Why Palpatine is the best ever

[@NightDocs]

Ian McDiarmid hit the actors lottery he has so much fun playing palpatine and it shows. And we’re all fortunate to see it

[@giladpellaeon1691]

And he knows it, he's great when meeting his fans.

[@Raygo.]

For real, he was unforgettable as the porter in Trevor Nunn's 1979 production of Macbeth.

[@JonCrs10]

He also once played Lucifer in an audioplay of Paradise Lost. Talk about fitting.

[@XBLLegends]

Somehow Palpatine is built different

[@josephmontanaro2350]

"The power of the dark side can rebuild one into configurations some might consider.... unnatural"

[@Prophetofthe8thLegion]

It’s about drive it’s about power.

[@Raygo.]

He's a psychopath. That's all there is to it. A person utterly lacking in empathy, or the ability to even comprehend it. Without conscience or the ability to feel remorse. Do psychopaths have "fun" or "the time of their lives" doing what they do? Perhaps there's the fleeting pleasure of dominance and power, a sadistic enjoyment of the suffering of others. But fundamentally they are slaves to passion and desire, anger and fear. The dark side of the Force, and as Obi-Wan said to Maul in CW , "it takes strength to resist the dark side, only the weak embrace it."

[@teslercoil5174]

Somehow Palpatine got laid.

[@draconian6692]

Hes not a bitch in any way and actually a master of the dark side

[@sayvionwashington1939]

I really like sympathetic villains, but sometimes you need a villain that goes: "I need the army to burn down that village." "Why my lord?" "You seriously asking me that question?! Just look at it! It's ugly and I have to look at that vibe killer first thing in the morning! Fucking unacceptable."

[@HydratedBeans]

Palpetine doesn’t even need the excuse of it being ugly, he’ll just do it because he like suffering. Dude is wild

[@princetonchia1285]

Jack Horner from the new puss in boots movie in a nutshell:

[@AceSpadeThePikachu]

Then he'll turn it into Lake Palpatine with his Town Terrorizor, and no blue Jedi hedgehogs will stop him!

[@neofulcrum5013]

I like the dark reflection type of villains. The ones that show that the hero could’ve gone down this route if not for so and so.

[@AceSpadeThePikachu]

@@neofulcrum5013 That's what makes Batman's rogues gallery so compelling. Most of his major villains (The Joker, Twoface, The Penguin, Bane, Mr. Freeze, Ra's Al Ghul) are walking representations of Batman's darkest traits run rampant. What he could turn into if he ever abandoned his "one rule."

[@loganwendigo937]

I love Palps in ROTJ but to be honest Revenge of the Sith is what really made Palpatine such a great fun character to me. The movie shows the true extent of his manipulation and his pure cheesy evilness

[@Gokiza]

Palp is why those are my 2 favorite SW movies.

[@loganwendigo937]

Same!

[@Jungoguy]

He was evil from the moment he was born.

[@gumdeo]

ROTS was peak Palpatine. By the time ROTJ comes around, he was getting lazy.

[@CORE409]

I think when Palpatine said to Anakin "Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the wise", Palpatine is actually mocking him, the additional description of "the wise" is cynical that "he was so wise that he didn't see his own death coming by me".

[@fightingfalcon777]

Possibly, but I do think he still had some respect for Plagueis. In the Darth Plagueis novel, as he kills Plagueis, he says to him that while he was foolish to ever think himself Sidious’s “master”, he nonetheless respected Plagueis as his teacher and was grateful to him for all of his lessons

[@pwnorbepwned]

One thing about Palpatine I’ve always enjoyed-and could possibly be called nuance-is his true nature. Not how evil he is, but how his portrayal as a careful, patient schemer is itself a mask he puts on. His true nature is that of a blunt force instrument, a reckless gambler, a prideful thrill-seeker. His careful manipulations keep this part of himself in check, but it still shows through the cracks time and time again. There are several moments in Revenge of the Sith alone where all his years of meticulous planning nearly blow up in his face-often literally-because of some Hail Mary gamble he makes to get things over with sooner. Moments where you can envision him in the moment, thinking on some level, “I may have made a mistake.” Revealing himself to Anakin prematurely, staging his own dangerous rescue, fighting Mace and The Squad alone, dueling Yoda, etc. And there are more moments like this in every instance of his character, and it holds brilliantly consistent across the saga in both Legends and Canon. He is so careful and patient, but despite this, he just can’t help himself. My favorite scene involving this side of Palpatine is his first meeting with Luke. “Your overconfidence is your weakness.” “You faith in your friends is yours.” It’s such a subtle and yet profound moment, because Palpatine’s rebuttal is the first time he acts unamused toward Luke. These two have known each other for all of two minutes, and Luke has already hit the nail on the head. And the best part is, Palpatine knows he’s right. He’s keenly aware of how his reckless nature has bitten him in the past, and he is not pleased that this upstart Jedi wannabe has him figured out so soon. He lets the jovial mask slip and bites back at Luke with a little venom in his voice, and then there’s silence as they just glance at each other, re-evaluating after this minor exchange. People expect evil characters to have depth by being something else in addition to evil. Palpatine is pure evil, but even in a mire of nothing but evil, he shows that evil itself can have layers to it.

