375-593: A strong character actor was required to convey the "stability and gravitas" of Obi-Wan. Before Guinness was cast, the Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune —who plays Makabe Rokurōta in The Hidden Fortress —was considered for the role. Mifune's daughter, Mika Kitagawa, said her father "had a lot of samurai pride" and turned down the roles of both Obi-Wan and Darth Vader because he thought Star Wars would employ cheap special effects and would therefore "cheapen
4550-442: A theme for Obi-Wan Kenobi for the miniseries and Han Solo's theme for Solo: A Star Wars Story . Williams also created the main theme for Galaxy's Edge . Several other composers worked on other soundtracks, including John Powell ( Obi-Wan Kenobi ), Michael Giacchino ( Rogue One ), and Ludwig Göransson ( The Mandalorian ). The first Star Wars audio work is The Story of Star Wars , an LP using audio samples from
4725-608: A valuable Kyber memory crystal that contains the names of thousands of Force-sensitive younglings – the future of the Jedi Order – from around the galaxy. The final stage of the plot: to bring four Force-sensitive children to Sidious' secret facility on Mustafar. Anakin and Ahsoka again foil the plot, but Bane escapes and all evidence of Sidious' involvement is lost. In season three, Sidious senses Dooku's assassin Asajj Ventress (voiced by Nika Futterman ) becoming powerful in
4900-576: Is Luke's father, and reveals that Leia is Luke's twin sister. He urges Luke to confront and defeat Vader. After the Rebels destroy the second Death Star and defeat the Empire, Obi-Wan appears at the celebration on Endor alongside the Force spirits of Yoda and Anakin Skywalker. A younger Obi-Wan appears in The Phantom Menace (1999), which is set thirty-two years before Star Wars . He is
5075-458: Is adopted by Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, while Obi-Wan delivers Luke to Anakin's stepbrother Owen Lars and his wife Beru on Tatooine. Obi-Wan then goes into exile on Tatooine, where he can watch over Luke. In The Force Awakens (2015), Rey hears Obi-Wan's voice during a Force vision. During her battle against the resurrected Darth Sidious in The Rise of Skywalker (2019), she hears
5250-454: Is at odds with Qui-Gon , who rebels against the Jedi rules. But by the end of the film, he has become Qui-Gon by taking on his rebellious personality and his responsibilities." When casting Star Wars , Lucas sought an established star for the role of Obi-Wan. He considered Peter Cushing for the part, but decided the actor's lean features would be better employed as the villainous Grand Moff Tarkin . The film's producer, Gary Kurtz , felt
5425-676: Is briefly mentioned in Star Wars (1977), the first film in the original trilogy, which was later retitled Episode IV – A New Hope . On the Death Star , Grand Moff Tarkin explains to his fellow Imperials that the Emperor has dissolved the Imperial Senate, the last remnant of the Old Republic . The Emperor does not appear on-screen, leaving Tarkin and Darth Vader as the film's main villains. The Emperor first appears in The Empire Strikes Back ,
Palpatine - Misplaced Pages Continue
5600-548: Is called Darth Sidious. His home world, Naboo , is also home to Anakin's romantic interest, Padmé Amidala , who later becomes a senator of that planet. In the Lucasfilm-authorized Star Wars and History , Palpatine's consolidation of power is described as being similar to the first Roman emperor , Augustus . Both legitimized authoritarian rule by saying that corruption in the Senate was hampering
5775-514: Is common due to lightspeed hyperspace technology. The planets range from wealthy, planet-wide cities to deserts scarcely populated by primitive tribes. Virtually any Earth biome , along with many fictional ones, has its counterpart as a Star Wars planet which, in most cases, teem with sentient and non-sentient alien life. The franchise also makes use of other astronomical objects such as asteroid fields and nebulae . Spacecraft range from small starfighters to large capital ships, such as
5950-406: Is eventually thwarted, and Maul is defeated in a lightsaber duel with Jedi Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi ( Ewan McGregor ). Palpatine uses the crisis to get elected as the new Chancellor of the Republic. He then returns to Naboo, where he befriends the nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker ( Jake Lloyd ), telling the boy, "We will watch your career with great interest." In the 2002 sequel Episode II: Attack of
6125-669: Is impossible for the Force. These superpowers are wielded by two major knightly orders at conflict with each other: the Jedi , peacekeepers of the Galactic Republic who act on the light side of the Force through non-attachment and arbitration , and the Sith , who use the dark side by manipulating fear and aggression. While Jedi Knights can be numerous, the Dark Lords of the Sith (or 'Darths') are intended to be limited to two:
6300-474: Is planning to revolt against the Republic. The confederacy is led by the Sith Lord Count Dooku , the former Jedi Master of Qui-Gon . Obi-Wan is captured and sentenced to death by Dooku, but Yoda and Mace Windu arrive with an army and prevent the execution. Obi-Wan and Anakin confront Dooku, but he overpowers them both. Yoda saves their lives, but Dooku escapes. Revenge of the Sith (2005)
6475-516: Is rescued by Anakin and Obi-Wan, but not before the Jedi confront Dooku again. A duel ensues in which Anakin defeats Dooku. Palpatine then betrays his apprentice by urging Anakin to kill him, leading to the Jedi Knight killing the helpless Count. Palpatine then escapes with his rescuers and returns to Coruscant. By this point, Palpatine has become a virtual dictator, able to take any action in the Senate. He makes Anakin his personal representative on
6650-481: Is secretly a member of the Path, an organization that aids those hunted by the Empire. As she escorts them to a hidden passageway, Vader arrives and begins harming innocent bystanders, hoping to bait Obi-Wan into revealing himself. Obi-Wan duels with Vader, who overpowers him. Tala saves Obi-Wan , but Leia is captured again by Reva. Obi-Wan and Tala rescue Leia from the Inquisitors' stronghold, escaping with
6825-441: Is set ten years after Revenge of the Sith . After Darth Vader is defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi following their second duel, Palpatine contacts Vader in his Mustafar castle via hologram, questioning Vader's motives and loyalty when Vader reports that he will not rest until Obi-Wan is found. Vader reassures Palpatine that Obi-Wan does not mean anything, reaffirms his commitment to Palpatine and abandons his search. Darth Sidous appears in
7000-405: Is set three years later. Obi-Wan is now a Jedi Master, a member of the Jedi Council, and a general. Obi-Wan and Anakin embark on a rescue mission to save the kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine from the cyborg Separatist commander General Grievous . Dooku duels the Jedi once again, knocking Obi-Wan unconscious. Anakin then defeats Dooku and executes him on Palpatine's orders. After locating Grievous on
7175-404: Is widely believed to be dead. In an attempt to lure him, she kidnaps Luke's twin sister, Princess Leia. Obi-Wan agrees to rescue Leia after her adoptive father, Bail Organa, visits his home. After tracking Leia's kidnappers to the planet Daiyu, Obi-Wan encounters the con artist Haja Estree , who directs Obi-Wan to Leia's location. Obi-Wan liberates the young princess, but is unable to flee
Palpatine - Misplaced Pages Continue
7350-538: The Jedi Academy trilogy (1994) by Kevin J. Anderson , the 14-book Young Jedi Knights series (1995–1998) by Anderson and Rebecca Moesta , and the X-wing series (1996–2012) by Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston . Del Rey took over Star Wars book publishing in 1999, releasing what would become a 19-installment novel series called The New Jedi Order (1999–2003). Written by multiple authors,
7525-442: The 2008 series of the same name . Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, all animated series released prior to 2014, apart from the 2008 series, were discarded from the franchise's canon . Subsequent animated series include Rebels , released in 2014; Resistance , released in 2018; and The Bad Batch , released in 2021. Several micro-series and shorts have also been released by Lucasfilm since Disney's acquisition, with
