Star Wars Clone Wars data 6: Palpatine

EMPEROR PALPATINE

Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious, was the last Chancellor of the Old Republic and the first Emperor of the Galactic Empire. He was a Dark Lord of the Sith who followed the Rule of Two and was considered by many to be the most powerful Sith Lord who ever existed. He was the only Sith Lord in a thousand years to achieve the ultimate goal of the Sith: to eradicate the Jedi Order and bring the galaxy under the rule of the Sith.

Upon taking over Finis Valorum's position as Supreme Chancellor in 32 BBY, Palpatine was able to establish his Empire by concocting a complex master plan, which involved starting the Clone Wars, a galaxy-wide conflict that cost billions of sentient lives. Palpatine himself headed both the Galactic Republic and, secretly, the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which allowed him to prolong the conflict in order to gain more executive powers from the Senate.

When his power as Chancellor had reached its peak, Palpatine abolished the Republic and replaced it with the first Galactic Empire with himself as leader. With the Imperialization of the galaxy, Palpatine effectively had total control over its people, and was able to create one of the most powerful military forces the galaxy had ever seen. Palpatine's rule would go relatively unopposed for nearly two decades, until disgruntled former Imperial senators founded the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

CLONE WARS TIMELINE
Despite Palpatine's vocal promises of reform, the Republic continued to be mired in strife and chaos. A decade after his nomination, Palpatine's Chancellery was faced with the challenge of a popular Separatist movement led by the charismatic leader, Count Dooku. Many in the galaxy feared that the conflict would escalate to full-scale warfare, but Palpatine was adamant that the crisis could be resolved by negotiation.

The Separatists didn't agree. Upon the discovery of a secret army of droids, it became apparent that the Separatists were on the verge of declaring war against the Republic. To counter this, the Republic needed a military, and Palpatine required the authority to activate the Republic's newly forged army of clones. To that end, Senators loyal to Palpatine motioned that the Chancellor be given emergency powers to deal with the Separatist threat.

With spoken regrets, Palpatine accepted the new mantle of power. He promised to return his absolute authority to the Senate after the emergency subsided. What no one realized was that the galaxy would undergo further upheaval, and that a state of crisis would ensure Palpatine's authority for decades.

The Clone Wars were just part of an intricate Sith plan concocted by Palpatine. After the demise of Darth Maul during the Battle of Naboo, he needed a new apprentice to carry forward his agenda. He did not have time to train an adept from the cradle, but instead plotted to turn an already proven Jedi warrior onto the path of the dark side. His target was the disillusioned Jedi Master Count Dooku. By appealing to Dooku's civility and disgust with Republic corruption, Palpatine was able to lure him to the dark side. When he became fully enmeshed in the Sith order and pledged his absolute loyalty to Palpatine, Dooku was granted the mantle of Darth Tyranus. Palpatine was the real mastermind behind the plan for Dooku and Ziro to kidnap Rotta and push the blame to the Jedi.

The Clone Wars were a sham -- as Palpatine secretly held authority over both sides of the conflict.
The indications of his future regime were subtle at first. Palpatine's term as Chancellor ended during the rise of the Separatists, but that crisis allowed him to extend his stay in office. Once the Clone Wars erupted, the Senate's inability to efficiently wage war on scattered fronts forced him to enact executive decree after executive decree. He added amendments to the constitution funneling more power to him, effectively circumventing the bureaucracy of the Senate.

AFTERMATH
In 19 BBY, Palpatine is captured by Separatist leader General Grievous and taken aboard the droid general's space vessel the Invisible Hand. Obi-Wan Kenbi and Anakin Skywalker set off to rescue him, and it was not without ruthlessness. Anakin sheared off Count Dooku's hands and decapitated him in cold blood during the lightsaber duel, at Palpatine's urging. By this point, Palpatine has used the crisis to stay in power long after his term expired, and has acquired virtually dictatorial authority in the Senate. The Jedi Council, as well as a number of Senators, were troubled by Palpatine's power and feared he will not relinquish it even when the Clone Wars end.

Palpatine raised the Jedi's suspicions further when he had the Senate grant him direct control over the Jedi Council, and appointed Anakin as his personal representative, effectively granting him a vote in Jedi affairs. He began to tempt Anakin towards the dark side, and tried to turn him against the Jedi by suggesting that he deserved the rank of Jedi Master, which the Council refused him. The Council ordered Anakin to spy on Palpatine, but he instead revealed the Jedi's plan to the Chancellor. Palpatine told Anakin the story of Darth Plagueis the Wise, a powerful Sith Lord who was able to manipulate life and death, but was killed by his apprentice (hinted to be Sidious himself). Palpatine later revealed his secret identity to Anakin and tempted him with promises of power over life and death. Palpatine knew that Anakin has been having visions of Padmé, who is now pregnant with Anakin's child, dying in childbirth and offered to teach him the secrets of Darth Plagueis to save her life.

Confused, Anakin informed Mace Windu that Palpatine was the Sith Lord they had been looking for. Windu and a group of fellow Jedi Masters went on to arrest Palpatine, but the Chancellor refused to go quietly, accusing them of treason. He surprised them with a lightsaber and quickly dispatched the other 3 Jedi, leaving Windu to face him alone. In the ensuing duel, Windu gained the upper hand, deforming Palpatine's face by deflecting his own Force lightning back at him, and was poised to execute the Sith lord — when Anakin appeared and interceded on Palpatine's behalf, cutting off Windu's hand. Palpatine then bombarded Windu with another blast of Force Lightning, hurtling him through the window and sending the Jedi Master crashing to his death. Palpatine then accepted Anakin as his new apprentice and renamed him Darth Vader.

Palpatine then set the destruction of the Jedi in motion: he sent Vader to lead the 501st Legion of Clonetroopers to destroy the Jedi Temple, and instructed then all of the clone troopers all over the galaxy to kill their Jedi generals, via Order 66. He then told Vader to go to the planet of Mustafar to wipe out the Separatist leadership. The next day, Palpatine announced to the Senate that the Jedi were planning to overthrow the Republic, and that the Republic will be reorganized into the Galactic Empire, with himself as Emperor for life. Jedi Master Yoda returned to Coruscant and confronted Palpatine in his Senate office. A lightsaber duel erupted between them which ended in stalemate, forcing a humiliated Yoda to retreat into exile.

Sensing his apprentice in danger, Palpatine travelled to Mustafar, where he found Vader maimed and burned almost to the point of death following a duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi. With the lost of his limbs and much Force potential, Anakin would no longer be twice as powrful as Palpatine wanted him to be, yet the Emperor still wanted to carve him into a dangerous warrior. Palpatine transported Vader's broken body back to Coruscant and provided him with a black armor suit and artificial limbs. When Vader regained consciousness, Palpatine informed him that he (Vader) had killed his own wife in anger, breaking what remained of his spirit. Palpatine was last seen at the bridge of the Venator-class Star Destroyer watching the construction of the first Death Star, with Vader at his side.

It would be another 23 years before Palpatine's reign of terror came to an end during the Battle of Endor. He allowed Vader to square off against his son Luke Skywalker aboard the second Death Star, with the intention of having Luke strike down Vader and become his new apprentice. However, Luke refused to turn to the dark side and proudly proclaimed himself to be a Jedi. Enraged, Palpatine began torturing Luke with torrents of Force Lightning, until Vader (who had become Anakin Skywalker again) turned on his master and threw him into the Death Star's reactor core, killing him in the process.