[@joeybulford5266]

I love Palpatine because he took out the entire Jedi order before they even knew what happened. He hid right under their nose, clouded their vision, made them second guess themselves, and didn’t reveal himself until it was already too late. 100/10 I think he is the best villain EVER.

[@KENOMAN1969]

He and Plagues even walked through the Jedi Temple clouding themselves to hide their Sith nature. Mocking their enemy in their own house.

[@johantolli372]

I love the joy that Palpatine gets out of being Darth Sidious. Especially in his fight with Yoda but also his fight with Maul and Savage. He is releasing decades of pent up darkside and anger in both those fight and its almost cathartic for him to finally be his true self as Darth Sidious, a side that he can rarely let out as he plays the role of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. The modern twist on villains are the "Thanos model" of trying to make a relatable or atleast understandable and multifaceted villain, but for me there is something so pure and utterly entertaining about an all together evil and unredemable character like Darth Sidious. The fact that Ian McDermid plays the role perfectly and balances the campyness and seriousness brilliantly is everything, Palpatine/Darth Sidious would be nothing without Ian!

[@myPhDinAwesomeness]

Thanos would have been the GOAT if the Avengers didnt manage to reverse the snap. But Palpatine just... won. That's the GOAT

[@Theology.101]

I get asked “Who’s the strongest sith?” The answer is Palpatine. It is Palpatine. it always will be.

[@Uzarran]

If you dip into the EU, it's Vitiate. But, Palpatine would certainly sit at #2.

[@treopl]

​@@Uzarran this is fact, my friend 😁

[@jakewheeler6014]

@@Uzarran Yeah Vitiate is wild.

[@Theology.101]

@@Uzarran Nah, cause Vitiate’s really powerful because he’s a schemer and he’s immortal. When it comes to direct shows of force, like against the Hero of Tython, his kids, etc. he gets whooped. Don’t get me wrong, Vitiate easily wipes the floor with other Sith like Exar Kun, Revan, etc. But Palpatine is… Palpatine. The Revenge of the Sith Novelization (which is right after TV when it comes to george lucas’ intention) directly calls Palp the strongest

[@derrickstorm6976]

It will always be*

[@rebelappliance771]

I absolutely love that scene from revenge of the sith where yoda completely murks sidious by throwing him across the room. It’s so fucking goofy in the best possible way which makes it hilarious to watch.

[@Christopher-qq4dl]

Lol

[@GGBlaster]

Yet I still feel that Palpatine isn’t quite as cartoonishly evil as some of your classic Disney villains. Villains like Jafar, Ursula and Maleficent (the og ones) were not just aware that they were evil, they openly acknowledged and celebrated it. Palpatine is so devoted to himself and the Dark Side that he is characteristically and emphatically evil, though I have yet to hear him sing “It feels so good to be bad.”

[@Kagemyth]

lol you cant hear it when hes cackling and smiling shooting force lightning? weird must be in my head XD

[@GGBlaster]

@@Kagemyth lol. While I would definitely say Palpatine is a sadistic psychopath, I find it unlikely that, if asked, Palpatine would say he sees himself as the bad guy. He just values himself over all other life in the Galaxy. To him, it’s his destiny to rule, and his actions are justified simply on the grounds that he sees no fault in himself.

[@Parmesan_Seeker]

@@GGBlaster While I agree he would not refer to himself as "the bad guy", I doubt he'd see himself as good either. He seems to me like a person who doesn't consider morality at all. He does what he wants, and that's the only reason he does it.