7700-795: The Jedi Council , whose members deny Anakin the rank of Jedi Master and order him to spy on the Chancellor. Palpatine tells Anakin the story of Darth Plagueis , a powerful Sith Lord who was able to create life and prevent death, but was killed by his own apprentice. Eventually, Palpatine reveals his secret Sith identity to Anakin; he knows that Anakin has been having prophetic visions of Padmé dying in childbirth, and offers to teach him Plagueis' secrets to save Padmé's life. Anakin informs Jedi Master Mace Windu ( Samuel L. Jackson ) of Palpatine's treachery. With three other Jedi Masters at his side, Windu attempts to arrest Palpatine, but Palpatine produces
7875-463: The New Republic era, serving as the climax of the various live-action television series that began with The Mandalorian in 2019. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will direct a third film about a new Jedi Order, set fifteen years after the sequel trilogy. In January 2024, it was announced that Jon Favreau would direct a new Star Wars film, titled The Mandalorian & Grogu . In February of
8050-466: The Republic , the return of Luke as a Jedi Master (a role similar to that of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original trilogy), Luke's sister (not yet determined to be Leia), Han, Leia, R2-D2 and C-3PO . However, after beginning work on the prequel trilogy, Lucas insisted that Star Wars was meant to be a six-part series and that there would be no sequel trilogy. Lucas decided to leave the franchise in
8225-730: The Sith Lord Darth Sidious, he advises the corrupt Trade Federation to blockade and invade Naboo. Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo ( Natalie Portman ) flees to the planet Coruscant to receive counsel from Palpatine, unaware that he actually engineered the invasion. After a plea for help from the Senate results in bureaucratic delays, Palpatine manipulates and deceives Padmé to call for a motion of no confidence against Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum ( Terence Stamp ). When Padmé attempts to liberate Naboo, Sidious sends his apprentice Darth Maul (portrayed by Ray Park , voiced by Peter Serafinowicz ) to capture her. The invasion
8400-476: The Sith . Although no longer canon, the story is paralleled in The Force Awakens with Han and Leia's son Ben Solo , who becomes the evil Kylo Ren. Three series set in the prequel era were published by Scholastic for younger audiences: the 18-book Jedi Apprentice (1999–2002) chronicles the adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master Qui-Gon Jinn in the years before The Phantom Menace ;
8575-480: The Star Destroyers , as well as space stations such as the moon-sized Death Stars . Telecommunication includes two-way audio and audiovisual screens, holographic projections, and hyperspace transmission. The universe of Star Wars is generally similar to the real universe but its laws of physics are less strict allowing for more imaginative stories. One result of that is a mystical power known as
8750-514: The Star Wars franchise and the character Palpatine. His conceptualization of Palpatine and the role he plays in the franchise changed over time. Lucas's initial notes discuss a line of corrupt emperors, not just one. In the 1974 draft of Star Wars , the "New Galactic Empire" was led by a relatively young human named Cos Dashit. The name Palpatine first appears in the prologue of Alan Dean Foster 's 1976 novelization of Star Wars , which details
8925-511: The Star Wars franchise, Chris Taylor asserted that Obi-Wan was inspired by the J.R.R. Tolkien character Gandalf . Ben Sherlock of ScreenRant , meanwhile, claimed that the Jedi Master was based on General Makabe Rokurōta, a character from Akira Kurosawa 's 1958 film The Hidden Fortress . Lucas created Obi-Wan Kenobi as a mentor for Luke, and originally planned for him to continue training Luke in The Empire Strikes Back (1980),
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#17327879328399100-565: The Thrawn trilogy, Leia considers an advantageous political marriage to Prince Isolder of the planet Hapes, but she and Han ultimately marry. Steve Perry 's Shadows of the Empire (1996), set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi , was part of a multimedia campaign that included a comic book series and video game. The novel introduced the crime lord Prince Xizor , another popular character who would appear in multiple other works. Other notable series from Bantam include
9275-563: The University of Southern California , licensed the Star Wars radio rights to KUSC-FM for US$ 1 . The production used John Williams's original film score, along with Ben Burtt 's sound effects. The first was written by science-fiction author Brian Daley and directed by John Madden . It was broadcast on National Public Radio in 1981, adapting the original 1977 film into 13 episodes. Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels reprised their film roles. The overwhelming success, led to
9450-481: The eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various films and other media , including television series , video games , novels , comic books , theme park attractions , and themed areas , comprising an all-encompassing fictional universe . Star Wars is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. The original 1977 film, retroactively subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope ,
9625-463: The military parades on " May Day in Russia ." Lucas fleshed out the Emperor in the prequel trilogy . According to Lucas, Palpatine's role in The Phantom Menace is to explain "how Anakin Skywalker [later Vader] came to be Palpatine's apprentice" and the events that sparked Palpatine's rise to totalitarian power after being a senate representative. The film's novelization is the first time he
9800-608: The original trilogy , Palpatine is Emperor of the Galactic Empire and the master of Darth Vader . In the prequel trilogy , which chronicles his rise to emperor, Palpatine is a senator from the planet Naboo who plots to become Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic . He masterminds the Clone Wars to turn the Republic into the Empire, destroys the Jedi Order , and manipulates Anakin Skywalker into becoming his apprentice, Darth Vader. In The Rise of Skywalker (2019),
9975-414: The series finale "Family Reunion - and Farewell". In the episode, Ezra, having surrendered himself to Grand Admiral Thrawn (voiced by Lars Mikkelsen ) to protect Lothal, is taken by him to a room containing a reconstructed section of the ruined Jedi Temple and a hologram of Palpatine as he appears in the prequel films. Palpatine, having acknowledged the threat Ezra poses to the Empire, presents himself as
10150-662: The titular character warns Palpatine of "threats lurking in the Unknown Regions." Chuck Wendig 's Aftermath book trilogy reveals that, prior to his death, Palpatine enacted a plan for the remnants of the Empire, intended to be led by his adoptive son Gallius Rax , to retreat to the Unknown Regions, where they formed into the First Order . The dark side was thought to be concentrated in this region, where one Sith cultist believed that Palpatine would be found alive. The upcoming illustrated book Star Wars: The Secrets of
10325-418: The 11-book Jedi Quest (2001–2004) follows Obi-Wan and his own apprentice, Anakin Skywalker in between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones ; and the 10-book The Last of the Jedi (2005–2008), set almost immediately after Revenge of the Sith , features Obi-Wan and the last few surviving Jedi. In 2019, a new prequel era novel, starring Qui-Gon and the young Obi-Wan, was published by Del Rey under
10500-455: The 1980 sequel to the original film. He appears as a hologram to inform Vader that Luke Skywalker has become a threat to the Empire. Vader persuades him that the young Jedi would be a great asset if he could be turned to the dark side of the Force. In 1983's Return of the Jedi , the Emperor appears in person to oversee the last stages of the second Death Star 's construction. He assures Vader that they will together turn Luke, Vader's son, to
10675-414: The 2014 novel Tarkin . During the story development of The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Lucas decided that, with the original having only passingly mentioned the Emperor, he needed to "begin to deal with him on a more concrete level". Lucas realized, however, that the primary conflict with the Emperor would be best saved for the trilogy's third film, Return of the Jedi , because "[w]hen you get rid of
