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Little is known of Palpatine's early life, other than his Naboo origins and his secret apprenticeship to Darth Plagueis. Because the Sith Order existed under absolute secrecy, Palpatine kept his public life separate from his role as Darth Sidious. Palpatine could use his secret persona to advance his ambitious political career without any suspicion of wrongdoing.

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Palpatine Biography Gallery

  • Back to Emperor Palpatine
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    • Little is known of Palpatine's early life, other than his Naboo origins and his secret apprenticeship to Darth Plagueis. Because the Sith Order existed under absolute secrecy, Palpatine kept his public life separate from his role as Darth Sidious. Palpatine could use his secret persona to advance his ambitious political career without any suspicion of wrongdoing.
    • In time, Palpatine came to represent his homeworld as a Republic senator and served as an advisor to Naboo's young ruler, Queen Padmé Amidala. She turned to him when her planet was invaded by the Trade Federation, an act secretly engineered by Darth Sidious.
    • After Padmé escaped to Coruscant, Palpatine urged her to demand stronger leadership at the top to prevent future tragedies like the one that had befallen Naboo. Padmé called for a Vote of No Confidence in the leadership of Supreme Chancellor Valorum.
    • Delighted that Padmé had created a power vacuum at government's highest level, Palpatine lobbied his fellow politicians for support. Palpatine knew that the attack on Naboo would win him widespread public sympathy. While Padmé and the Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi returned to Naboo to fight the Trade Federation's battle droids, the Senate held a vote that elevated Palpatine to the post of Supreme Chancellor.
    • With the Trade Federation defeated and Naboo free once more, Chancellor Palpatine returned to his homeworld to congratulate Padmé on her victory. He learned that a Force-strong boy, Anakin Skywalker, had played a critical role in winning the day. Having lost his Sith apprentice Darth Maul during the battle, Palpatine decided to keep a close eye on Anakin. Greeting the boy for the first time, he promised to watch his career "with great interest."
    • Over the next decade Palpatine grew more secure in his power. During two back-to-back terms as chancellor he hired loyal aides including Mas Amedda, and transformed elite members of the Senate Guard into his red-armored bodyguards. As Palpatine's second term came to an end, mounting fear of Count Dooku's new Separatist movement kept him in office to deal with the threat.
    • Palpatine, however, had planned Count Dooku's rebellion from the start. As Darth Sidious he had lured Dooku to the dark side, and then encouraged him to rally star systems and mega-corporations to form the breakaway government of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. With Dooku on one side and Palpatine on the other, a war could now take place that would wipe out the Jedi in its crossfire.
    • Chancellor Palpatine kept up appearances as war grew closer. He claimed to want peace and even invited senators such as Padmé Amidala and Bail Organa to advise him as members of his Loyalist Committee. Palpatine held regular meetings with Yoda, Mace Windu, and other top-ranking Jedi, and even the greatest Jedi Masters failed to see the evil Sith Lord lurking beneath the good-natured politician.
    • Obi-Wan Kenobi uncovered a clone army on Kamino, one which Palpatine had secretly set in motion years before. At the same time, the discovery of Count Dooku's battle droid factories on Geonosis seemed to leave the Republic with little choice but to fight back. In a tense meeting in the chancellor's office, Bail Organa and others agreed that the clone army should be used by the Republic before the Separatists grew too powerful.
    • Representative Jar Jar Binks agreed to introduce a motion before the Senate that would give Palpatine emergency powers, and allow him to use the Kamino clone troopers in open warfare. The Senate, shocked at the thought of Count Dooku's battle droids attacking the Republic, agreed. Accepting his new authority, Palpatine reassured the Senate that he would surrender his power as soon as the threat had ended.
    • Of course he had no such intentions, and now he had the ability to direct a galactic war and destroy anyone who opposed him. As the Senate cheered, Palpatine announced the formation of the first Grand Army of the Republic. Massive waves of Republic troopers prepared to clash with Separatist battle droids in the Clone Wars, and Palpatine prepared to gain new powers that would effectively make him a dictator.
    • The Clone Wars required careful management to prevent neither the Republic nor the Separatists from gaining too much momentum during the early stages. Palpatine kept up his act, issuing commands to Count Dooku and General Grievous as Darth Sidious while setting the Republic's war strategy in meetings with the Jedi Council in the Supreme Chancellor's office. The war proved costly for the Republic, with even the victories often coming with a great loss of life.
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