[@midniteraptor1474]

Something else I like about Palpatine is that he isn't a complainer. Whenever he is in tough spot, he doesn't complain or mellow in self-pity, he acknowledges the situation and moves to fix it. I remember this scene in the book "Dark Lord: Rise of Darth Vader" where Vader says to Palpatine "Look at us. Are we the faces of victory?" Meanwhile Palpatine is trying to keep himself from being sickened by Vader's self-pity and later says, "Eventually you will come to see that power is joy. The path to the dark side is not without terrible risk, but it is the only path worth following. It matters not how we appear, in any case, or who is sacrificed along the way." Palpatine doesn't just follow the dark side, but he also knows what he is getting into and is willing to pay any price or suffer any consequences. What a legend.

[@iainballas]

For all his appearances, the best time I've seen Palpatine being Palpatine outside the books was in The Bad Batch. He played a situation perfectly to phase out the clones. He ensured that if his main minion succeeded, he'd get the clones gone and switch to stormtroopers. When it failed, he threw that minion under the hoverbus, then attached the failure to the clones and used it as an excuse to get rid of them, while showing the senators working against him that they were a joke to him.

[@sovietunion7643]

moments like that are why i tell people the empire wouldn't have collapsed had the emperor survived. the guy was just too politically smooth and coldly intelligent to let that happen. the empire collasped because he made every facet run directly through himself, and so when that fell apart nothing was really left.

[@iainballas]

@@sovietunion7643 That is the main issue and benefit of centralized control: When all the power is concentrated in one place, it is almost impossible to resist it. But when that power is broken, there is nothing to replace it.

[@sovietunion7643]

@@iainballas exactly. its actually why we see places in south america struggle to be democratic. the spanish empire was so extremely authoritarian that once it was gone, there wasn't really anything to replace it with and so ever since many nations in south america have been attempting to find the way to make a democratic system but the problem is no one really thinks democracy will work due to how often they fall there. even changes in the prices of resources can cause democracy to fall as often those resource price are most of the economy.

[@codylego]

@@sovietunion7643 also the Americans shoot anyone who tries to national American businesses

[@giladpellaeon1691]

If you are ever lucky enough to have the opportunity, Ian McDiarmid is a joy to meet. Met him a few years back at a comiccon and I was in my Imperial officer costume and before I can say a word he says to me with a smile, "I see you picked the right side."

[@kirinyoshikage3871]

That’s so good 😂

[@MultiKommandant]

Megalomania is a great trait to give an antagonist - if done right, it makes for a character to whom villainy isn't just a job but a hobby. While ambitious or tragic villains are great, and can make for good narrative counterbalances to the hero, it is the villains who seem to be having the time of their lives in every scene they're in that are the most entertaining to watch.

[@mriganabhkashyap1564]

Well said

[@HenhousetheRed]

From the Plagueis novel, Palpatine hated the Jedi at a young age not because of his loyalties to the Sith or the dark side, but because he couldn't understand why beings strong in the Force would not seize power and rule the weak. He didn't initially care about the Sith, thinking of them as some defunct, obscure religious group. His first motivation in wanting to humiliate and dismantle the Jedi was because of their hubris as peacekeepers, tied strongly to his convictions with rule and politics. Palpatine admitted to Vader (on why Obi-wan had defeated him on Mustafar) that had the Jedi been true in their convictions, he likely would never have succeeded in destroying them and dismantling the Republic. He also partially enjoyed his interactions with Yoda, admittedly because of the satisfaction in being deceitful, but also because he recognized Yoda as a powerful being in the Force. I think most completely evil villains wouldn't admit that about their enemies. Palpatine had a level of introspection that most villains wouldn't even consider. The Darth Plagueis novel is one of my favorite Star Wars books. If the Disney takeover hadn't happened and stuff getting relegated to "Legends," I think it would have made an awesome TV series focusing on the rise of Palpatine.

[@neofulcrum5013]

You know how they say no one is born evil? Palps broke that. Even as a kid he was a little monster. No redeeming traits about him.

[@SephirothRyu]

Kids often do unkind things. But this is Star Wars, so the Force could have... forced him. In which case, just admit the setting has issues by admitting that The Force forced this fate on him. Either that, or don't try to sympathize with someone who genocided multiple entire planets of races.

[@Gigas0101]

I love how skeletor level evil Palpatine is, I can honestly hear him say "I AM NOT NICE!" perfectly. Also, dunno how popular this opinion is, but the scene where Snoke gets axed by Kylo is probably my favourite new trilogy scene and I'm glad you used it there.

[@Calvin_Coolage]

It was a pretty cool shot.

[@jeanhayes6925]

By the power of Grayskull 😂❤

[@Curthartley84]

He had it all planned out from the beginning and even backup plans. Its pretty impressive that he was that intelligent. He manipulated everyone into doing what he wanted.