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#173278793283910850-460: The 2019 novel Master and Apprentice , which explores his relationship with Qui-Gon prior to the events of The Phantom Menace . He is also featured in two 2022 novels: Brotherhood , which is set at the beginning of the Clone Wars, and Star Wars Padawan , which recounts his early years as an apprentice. Following the acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company in 2012, most of
11025-545: The 2021 book Skywalker: A Family at War describes Palpatine's son as an "offshoot of [his] genetic research, not precisely a clone but made of cloned tissue and donated cells." Star Wars: Lords of the Sith (2015) was one of the first canon spin-off novels to be released in the Disney canon begun in 2014. In it, Vader and Palpatine find themselves hunted by revolutionaries on the Twi'lek home planet Ryloth . In Thrawn (2017),
11200-541: The Clone Wars behind the scenes. Palpatine was voiced by Ian Abercrombie (from 2008 to his death in 2012), and by Tim Curry (from 2012 to 2014). In the film, Sidious engineers a Separatist plot in which Count Dooku (voiced by Corey Burton ) turns Jabba the Hutt (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson ) against the Republic by kidnapping his son Rotta and framing the Jedi for it. Meanwhile, Palpatine suggests that
11375-473: The Clones , set 10 years later, Palpatine exploits constitutional loopholes to remain in office after his term expires. Meanwhile, as Sidious, he continues to manipulate events from behind the scenes by having his new Sith apprentice Count Dooku ( Christopher Lee ) lead a movement of planets in seceding to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems. He has the Separatists try to assassinate Padmé, now
11550-461: The Death Star's tractor beam, but the group is able to avoid detection and infiltrate the station. Obi-Wan disables the tractor beam, then encounters Vader. They engage in a lightsaber duel as Luke, Leia, Han and Chewbacca escape. Obi-Wan allows Vader to strike him down, then vanishes into the Force. Later, Obi-Wan contacts Luke through the Force and helps him destroy the Death Star. In The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Obi-Wan appears several times as
11725-535: The EU material until April 25, 2014, when the company announced all of the EU works would cease production. Existing works would no longer be considered canon to the franchise and subsequent reprints would be rebranded under the Star Wars Legends label, with downloadable content for the massively multiplayer online game The Old Republic the only Legends material to still be produced. The Star Wars canon
11900-459: The Emperor is that the Emperor is much more powerful ... and that Vader is very much intimidated by him. Vader has dignity, but the Emperor in Jedi really has all the power." He explained that the climax of the film is a confrontation between Vader and his master. In the first scene that shows the Emperor, he arrives at the Death Star and is greeted by a host of stormtroopers , technicians, and other personnel. Lucas states he wanted it to look like
12075-416: The Emperor's rise to power. From Return of the Jedi (1983) onwards, the Emperor became the ultimate personification of evil in the series, replacing his apprentice Darth Vader as the central villain. Though the films of the original Star Wars trilogy do not actually state the Emperor's name, the novelization of Return of the Jedi states his surname as Palpatine. He was given the first name Sheev in
12250-469: The Emperor, the whole thing is over." Discussing the character's importance to the story, Lucas stated that "In the end, the Emperor does exactly what [ Obi-Wan Kenobi ] did; he can also transform himself", referring to the ability to live after death through the Force . Although Palpatine dies at the end of Return of the Jedi , the plot point of his metamorphosis was utilized for the sequel trilogy , which Lucas had no direct involvement with. In Return of
12425-408: The Force which is described in the original film as "an energy field created by all living things ... [that] binds the galaxy together". The field is depicted as a kind of pantheistic god. Through training and meditation, those whom "the Force is strong with" exhibit various superpowers (such as telekinesis , precognition , telepathy , and manipulation of physical energy); it is believed nothing
12600-563: The Force, Obi-Wan reassures Luke that he will be there for him when needed. Obi-Wan appears in the animated micro-series Clone Wars , which aired on Cartoon Network from 2003 to 2005. Guinness was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Obi-Wan in Star Wars . In 2003, the American Film Institute selected Obi-Wan Kenobi as the 37th-greatest movie hero of all time . He
12775-609: The Galactic Empire. He briefly appears off-screen at the end of season two's premiere " The Siege of Lothal " (originally voiced by Sam Witwer and later Ian McDiarmid from 2019). Darth Vader informs Palpatine that the Rebel Alliance cell on Lothal has been broken and that Ahsoka Tano is alive and is now helping the Rebels. Palpatine sees this as an opportunity to seek out other remaining Jedi, ordering Vader to dispatch an Inquisitor to hunt down Ahsoka. Palpatine returns physically in season four (voiced again by McDiarmid). In
12950-475: The Holonet, the galaxy's official news source. Obi-Wan appears in the final chapter of Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader , which takes place just after Revenge of the Sith . He learns with alarm that Vader survived their duel on Mustafar, but Qui-Gon assures him that Vader will not set foot on Tatooine for fear of reawakening Anakin Skywalker. Qui-Gon advises him not to reveal to Luke his true parentage until
13125-526: The Jedi . Palpatine also appears in Rae Carson 's novelization of The Rise of Skywalker , which expands upon the film's story. In the book, Palpatine is revealed to have discovered the "secret to immortality" from his former master, Darth Plagueis, using this knowledge to survive after his death in Return of the Jedi . The novelization also describes Palpatine's son as a failed clone of himself. However,
13300-572: The Jedi , he resumed stage acting in London. In an interview with BackStage , McDiarmid revealed that he "never had his sights set on a film career" and never auditioned for the role of Palpatine. He elaborated, "I got called in for the interview after a Return of the Jedi casting director saw me perform in the Sam Shepard play Seduced at a studio theatre at the Royal Court . I was playing
13475-568: The Jedi , the initial conception of Palpatine as a weak, isolated figurehead was superseded by his depiction as a dictatorial ruler adept in the dark side of the Force. The Emperor was inspired by the villain Ming the Merciless from the Flash Gordon comic books. The characterization of Palpatine as an ambitious and ruthless politician dismantling a democratic republic to achieve supreme power
13650-415: The Jedi . The film's director, J. J. Abrams , spoke of Palpatine's inclusion in the sequel trilogy: "...when you look at this as nine chapters of a story, perhaps the weirder thing would be if Palpatine didn't return. You just look at what he talks about, who he is, how important he is, what the story is — strangely, his absence entirely from the third trilogy would be conspicuous". On Palpatine's portrayal in
13825-422: The Jedi Order to Rey. Palpatine, again played by McDiarmid, appears in the trilogy's final film, The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Prior to the film's opening , Palpatine threatens revenge against the galaxy, having used the dark side to cheat death. This prompts First Order leader and fallen Jedi Kylo Ren ( Adam Driver )—the grandson of Anakin and nephew of Luke—to seek him out on the Sith planet Exegol , where
14000-612: The Jedi and pledges himself to the dark side as Palpatine's Sith apprentice, Darth Vader. Palpatine issues Order 66 , a command instilled in the Clone Troopers that forcibly compelled them to view their Jedi generals as traitors to the republic and subsequently executing them, while dispatching Vader to kill everyone inside the Jedi Temple and then murder the Separatist leaders on the planet Mustafar . Palpatine deceives
14175-492: The Marvel magazine Pizzazz between 1977 and 1979. The 1977 installments were the first original Star Wars stories not directly adapted from the films to appear in print form, as they preceded those of the Star Wars comic series. From 1985 to 1987, the animated children's series Ewoks and Droids inspired comic series from Marvel's Star Comics line. According to Marvel Comics former Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter ,
14350-511: The Republic ally itself with the Hutts. Although Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano (voiced by Ashley Eckstein ) foil the plot, the outcome suits Palpatine's ends: Jabba places Hutt hyperspace routes at the Republic's disposal. In season two of the TV series, Sidious hires bounty hunter Cad Bane (voiced by Corey Burton ) to infiltrate the Jedi Temple and steal a holocron . He then takes
14525-547: The Resistance fleet with Force lightning. Rey uses the power of the past Jedi to face Palpatine once more; he attacks her with lightning, but Rey deflects it using the Skywalker lightsabers, finally killing Palpatine and his Sith loyalists. In the 2008 animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the subsequent animated series (set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith ), Palpatine continues to serve as Supreme Chancellor while his Sith identity orchestrates
14700-469: The Senate once the crisis has ended. His first act is to allow a clone army's creation to counter the Separatist threat; this results in the first battle of the Clone Wars . With the galaxy now at war as Sidious planned, Dooku brings him the secret plans for the Death Star. In the 2005 sequel Episode III: Revenge of the Sith , set three years later, Palpatine is captured by cyborg Separatist leader General Grievous (voiced by Matthew Wood ). Palpatine
14875-496: The Separatist leaders into believing that Vader would protect them. Palpatine then reorganizes the Republic into the Galactic Empire, with himself as Emperor. Jedi Master Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz ) confronts Palpatine and engages him in a lightsaber duel that ends in a stalemate. Sensing that Vader is in danger, Palpatine travels to Mustafar and finds his new apprentice near death following a duel with Obi-Wan. After returning to Coruscant, he rebuilds Vader's burned, mutilated body with
15050-536: The Separatists, is tortured by Asajj Ventress before being rescued by Anakin, and apprehends the corrupt Jedi Master Quinlan Vos. Throughout the series, he grows increasingly wary of Palpatine's designs on the Republic and his influence on Anakin. In the Star Wars: Visionaries story "Old Wounds" (2005), Obi-Wan confronts Darth Maul on Tatooine during Luke's childhood. Owen Lars shoots and kills Maul, then warns Obi-Wan to stay away from Luke. Through
15225-565: The Seven Dwarfs (1937). McDiarmid remarked, "When my face changes in [ Revenge of the Sith ], my mind went back to the early silent movie of The Phantom of the Opera with Lon Chaney ." Palpatine's wardrobe in the prequels, tailored by costume designer Trisha Biggar, played an important part in the development of the character. In Attack of the Clones , explained McDiarmid, "The costumes ... have got much more edge to them, I think than
15400-421: The Sith is told from Palpatine's perspective. Palpatine appears frequently in the comic book series Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith (2017–2018), written by Kieron Gillen and Charles Soule. It is suggested at the end of the series that Palpatine manipulated the Force to impregnate Vader's mother Shmi Skywalker , making him, in essence, Vader's father—although this is left somewhat ambiguous. This builds on
15575-536: The Sith and Star Wars is depicted in The Last of the Jedi series. Set roughly a year after the fall of the Republic, the series follows Obi-Wan as he seeks out possible survivors of the Great Jedi Purge , including Anakin's former rival, Ferus Olin. The novels also depict Obi-Wan adjusting to life as a hermit on Tatooine while watching over Luke. He discovers that Vader is still alive after seeing him on
15750-459: The Sith fold with promises of eternal life." McDiarmid was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Revenge of the Sith. According to Cory Barlog , the planned-but-never-produced Star Wars: Underworld television series would have depicted Palpatine in a sympathetic way. The character is referred to as "the Emperor" in the original trilogy . He
15925-727: The announcement. Since the new canon has been introduced, there has been a multitude of pieces of Expanded Universe continuity that have become a part of canon. Star Wars in print predates the release of the first film, with the November 1976 novelization of Star Wars , initially subtitled " From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker ". Credited to Lucas, it was ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster . The first "Expanded Universe" story appeared in Marvel Comics ' Star Wars #7 in January 1978 (the first six issues being an adaptation of
16100-521: The appellation "The Negotiator" due to his reputation for preventing and stopping battles without the use of weapons. The series highlights his numerous confrontations with General Grievous, his adversarial relationship with the Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress , his romance with Duchess Satine Kryze, and the return of his old enemy Darth Maul. The animated series Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018) takes place five years before Star Wars . In
16275-661: The apprentice of the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn , and accompanies him to negotiations with the Trade Federation , which is blockading the planet Naboo . Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon rescue Naboo's fourteen-year-old queen Padmé Amidala with help from the Gungan Jar Jar Binks , then travel to Coruscant , the capital of the Republic . When they land on Tatooine for repairs, they encounter the nine-year-old slave Anakin Skywalker. Qui-Gon believes
16450-422: The assassins to the planet Kamino . He learns of a massive clone army that is being created for the Republic. The clones are derived from the bounty hunter Jango Fett , and Obi-Wan deduces that he was responsible for the attempt on Padmé's life. Fett escapes to the planet Geonosis with his clone son Boba , unaware that Obi-Wan is pursuing them. On Geonosis, Obi-Wan discovers that a confederacy of star systems
16625-436: The beginning of the series, Obi-Wan is living in hiding on Tatooine and watching over the ten-year-old Luke. He has lost his connection to the Force, cannot communicate with the spirit of Qui-Gon, and experiences nightmares from his past. Unbeknownst to Obi-Wan , Anakin survived their duel on Mustafar and is now hunting Jedi as Darth Vader. Reva Sevander , one of the Empire's Inquisitors, is obsessed with finding Obi-Wan , who
16800-425: The black armored suit from the original trilogy. Palpatine then tells Vader that Padmé was killed in the heat of Vader's anger, breaking what remains of Vader's spirit. Palpatine is last seen watching the original Death Star's construction, with Vader and Wilhuff Tarkin ( Wayne Pygram ) at his side. In the sequel trilogy, set three decades following the events of Return of the Jedi , the First Order has risen from
16975-545: The boy is the " Chosen One " of Jedi prophecy, destined to bring balance to the Force. After securing his freedom, Anakin joins the group on their journey. While leaving Tatooine, they are attacked by the Sith Lord Darth Maul . Back on Naboo, they meet Maul again, and engage him in lightsaber combat. Maul mortally wounds Qui-Gon, then is killed by Obi-Wan. As Qui-Gon dies, he asks his apprentice to train Anakin as
17150-472: The character in Attack of the Clones . He said, "[Palpatine] is a supreme actor. He has to be even more convincing than somebody who isn't behaving in a schizophrenic fashion, so he's extra charming, or extra professional — and for those who are looking for clues, that's almost where you can see them." McDiarmid reflected on the scene in which Padmé Amidala is almost assassinated: There's a moment in one scene of
17325-484: The combined box office revenue of the films equate to over US$ 10 billion, making Star Wars the third-highest-grossing film franchise of all time. The Star Wars franchise depicts the adventures of characters "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" across multiple fictional eras , in which humans and many species of aliens (often humanoid ) co-exist with droids , which may be programmed for personal assistance or battle. Space travel between planets