[@jamesrolfe9400]

There was a Legends book that described Palpatine was so evil that even his um “seed” was a pitch black and that he could actually use the force to control it and cause it to absorb into the bodies of his twilek consorts

[@johnnygyro2295]

What the f*ck?!

[@hectorkringle295]

Thats nasty lmaooo

[@BaseSerpentMessmer]

Wtf?

[@АлексейМомот-щ7о]

Did you make this up? 😂 Lucasfilm never published official porn.

[@funnelvortex7722]

I like the idea that Palpatine was a literal creepy demon child when he was a kid. He really is someone who was BORN evil, and given his natural insane Force sensitivity I can see him doing some horror movie demon kid shit when he was a child to the point his own family was terrified of him.

[@JB-ol3xo]

If you read any of his chapters in the older clone wars novels its almost always unintentionally funny in a very good way, with him trying quite hard to get Obi-Wan killed(he has one line describing Kenobi as "the jedi that just will not die") without being to obvious about it while also trying to keep Anakin alive so as to give him the evil make over later on.

[@SystemZ3RO]

I'm going with Robot Chicken's version or Palpatine's origin story as my head canon. He suggests to the Nabbo city counsel to use Gungan eggs to supplement the Nabbo school lunch program (to spite Space Hippies and so he an build his house) and someone suggests he try his hand at politics.

[@nathaniellong4281]

The Stupendous Wave made a video years ago suggesting that Palpatine might have been a psychopath, part of the Dark Triad of personalities. You could probably add several more malignant personality disorders to him.

[@nickmalachai2227]

I mean, let's not armchair diagnose and throw the many people who live with personality disorders but still have and exercise the choice to not harm people by comparing them to Space Satan. Sheevy Boi chose evil from minute one and has been riding that blood-soaked high ever since.

[@Marvolo14]

Palpatine in a nutshell: Palpatine's first interaction with Ezra is him standing over a dark cauldron filled with blue flames, chanting Sith incantations, laughing maniacly, wearing a black robe, and trying to use the magic fire to drag Ezra through a portal to where ever Palpatine is. Like a week later, Palpatine in hologram form is talking to Ezra and the hologram makes Palpatin look like a kind old man in white robes and he's acting like he just wants to reunite Ezra with his family. It's completely absurd that he thinks Ezra would buy into this ruse of a benevolent kind Emperor after seeing him as the evil Sith Emperor. But Palpatine tries it anyways. He's a madman.

[@commandZee]

There’s no good excuse for Palpatine’s return in Episode IX.

[@Jackal_El_Lobo34]

Palpatine stated in his philosophical works within the Book of the Sith that he never cared for prophecy but none the less suspected that Darth Bane was not the true Sithari but was instead himself. He both bragged and validated that he was the true Sithari because he was the embodiment of darkness who successfully broke the rule of two and destroyed the Sith Order just as stated within the Sith Prophecy.

[@wilhufftarkin8543]

I think the irony of the Sithari prophecy is that every single Baneite Sith considered himself to be the true Sithari, yet in the end none of them were. My suspicion is that Anakin is the Sithari and the Jedi Chosen One at the same time. The Jedi misunderstood their prophecy and so did the Sith with their own.

[@alswearengine4867]

It’s great that he even refers to himself as the Sith’ari when he’s killing his master.

[@Killzoneguy117]

One thing I love is it you look at what the Sith are supposed to be, evil as they are, the Sith Order still has an underlying ideology, they still seek to make a better world. The issue is merely what their definition of "better" is. Plagueis talks about how the Sith strive to make an ordered Galaxy where the strong and powerful rule the meek and complacent. Plagueis and really other Sith see themselves as a force for change. "To wash away the old and complacent and prune the Galaxy of deadweight". Theirs is a deeply Nietzchean worldview which seeks to rise above conventional notions of good and evil in order to make for an efficient and strong Galaxy built not on cooperation but competition. They believe in achieving pure excellence when it comes to the Force. In some ways, you could almost see the ideal Sith society as something akin to Ancient Sparta, where the weak are forcibly removed and only the strong are allowed to stay. Where children are raised by the state to be ruthless, fearless and capable. But Palpatine... Palpatine doesn't believe in any of that. He doesn't care about the Sith or their better world. He doesn't care about their goals or vision for the Galaxy, he doesn't care about the philosophy of the Sith Order. Palpatine cares only for himself. A true psychopath in every sense of the term. Where previous Sith inflicted suffering in the pursuit of their goals, Palpatine inflicted suffering because he enjoyed it. To Palpatine, even the Sith are mere pawns. They are tools, stepping stones to his ultimate goal: ultimate power. Not for the wellbeing of the Galaxy, but entirely for himself. Sidious's Empire ends up becoming a mockery of the Empire Plagueis envisioned, where weak and strong alike are discarded by Palpatine purely on his mood. Where Plaguies and Sith before him sought Apprentices that could one day rival and even surpass them in power, Palpatine keeps a shackled and crippled Vader, knowing that he will NEVER equal him in power, and that even if he did kill him, it would only weaken the Sith going forward. His Empire is rife with complacency and incompetence that he deliberately put in place to keep under HIS control. And that's what I love about Palpatine. Even by the standards of the Sith, he is irredeemably evil