17500-510: The dark side and orders Dooku to eliminate her; he suspects that Dooku is planning to have Ventress assassinate him. Ventress survives and her revenge against Dooku sets off a chain of events including the return of Sidious' former apprentice and Dooku's predecessor, Darth Maul. In season five, Sidious personally travels to the planet Mandalore to confront Maul, who has become the leader of Death Watch. Sidious kills Maul's brother Savage Opress (voiced by Clancy Brown ) before torturing Maul with
17675-563: The dark side of the Force. Unbeknownst to Vader, the Emperor plans to replace him with Luke; Vader, meanwhile, intends to overthrow the Emperor and rule the galaxy with Luke at his side. When Vader brings Luke before his master, the Emperor tempts Luke to join the dark side by appealing to the young Jedi's fear for his friends, whom he has lured into a trap. This leads to a lightsaber duel in which Luke defeats and nearly kills Vader. The Emperor betrays his apprentice by urging Luke to kill Vader and take his place, but Luke refuses and declares himself
17850-427: The dark side." In The Rise of Skywalker , Palpatine is unable to move without the aid of a large machine, to which he is attached. His eyes have no pupils and his hands are rotting. Costume designer Michael Kaplan opted to dress Palpatine in a utilitarian black robe, which he wears for the majority of the film. At the end of the film, Palpatine rejuvenates himself using the Force and becomes physically mobile. He dons
18025-498: The desert. Remembering the massacre at the Temple, she is unable to kill the boy, and returns him to his family. Obi-Wan arrives and congratulates her for overcoming her trauma and liberating herself. In the final moments of the series, Obi-Wan finally manages to converse with Qui-Gon . Obi-Wan appears briefly in the 2015 novel Dark Disciple , which is based on unfinished episodes from The Clone Wars . It provides details about
18200-423: The duel between Palpatine and Mace Windu were performed by McDiarmid. Advanced fencing and acrobatic stunts were executed by McDiarmid's stunt doubles. In the 2019 film The Rise of Skywalker , McDiarmid returned to the role of Palpatine on screen for the first time since Revenge of the Sith . McDiarmid was surprised to learn of the filmmakers' decision to bring back Palpatine, given the character died in Return of
18375-416: The earlier animated series falling under Disney's "Vintage" collection of Star Wars content. The Star Wars franchise includes several live-action series. The first series, The Mandalorian , was released in 2019 for the streaming service Disney+ and is set between the original and sequel trilogies of the Skywalker Saga. Due to its success, the series spawned multiple live-action spin-offs set during
18550-579: The episodes "Wolves and a Door" and "A World Between Worlds", he appears as a hologram overseeing the excavation of the Lothal Jedi Temple , which contains a portal to a separate dimension of the Force outside of space and time, which Palpatine considers a 'conduit between the living and the dead' that could give him unrivaled power of the Force itself if he can access it. Shortly after Ezra Bridger (voiced by Taylor Gray ) reaches through time and space to rescue Ahsoka from Vader, Palpatine sets up
18725-399: The episodic films, The Clone Wars film , and television series . From 1976 to 2014, the term Expanded Universe (EU) was an umbrella term for all officially licensed Star Wars storytelling material set outside the events depicted within the theatrical films, including novels, comics, and video games. Lucasfilm maintained internal continuity between the films and television content and
18900-524: The events of Rogue One and A New Hope happen shortly after this episode, thus refocusing Palpatine's attention from Ezra and Lothal's liberation to the Rebel Alliance and Luke Skywalker. Palpatine appears in the first season of the 2021 animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch . The series is set during (and immediately following) the events of the 2005 film Revenge of the Sith . The series' first episode depicts Palpatine's senate speech from
19075-495: The evil Sith lord Palpatine (Darth Sidious). The original trilogy depicts the heroic development of Luke Skywalker as a Jedi and his fight against Palpatine's Galactic Empire alongside his sister, Leia . The prequels tell the tragic backstory of their father, Anakin , who is corrupted by Palpatine and becomes Darth Vader . The sequels follow the conflict between Leia's son, Ben Solo , and Luke and Leia's protegé, Rey , and their eventual alliance against Palpatine after
19250-404: The fall of the Empire. In 1971, George Lucas wanted to film an adaptation of the Flash Gordon serial , but could not obtain the rights, so he began developing his own space opera . After directing American Graffiti (1973), he wrote a two-page synopsis, which 20th Century Fox decided to invest in. By 1974, he had expanded the story into the first draft of a screenplay. Fox expected
19425-466: The fallen Empire and seeks to destroy the New Republic , the Resistance , and Luke Skywalker. In the trilogy's first installment, The Force Awakens (2015), Palpatine's voice is heard during a vision that Rey ( Daisy Ridley ) experiences upon touching Luke and Anakin's lightsaber. In the sequel, The Last Jedi (2017), Luke briefly mentions Palpatine as Darth Sidious while explaining the fall of
19600-428: The film in animated form, using the archive sound of McDiarmid's dialogue. As in the film, Palpatine orders the extermination of the Jedi and declares himself emperor. Palpatine appears in season 3, in which he inspects the progress of Project Necromancer's clone experiments under the supervision of Imperial scientist Dr. Hemlock. Palpatine appears in the sixth episode of the 2022 series Obi-Wan Kenobi . The series
19775-479: The film would be of limited financial success, and so it was given a relatively low budget, with production being moved to Elstree Studios in England to help save on cost. Star Wars was released on May 25, 1977, and first subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope in the 1979 book The Art of Star Wars . The film's success led Lucas to make it the basis of an elaborate film serial . With the backstory he created for
19950-650: The film), followed by Foster's sequel novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye the following month. After penning the novelization of the original film, Foster followed it with the sequel Splinter of the Mind's Eye (1978). The novelizations of The Empire Strikes Back (1980) by Donald F. Glut and Return of the Jedi (1983) by James Kahn followed, as well as The Han Solo Adventures trilogy (1979–1980) by Brian Daley , and The Adventures of Lando Calrissian trilogy (1983) by L. Neil Smith . Timothy Zahn 's bestselling Thrawn trilogy (1991–1993) reignited interest in
20125-543: The film, McDiarmid said, "he's fairly physically impaired, but his mind is as sharp as ever." Transforming McDiarmid into Emperor Palpatine for Return of the Jedi required extensive makeup, which took between two and four hours to apply. Film critic Roger Ebert wrote that the Emperor "looks uncannily like Death in The Seventh Seal ," and film historian Robin Wood compared him to the hag from Snow White and
20300-468: The film, Rey arrives on Exegol to confront Palpatine. Surrounded by his Sith loyalists, Palpatine embodies all the Sith's power. He orders Rey to kill him in anger so his spirit can pass into her, which will allow him to possess her body . Rey refuses, and she and Ren (now the redeemed Ben Solo ) confront Palpatine together. Sensing their power as a dyad in the Force, Palpatine absorbs their life energy to rejuvenate his body. He incapacitates Ben and attacks
20475-424: The final film in the sequel trilogy , a resurrected Palpatine is revealed to be the grandfather of Rey , a Jedi-in-training. He is also the mastermind behind Snoke , whom he created to lead the First Order against the New Republic and seduce Skywalker's grandson, Ben Solo, into becoming Kylo Ren . Palpatine's story was inspired by real-world examples of political strongman and democratic backsliding during
20650-526: The first sequel to Star Wars . Although Obi-Wan's death was not in the final version of the Star Wars script, Lucas decided during filming that Obi-Wan should die. Alec Guinness said he begged Lucas to kill off his character because he hated Obi-Wan's dialogue. Lucas, however, claimed he added Obi-Wan's death because the character served no purpose after his duel with Vader. Lucas later reflected: "It would be much more powerful, satisfying and interesting if Darth Vader were to kill him and he were to go on to
20825-589: The fourth episode of the Tales of the Jedi TV series talking with Darth Tyrranus. The first appearance of Palpatine in Star Wars literature was in the prologue of Alan Dean Foster 's ghostwritten novelization of the script of A New Hope , published as Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker (1976). His background as a senator of the Republic was explored in James Kahn 's novelization of Return of
21000-532: The franchise and introduced the popular characters Grand Admiral Thrawn , Mara Jade , Talon Karrde , and Gilad Pellaeon . The first novel, Heir to the Empire , reached #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list , and the series finds Luke, Leia, and Han facing off against tactical genius Thrawn, who is plotting to retake the galaxy for the Empire. In The Courtship of Princess Leia (1994) by Dave Wolverton , set immediately before
21175-404: The franchise as "the tragedy of Darth Vader". Prior to releasing the original 1977 film, and made possible by its success, Lucas planned "three trilogies of nine films". However, he announced to Time in 1978 that he planned "10 sequels". He confirmed that he had outlined the prequels and sequels in 1981. At various stages of development, the sequel trilogy was to focus on the rebuilding of
21350-446: The franchise. This led to a sequel trilogy , consisting of Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). All nine films, collectively referred to as the " Skywalker Saga ", were nominated for Academy Awards , with wins going to the first two releases. Together with the theatrical live action "anthology" films Rogue One (2016) and Solo (2018),
21525-400: The friendship between Obi-Wan and the rogue Jedi Quinlan Vos . In the 2015 Star Wars comic series , Luke goes to Obi-Wan's abandoned house on Tatooine and finds his diary, in which Obi-Wan has written stories from his past. The 2016 Marvel Comics mini-series Obi-Wan and Anakin focuses on the two Jedi between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones . Obi-Wan appears in
21700-455: The galaxy's last remaining Jedi, Rey, who is revealed to be Palpatine's granddaughter. It is subsequently revealed that Palpatine had a son who renounced him; the son and his partner took their daughter Rey to the planet Jakku , assuming lives as "nobodies" to keep her safe. Palpatine's assassin Ochi eventually found Rey's parents and killed them on his orders, but never found Rey. Near the end of
21875-640: The gap between the High Republic publishing initiative and the events of The Acolyte . Titled Star Wars: The Acolyte – Kelnacca , the one-shot was written by High Republic writer Cavan Scott with art by Marika Cresta. It focuses on Kelnacca, the Wookiee Jedi introduced in The Acolyte . John Williams composed the soundtracks for the nine episodic films. He stated he would retire from the franchise with The Rise of Skywalker , but he composed
22050-483: The hands of other filmmakers, announcing in January 2012 that he would make no more Star Wars films. That October, the Walt Disney Company agreed to buy Lucasfilm and announced that Episode VII would be released in 2015. The co-chairman of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy , became president and served as executive producer of new Star Wars feature films. Lucas provided Kennedy his story treatments for
22225-451: The help of Tala's Path allies. Reva leads a siege on the Path facility, and Obi-Wan speaks with her to stall for time. He deduces that she was a Jedi youngling who survived Vader's massacre at the Jedi Temple, and now wants to kill him for revenge. He suggests that she can attack him when he arrives. As the Path members evacuate, Reva tries to assault Vader but is quickly overpowered and left for dead. She manages to survive, however, and finds
22400-461: The image of samurai". Once Guinness was selected and production was underway, Lucas credited the English actor with inspiring the cast and crew to work harder, which contributed significantly to the completion of filming. Harrison Ford , who plays Han Solo in the film, said he admired Guinness' preparation, professionalism and kindness towards the other actors. Ewan McGregor portrays Obi-Wan in
22575-402: The intent to make use of his former apprentice. In season six, Sidious goes to lengths to conceal his plan from the Jedi by silencing Clone Trooper Fives from learning of Order 66, and having Dooku wipe out anything tied to the former Jedi Master's connection to the conspiracy. In Star Wars Rebels , set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope , Palpatine is portrayed as the Emperor of
22750-418: The late 1980s and early 1990s, including the ability to create computer-generated imagery (CGI), inspired Lucas to consider that it might be possible to revisit his saga. In 1989, Lucas stated that the prequels would be "unbelievably expensive". In 1992, he acknowledged that he had plans to create the prequel trilogy. A theatrical rerelease of the original trilogy in 1997 " updated " the 20-year-old films with
22925-466: The licensed Star Wars Expanded Universe material produced between 1977 and 2014 was rebranded as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise. The Legends works comprise a separate narrative universe. Obi-Wan's life prior to The Phantom Menace is portrayed mostly in Jude Watson 's Jedi Apprentice series, which follows his adventures as Qui-Gon's apprentice. Notable events in
23100-549: The main episodes of the Skywalker Saga entered development in parallel with the production of the sequel trilogy, described by Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo as origin stories . The first film released was 2016's Rogue One , which tells the story of the rebels who steal the plans for the Death Star , the Galactic Empire 's superweapon, just before the events of the original Star Wars film. A second film, 2018's Solo , tells Han Solo's backstory, set 10 years prior to A New Hope . The series Obi-Wan Kenobi
23275-455: The massacre. Obi-Wan visits Padmé to ascertain Anakin's whereabouts, and realizes that Anakin is her husband and the father of her unborn child. When Padmé travels to the volcanic planet Mustafar to confront her husband herself, Obi-Wan stows away aboard her ship. Once on Mustafar, Obi-Wan confronts Vader, who accuses him and Padmé of conspiring against him. After Vader uses the Force to strangle Padmé into unconsciousness, Obi-Wan engages him in
23450-466: The mere senator had in The Phantom Menace . So we see the trappings of power." McDiarmid's favorite costume in the film was a high-collared jacket that resembles reptile skin. He stated that "it just feels reptilian, which is exactly right for [Palpatine]." Biggar explained that the character's costumes become "progressively darker and more ornately decorated throughout the movie." She added: "He wears greys and browns, almost going to black, taking him toward
23625-490: The movie material, while others rely heavily on the non-canonical Expanded Universe (rebranded as Star Wars Legends and removed from the canon in 2014). Star Wars games have gone through three significant development eras, marked by a change in leadership among the developers: the early licensed games, those developed after the creation of LucasArts, and those created after the closure of the Lucasfilm division by Disney and
23800-411: The movies, the underlying element that makes the movies work, is that you, whether you go backwards or forwards, you start out in a democracy, and democracy turns into a dictatorship, and then the rebels make it back into a democracy." Lucas wanted to establish the Emperor as the true source of evil in Star Wars . Screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan noted, "My sense of the relationship between Darth Vader and
23975-420: The new film where tears almost appear in [Palpatine's] eye. These are crocodile tears , but for all those in the movie, and perhaps watching the movie itself, they'll see he is apparently moved — and of course, he is. He can just do it. He can, as it were, turn it on. And I suppose for him, it's also a bit of a turn-on — the pure exercise of power is what he's all about. That's the only thing he's interested in and