[@GodessAmari]

When you said « palpatine had so much fun being evil » i laughed and thought about a kid sidious on a 4 wheel bike having fun with sith eyes😂

[@bluesirius1]

@EckhartsLadder you did it again, your outro is so good that i'm heading to listen to the playlist again, well done 😉

[@reubenoakley5887]

He gives me serious M. Bison vibes "Yes, yes, I killed your father. What is it with you women anyway?! I killed my father too and you don't hear ME whining about it!"

[@ezachleewright2309]

Every single Darth Sidious quote is among the best of Star Wars Quotes. "No.... No..... YOU will die!!!" "I'm too weak..." "Unlimited powaaaaahh!!!!" "Yes... Let the hate flow through you..."

[@sawney_bean]

To me the greatest thing about palps is that he's having the time of his life doing his evil little thing , its the absolute joy he shows

[@darklorddysart]

By far my favourite character of the franchise 🖤

[@TomOfBattlefront]

“Palpatine is having the time of his life” 😂

[@CloneScavengerVulpin8389]

Darth plagueis got his namesake because he unleashed the plague of palpatine, very fitting.

[@MrJuliansnow]

Man... your outro makes me smile every time. Love on your dog some for me :)

[@japanfour292]

He really is the best. My favorite star wars character 😂

[@timgoss]

Thank you for the content! Interesting perspective on Palpatine

[@wrorchestra1]

Can we also say, he has one of the best "bad guy" voices?

[@bradhedgehog12]

Pure evil indeed Bro. No words needed

[@nathansteinfromarkham7109]

He temporarily succeeded where the Devil failed with Jesus. He is the GOAT of villains and the prequel haters can’t convince me otherwise.

[@IARESMART8]

Say what you will about Rise of Skywalker but I love that we got to see Ian McDiarmid's Palpatine one more time

[@CottonHill91]

After a couple weeks of plagueis novel references I saw a sheev focused video and knew it was gonna be a plagueis video. And I'm not mad at it. If someone new is getting into the cannon lore and wants an eu recommendation as much as I would want to suggest heir to the empire I would have to bite my tongue and tell them plagueis is yet to actually be retconned and gives them a better understanding of prequel characters the way Lucas wanted by a writer that's still getting work from Disney just like Zahn.

[@i.shuuya3231]

The title is so funny 😭

[@i.shuuya3231]

Noo, he changed it. My life is ruined now

[@anthonypastore8378]

Love palps good video eck! 💚

[@robertbarrows6687]

Darth Sidious is comparable to Frieza from Dragon Ball Z when it comes to evil and lack of sympathy and overall threat.

[@AceSpadeThePikachu]

Or perhaps Megabyte from ReBoot. Or any incarnation of Megatron.

[@AceSpadeThePikachu]

@@michaelandreipalon359 Just a shame ReBoot's "reboot" was utter trash. Give as "The Hunt" the Season 4 cliffhanger promised us already, dang it! Also YeeeEeEeeEEeeEEeEeEeeeeeEEees!~

[@pierrelindgren5727]

Jiminy Yoda: Y-y-you're not gonna lightsaber a youngling, are you, Palpetine? Darth Horner: Yeah, in the face. Why?

[@robertsmiley2207]

I agree 💯 I get so sick of redemption arc's for the villains in movies 🎥

[@Mushy_240]

As Fidgeon put it, “It’s so fitting that the greatest villain of all time is a politician”

[@josephtomassi776]

I think it’s really more his relationships with the different characters that makes him interesting.

[@stevenmayer8528]

Awe, when villains were Villains and not some villains who had a somber back story and were just a victim of everything around them. Palatine still GOAT.