24150-506: The nine films of which are collectively referred to as the " Skywalker Saga ". The saga was produced non-chronologically, beginning in media res with the release of the original trilogy between 1977 and 1983. This was followed by the prequel trilogy, released between 1999 and 2005, and the sequel trilogy, released between 2015 and 2019. Each trilogy focuses on a generation of the Force -sensitive Skywalker family and their struggle against
24325-451: The nine-film series plotted, but due to the stress of producing the original trilogy, he had decided to cancel further sequels by 1981. In 1983, Lucas explained that "There was never a script completed that had the entire story as it exists now ... As the stories unfolded, I would take certain ideas and save them ... I kept taking out all the good parts, and I just kept telling myself I would make other movies someday." Technical advances in
24500-456: The only thing that can satisfy him — which makes him completely fascinating to play because it is an evil soul. He is more evil than the devil . In Revenge of the Sith , McDiarmid plays an even darker version of the character. He explained that "when you're playing a character of solid blackness, that in itself is very interesting, in the sense that you have no other motivation other than the accumulation of power. It's not so much about not having
24675-473: The original film and a new narration to retell the story, released in 1977. Most later printed novels were adapted into audio novels, usually released on cassette tape and re-released on CD. As of 2019, audio-only novels have been released not directly based on printed media. Radio adaptations of the films were also produced. Lucas, a fan of the NPR-affiliated campus radio station of his alma mater
24850-425: The original trilogy and by Ewan McGregor in the prequel films. McGregor also plays the character in the television series Obi-Wan Kenobi . Guinness' performance in Star Wars (1977) earned him the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor , as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor . Various claims have been made about the origins of the character Obi-Wan Kenobi. In his book about
25025-410: The original version of the Emperor was replaced by Ian McDiarmid, and the dialogue between the Emperor and Darth Vader was revised. Lucas and director Richard Marquand cast McDiarmid to play Emperor Palpatine for Return of the Jedi . He was in his late 30s and had never played a leading role in a feature film, though he had made minor appearances in films like Dragonslayer (1981). After Return of
25200-497: The outer reaches of the galaxy, crime syndicates such as the Hutt cartel are dominant. Bounty hunters are often employed by both gangsters and governments, while illicit activities include smuggling and slavery . The combination of science fiction and fantasy elements makes Star Wars a very universal franchise, capable of telling stories of various genres. The Star Wars film series centers around three sets of trilogies,
25375-469: The planet Utapau , Obi-Wan kills him. The Sith Lord Darth Sidious— who is revealed to be Palpatine—issues Order 66 , which compels the clone troopers to murder the Jedi. Obi-Wan and Yoda find that all the Jedi in the Jedi Temple have been slaughtered, including the children. After Obi-Wan warns all surviving Jedi to go into exile, he discovers it was Anakin, now Sidious' apprentice Darth Vader, who led
25550-482: The planet before the Inquisitors detect his presence. Reva locates him and Leia, and reveals that Anakin is still alive as Vader. When Reva's superior, the Grand Inquisitor, arrives to arrest Obi-Wan , Reva stabs him with her lightsaber. Obi-Wan and Leia then escape to the mining planet Mapuzo, where they are discovered by Imperial troops. They elude their enemies with help from Tala, an Imperial officer who
25725-410: The plot point of Anakin's virgin birth introduced in The Phantom Menace , and the claim that a Sith lord "could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life," as Palpatine tells Anakin in Revenge of the Sith . This would seem to have incestuous implications for Rey and Ben Solo at the end of The Rise of Skywalker , but Soule says that "The Dark Side is not a reliable narrator," and
25900-548: The powers of the head of state; both pressured the Senate to grant extraordinary powers to deal with a crisis, falsely claiming that they would rescind those powers once the crisis was over; and both relied on their strong control over military force. When the Emperor first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back , he was portrayed by Marjorie Eaton under heavy makeup. Chimpanzee eyes were superimposed into darkened eye sockets during post-production. The character
26075-438: The prequel trilogy and in the 2022 miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi. His performance in the first prequel film, The Phantom Menace (1999), earned him a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actor . Obi-Wan is introduced in Star Wars (1977) as an elderly hermit living on Tatooine . When Luke and C-3PO travel the desert in search of the runaway droid R2-D2 , Obi-Wan rescues them from Tusken Raiders . At Obi-Wan's home, R2-D2 plays
26250-574: The rise and rule of dictators such as Julius Caesar , Napoleon Bonaparte , and Adolf Hitler . Since the release of the original trilogy, Palpatine has become a widely recognized symbol of evil in popular culture. Since the prequel trilogy, he has been a symbol of sinister deception and the subversion of democracy. In addition to the films, Palpatine appears in the series Clone Wars , The Clone Wars , Star Wars Rebels , The Bad Batch , Obi-Wan Kenobi and Star Wars: Tales . He also appears in Star Wars novels and comics. George Lucas created
26425-405: The role. However, a voice recording of the late Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi was used in a 2018 episode. The 2022 live-action series Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place ten years after the events of Revenge of the Sith. It was originally conceived as a standalone film, but was cancelled during pre-production following the box office disappointment of the 2018 film Solo: A Star Wars Story . At
26600-431: The same fictional era, including The Book of Boba Fett , released in 2021; Ahsoka , released in 2023; and the upcoming Skeleton Crew . These series follow the plight of the New Republic and its allies against the remnants of the fallen Galactic Empire . A story focused on Obi-Wan Kenobi was planned as a film before becoming a live-action series after the box office failure of Solo in 2018. The series
26775-502: The same year, Bob Iger announced that the film would be the first release of the next slate of Star Wars movies. The Mandalorian & Grogu is scheduled for release on May 22, 2026. Lucasfilm has a number of Star Wars films in various stages of development, including: The first two animated series, Droids and Ewoks , were produced in the 1980s. They were followed by the Clone Wars animated micro-series in 2003 and
26950-473: The season 3 episode "Visions and Voices", Ezra Bridger (voiced by Taylor Gray ) discovers that Obi-Wan is alive on Tatooine; Obi-Wan's old nemesis Darth Maul finds him as well. In the episode " Twin Suns ", Obi-Wan finds Ezra while he is lost in the desert while letting him know Maul was intending to use him. At that moment, Maul attacks them, and Obi-Wan ushers Ezra to retreat. Obi-Wan mortally wounds Maul during
27125-460: The sequel, Lucas decided that the series would be a trilogy of trilogies. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was released on May 21, 1980, also achieving wide financial and critical success. The final film in the trilogy, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi , was released on May 25, 1983. According to producer Gary Kurtz, loose plans for a prequel trilogy were developed during the outlining of the original two films. In 1980, Lucas confirmed that he had