[@bluewolf137]

I like my fair share of sympathy villains but every now then I like an unapologetically evil villain who simply does it because he is evil AF 😈

[@mateomedina6954]

He is simply all the sith. Thus why he is thy goat

[@derrickstorm6976]

Wtf does that even mean, "all the Sith?" Sith don't retain any presence after death, Sith didn't have one plan to destroy the Jedi, they didn't follow the same methods or ideals beyond the Two Sith code, and Palpatine had no respect for most of the Sith who came before him so why would he want to glorify them by saying he is the culmination of their power?

[@rush7019]

Palpatine was done dirty like they were trying to pull a William afton and make him “always come back” but they didn’t do a good job

[@LexiLunarpaw]

Only Scott Cawthon can make that work Flawlessly

[@Sombraptor]

The great thing about him is he's EVERY type of villain rolled into one. Scheming cunning politician Wizard performing dark magic Manipulative abuser Totalitarian dictator Eldritch abomination possibly born of the essence of evil itself

[@armannsingh9113]

palpatine was HIM

[@hunterkiller1440]

Palpatine gets turned on when people is angry or conflicted around him.

[@alextryon9227]

The only Villian who I know who has more fun being evil is the joker. Why did you turn Luke, then we really could of had Darth Joker...

[@ChristopherSetera]

Simply

[@forickgrimaldus8301]

Palpatine is a combination of Many dictators but IMO the ones he closely mirror the Most are Sulla, Augustus and Julius Ceasar, Sulla was Rome's Dictator before Ceasar and a relative of Scipio Africanus, he fought in Romes Civil War on the side of the Aristocracy/Optimates, Defeates Mithradates in Anatolia and Brutally purged his political Enemies in Rome after being delcared Dictator, Sulla was infamous for his Brutality and Ruthlessness mass murdering his enemies and taking their property (Palpatine is also Very Brutal, Purging any and All opposition on his road to power) however unlike Palpie he Retired after Reforming the Republic, to the Shock of everyone and then dying peacefully. Julius Ceasar needs no introduction, starting a Civil War after Conquering Gaul, he was the one that practically solidified the End of the Republic, He was known for his Leniancy and better PR than Sulla, but he was also more vain, being deified and being Proclaimed Dictator for life (Palpatine is good with PR, presenting a Good public image that the People around him lap u, hiding his ambition) And finally Augustus, the 1st Emperor of Rome, the Once Sickly Nephew of Ceasar that is remembred for his cunning and finally Ending the Republic of Rome, He Split the Empire into 3, Fought and Defeated Rebellions like that of Sextus Pompeii the Pirate of Sicily, Defeated Mark Anthony and ruined his image and annexed Lepidus without a fight and he will Rule until the end of his life but unlike Palpatine he ruled in an Era of Long Peace, the Pax Romana. (Palpatine presents a venier of Weakness and Meakness while also being Cunning and Devious, he ruins the image of the Jedi to the people and takes advantage of the Enemies weakness and much like Augustus he can rely on his Fist, in his Case its Vader and in Augustus' Case its Agripa, his Strongest and Wisest General.)

[@blaineishere3851]

palpatine does genuinely believe that fascism is the best solution for the galaxy, according to lucas in the ROTS commentary track.

[@Nathan-88-Sithari]

Sidious is the best fictional character of all time

[@neves5083]

We love Palpatine, that's it we love him

[@andrewgates8158]

Palpatine...the Augustus of SW.

[@TheWhiteDragon3]

Some folks make a difference between nuanced and non-nuanced villains, but I honestly think that non-nuamced villains have their own nuance: sometimes doing bad things feels _good_ . Leveraging the power you have over someone else to dominate them is intoxicating like a drug, and that's an intrinsic part of George Lucas's outlook on morality which is represented in his portrayal of the light and dark side of the force. Non-nuanced villains aren't a criticism of a specific variety of life experience, but rather a more general evil which we all are capable of should we choose to.

[@gumdeo]

There is no Star Wars without the Emperor.

[@Ashguy733]

I dunno why, but Palpatine and Mr. Sinister from X-Men honestly are my favourites, cause they just don't give a shit, but as Megamind would say are all about presentation.

[@markveres7369]

Don't you dare bring him back Disney!

[@cameron.t]

What I find interesting is that the Force used Palpatine to bring down the Jedi Order from a certain point of view. Only someone as competent, yet hilariously susceptible to his (eventual) hubris, could manage to do this mostly single-handedly… and in doing so, not have a cadre of competent remaining Sith left to fill his hole. Maybe it’s copium to accept Operation Cinder… but, hey

[@alswearengine4867]

“I don’t want to live as ordinary beings live.” -Palpatine

[@Ultimabendessen]

Makes you wonder, if in canon Palpatine was evil before all the Sith spirits lived inside him, as he said in Rise of Skywalker, "all the Sith live in me." How much of his actions were of his own choosing and how much was determined by the Sith spirits inside him?