27300-746: The sequels during the 2012 sale, but in 2015 it was revealed Lucas's sequel outline had been discarded. The sequel trilogy also meant the end of the Star Wars Expanded Universe stories, which were discarded from canon to give "maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience." Episode VII: The Force Awakens was released on December 16, 2015, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi on December 13, 2017, and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker on December 18, 2019, in many countries. The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi were both critical and box office successes. Episode IX received
27475-470: The series include his battle with the Dark Jedi Xanatos and his first independent mission. Watson's Jedi Quest series details his adventures with Anakin in the years leading up to Attack of the Clones . His heroism just before and during the Clone Wars is portrayed in novels such as Outbound Flight , The Approaching Storm , and The Cestus Deception . Obi-Wan's life between Revenge of
27650-467: The series was set 25 to 30 years after the original films and introduced the Yuuzhan Vong, a powerful alien race attempting to invade and conquer the entire galaxy. The bestselling multi-author series Legacy of the Force (2006–2008) chronicles the crossover of Han and Leia's son Jacen Solo to the dark side of the Force; among his evil deeds, he kills Luke's wife Mara Jade as a sacrifice to join
27825-443: The strong sales of Star Wars comics saved Marvel financially in 1977 and 1978. Marvel's Star Wars series was one of the industry's top selling titles in 1979 and 1980. The only downside for Marvel was that the 100,000 copy sales quota was surpassed quickly, allowing Lippincott to renegotiate the royalty arrangements from a position of strength. In the late 1980s, Marvel dropped a new Star Wars comic it had in development, which
28000-417: The style of CGI envisioned for the new trilogy. Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released on May 19, 1999, Episode II: Attack of the Clones on May 16, 2002, and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith on May 19, 2005. The first two films were met with mixed reviews, with the third being received somewhat more positively. Together with the original trilogy, Lucas has referred to the first six episodic films of
28175-457: The three-part Dark Empire saga, Tales of the Jedi , Dark Lords of the Sith , the Dark Forces trilogy, and Crimson Empire (1998). Return of the Jedi was adapted into 6-episodes in 1996, featuring Daniels. The Star Wars franchise has spawned over one hundred computer, video, and board games, dating back to some of the earliest home consoles . Some are based directly on
28350-606: The time is right. In various novels set after Return of the Jedi , Obi-Wan appears as a Force spirit. In The Truce at Bakura , he warns Luke about the Ssi-ruuk ; in The Lost City of the Jedi , he guides him to the eponymous city on Yavin 4 ; in Heir to the Empire , he bids farewell to Luke, explaining that he must abandon his spiritual form and ascend to a higher plane of consciousness. Before parting, Luke says that Obi-Wan
28525-490: The title Star Wars: Master and Apprentice . Although Thrawn had been designated a Legends character in 2014, he was reintroduced into the canon in 2016 for the third season of the Rebels animated series, with Zahn returning to write more novels based on the character and set in the new canon. Marvel Comics published a Star Wars comic book series from 1977 to 1986. Original Star Wars comics were serialized in
28700-432: The transfer of the license to Electronic Arts . Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi ( / ˈ oʊ b iː ˌ w ɑː n k ə ˈ n oʊ b iː / ) is a character in the Star Wars franchise. In the original film trilogy , he is a Jedi Master who trains Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force . In the prequel trilogy , he mentors Luke's father, Anakin Skywalker . Obi-Wan is portrayed by Alec Guinness in
28875-425: The voices of various deceased Jedi, including Obi-Wan. He says, "These are your final steps, Rey. Rise and take them." The voices of both McGregor and Guinness were used in both films. Obi-Wan appears in the animated series The Clone Wars (2008–2014, 2020). He is a general during the Clone Wars , and he and Anakin have many adventures fighting the Separatists. During this time Obi-Wan's diplomatic skills earn him
29050-534: Was announced in January 2014 that in 2015 the Star Wars comics license would return to Marvel Comics, whose parent company, Marvel Entertainment , Disney had purchased in 2009. Launched in 2015, the first three publications were titled Star Wars , Darth Vader , and the miniseries Princess Leia . First announced as Project Luminous at Star Wars Celebration in April 2019, the Star Wars: The High Republic publishing initiative
29225-479: Was followed by the sequels Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), forming the original Star Wars trilogy . Lucas later returned to the series to write and direct a prequel trilogy , consisting of Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). In 2012, Lucas sold his production company to Disney , relinquishing his ownership of
29400-490: Was in part inspired by the real-world examples of democratic backsliding during the rise and rule of Julius Caesar , Napoleon Bonaparte , Alberto Fujimori , Ferdinand Marcos Sr. , and Adolf Hitler . Other elements of the character come from Richard Nixon . Lucas said that Nixon's presidency "got me to thinking historically about how do democracies get turned into dictatorships. Because the democracies aren't overthrown; they're given away." Lucas also said, "The whole point of
29575-417: Was like a father to him, and Obi-Wan replies that he loved Luke like a son. The novel Kenobi (2013) tells the story of Obi-Wan's first days of exile on Tatooine. Issue #24 of Marvel's 1977 Star Wars comic follows Obi-Wan during the Republic era. He is featured in various Dark Horse Comics publications, including several set during the Clone Wars. In Star Wars: Republic (1998–2006), Obi-Wan fights
29750-411: Was originally planned as a film, but changed to a miniseries due to Solo underperforming at the box office. In April 2023, three new Star Wars films were announced to be set within different eras of the franchise. An untitled film written and directed by James Mangold will be set during the "dawn of the Jedi". Dave Filoni will direct a film set between the original and sequel trilogies during
29925-534: Was picked up by Dark Horse Comics and published as the popular Dark Empire series (1991–1995). Dark Horse subsequently launched dozens of series set after the original film trilogy, including Tales of the Jedi (1993–1998), X-wing Rogue Squadron (1995–1998), Star Wars: Republic (1998–2006), Star Wars Tales (1999–2005), Star Wars: Empire (2002–2006), and Knights of the Old Republic (2006–2010). After Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, it
30100-479: Was released on Disney+ in 2022 and is set between the prequel and original trilogy films. It was followed by the live-action series Andor in the same year; both series follow their titular characters during the reign of the Empire. The Acolyte is a series created by Leslye Headland set at the end of the High Republic era before the events of the Skywalker Saga , and follows an investigation into
30275-478: Was revealed in a press conference in February 2020. Involving the majority of the then current officially licensed publishers, a new era set 200 years before the Skywalker Saga was explored in various books and comics. Including ongoing titles by Marvel and IDW Publishing, written by Cavan Scott and Daniel José Older respectively. Marvel Comics will publish a one-shot comic book on September 4, 2024, that bridges
30450-503: Was subsequently restructured to only include the existing six feature films, the animated film The Clone Wars (2008), and its companion animated series. All future projects and creative developments across all types of media would be overseen and coordinated by the story group, announced as a division of Lucasfilm created to maintain continuity and a cohesive vision on the storytelling of the franchise. Multiple comics series from Marvel and novels published by Del Rey were produced after
30625-409: Was voiced by Clive Revill . The makeup was sculpted by Phil Tippett and applied by Rick Baker , who initially used his own wife, Elaine, for the makeup tests. "With [director Irvin] Kershner ," Revill said, "you had to keep the reins tight — you couldn't go overboard. It was the perfect example of the old adage 'less is more' — the Emperor doesn't say very much. But when he finally appears, it's at
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