[@VanityPillz]

He didn’t literally mean “I have every sith spirit inside my body” 😂

[@lineevilasio]

yeah he meant he is the ultimate sith

[@deadshot5007]

​@@VanityPillzI mean based on the spirit ritual, you could interpret that the past sith did something similar but that wouldn't much sense with the rule of two.

[@marckrieger3277]

One could add some old Legends books seem to imply Palps built the empire and the Super weapons to defend against the vong.

[@pierrelindgren5727]

Sure, but only because the Vong was a threat to his power. Sidious is loathe to share.

[@marckrieger3277]

@@pierrelindgren5727 Exactly

[@xanderhebert6257]

Palpatine is a good representation of ancient sith power. I think the power that fuels light side users is gifted by the force. This power is rewarded by the “entity” called “The Force” for protecting life and using its gifts selflessly to serve the other life it is both responsible for and made from the totality of. This would mean that personal use of the force is possible for Jedi like Luke and the rocks, but receiving strength from the force itself is needed to do things like Yoda lifting the x-wing. The discipline and emotional control Jedi cultivate to use the light-side inherently aids their ability to do complex things with the force. Sith wouldn’t receive power from the force itself, but from intense pockets of force form by strong emotion combined with the force, which is why there are so many dark side nexuses compared to light side ones. A great proof of this is that Jedi can make their consciousness exist after death only by becoming completely and totally selfless, which means Jedi force ghost can exist anywhere in the universe but are inherently temporary as depriving the force from even a single soul breaking the reincarnation cycle becomes impossible and they allow themselves to become one with the force fully. The sith, on the other hand, can become force ghosts by either binding their spirits to force nexuses like their own tombs like Bane, Revan, Andeddu, Freedon Nadd, Naga Sadow, Exar Kun, etc… all of which usually had plans to posses a new physical body so they would not be trapped like Sidious did. They could also bind their spirits to something smaller and more mobile, but less stable, like Sion, Nihilus, and that one weird Rakghoul sith. Or they can do something crazy like Vitiate and absorb so much force energy from others, that would normally become one with the force, that they exist as “unbound” force ghosts like the Jedi for millennia, or at least long enough to keep absorbing more energy perpetually. The dark side would be inherently tricky to use as intense emotion usually prevents one from thinking clearly, which makes it difficult or impossible to use complex force powers, but using emotions is required to make them work. People like maul and Vader can imitate this by tricking themselves and going on “crusades” against groups like the Jedi or the emperor or their own past. But dark side power fully realized is someone like sidious who experiences these strong emotions regularly, but also keeps the composure to do incredibly complex abilities like sith sorcery or political manipulation. This is why ancient sith were more power and dangerous. Their abilities were fueled by intense emotions but their culture and traditions also instilled discipline.

[@xanderhebert6257]

This also goes into my explanation that the light side is the natural state of the force as it is tied to the cycle of reincarnation goes into. But an entirely selfless god is extremely careful of all living things and is slow which is why most decisions made by the force span years, but always come to pass. It is also why the Jedi are important because the force needs mortals, inherently temporary and capable of great change in themselves and others, to assist it despite being all powerful. I believe the dark side emerged from this requirement, causing change too quickly, too emotionally fueled, that it causes physical damage to the universe. If the force in the universe is like a churning river, and force sensitives and those attuned to and capable of altering its current, the Jedi follow the flow of the water making temporary changes that aid the other lives in it, while the sith go against the current and kick up silt, emotional pockets of lingering dark side energy, as a result. The Jedi’s ultimate goal is to remove the ones kicking up the silt through guidance, or violence if necessary, so that the silt will settle with time. The Sith’s ultimate goal is to alter the currents of the water so much that they adapt and learn to thrive in a dirty river while caring little for the well-being of the other lives they are harming. At least, this is how I interpret the force and how it works from the legends universe. If there is something that I missed or misinterpreted that supports or disproves my theories please tell me, I would like to learn.

[@Colbimation]

I approve this message

[@keith5615]

I think the Robot Chicken’s Palpatine is cannon. A bunch of teenagers blew up his Death Star and he hadn’t even paid it off.

[@Lord-Emperor-Vader]

#Askeck how do you think that the Dawn of the Jedi movie or other stories will be able to figure out how the Jedi will get from Ahch-To to the Core since they made the stupid decision to have the first Jedi temple be in the unknown regions.

[@Hello-bi1pm]

Yesss. Also they HAVE TWO SITH ORIGIN AND JEDI PLANETS with Tython, Korriban and Ahch-To, Exegol. If JJ Abrams really had a long phone call with Pablo about the lore as some old article claims, why tf is everything so messed up?

[@StephanePoirierGaming]

@@Hello-bi1pm Arrogance? Hubris? Never attribute to maliciousness what can be explained away by stupidity might be at play here.

[@АлексейМомот-щ7о]

​@@StephanePoirierGaming it might explain why Pablo hates TFA. But Abrams ignoring everyone at Lucasfilm is just mind-boggling to me. They managed to save Coruscant from being blown up, which means they had some kind of power over the story.

[@bondgabebond4907]

Palpatine is like Hitler. No matter how hard you try, you can't find one redeeming element in their soul. I have to hand it to Ian McDiarmid who played the character to a "t." I loved how he toyed with the Jedi with that hypnotic smile.

[@rossgadsby9663]

Even if you have read the Plagueis book. Listen to it on audible. The voice acting and production are awesome

[@alexanderrahl482]

I love Senate

[@HydratedBeans]

That thumbnail lmao

[@mythriilthelearned]

Palpatine in the EU was even more terrifying, as he was essentially a body hopping wraith.

[@SIKE01]

The best and definitive FINAL BOSS

[@paulchavez3039]

One word: Camp ❤

[@boi905]

A Palpatine show but just adapt the Plagueis novel.

[@TyrannoNoddy]

Something interesting I heard was that apparently in the Underworld series there actually may have been content that was going to make him more sympathetic, or at least humanise him a bit? And honestly? As much as I love supervillain Sheev, I am actually not opposed to this, mainly because I think it's funny how a franchise that is like "nobody's born evil, it's never too late to do the right thing" but then ol Palpy exists. Granted I'm not too fussed either way (I mean, in some ways he is basically more just a malevolent force of nature than an actual being), I'm just more saying even if I enjoy his characterisation now, I'm not against changing it if someone feels bold enough to try.

[@АлексейМомот-щ7о]

It would have been a mistake. Palpatine as devil archetype makes more sense.

[@samtheweebo]

The Dark Side is a pathway to many abilities, some which would be considered unnatural

[@bubbasbigblast8563]

For Palpatine, the natural order was for the strong to take from the weak, and for the weak to never be given an opportunity to be strong. Vader was the perfect example of this: a slave with nothing, who became the second strongest person in the galaxy despite that; but even so, he could not match Palpatine in any measure, so Palpatine became complacent about using him, and paid for it. The nuance thus isn't that Palpatine lacked goodness in him, but that his arrogance destroyed him despite his overwhelming talent and skill.

[@TheKingofbrooklin]

You should make a video about Carnor Jax. The one who has beaten the scheme master with his own scheme in Legends.

[@chrislecount4801]

Am I the only one who thinks Palpatine is the most evil character in Star Wars? Someone name a character more evil than Palpatine.

[@clausfamiliy4859]

Palpatine is the Jack Horner of Star Wars

[@Primetime372]

Sheevie my fav

[@eddierichard1104]

Palpatine is Dio confirmed.

[@Jungoguy]

Sidious’ own actor called him more evil than the Devil himself, and he’s right. He’s a master manipulator who played EVERYONE in the Galaxy, corrupted even the best of the Jedi, and plunged the Galaxy into darkness. He’s not just a user of darkness. He IS darkness itself made flesh.

[@ricardotolbert1797]

Guess you can say Palpatine was a lot more of the Dark Side then the Son.

[@WildEngineerGamer]

Star Wars is a video game and Palps is the player that got board.

[@luisescalante2063]

People nowadays call Thanos ‘The biggest, greatest’ villain ever and to be fair he is up there, very very high but when that kind of conversation happens I’m always laughing in the inside because they clearly don’t how how a true villain works, Palpatine was born to be evil and he will never regret his actions, hell if he wanted he could have murder every single person in the Galactic Senate. There are great villains out there but Palpatine will hardly be pass by anyone in a looong time.

[@benjaminnguyen554]

Palpatine is far from "evil" lol

[@SPECTRA_87]

All Palps is missing is an evil, twirlable mustache.

[@Xsorus]

He was a psychopath who was powerful in the force.

[@oliversherman2414]

Stormtroopers: Don't worry, we're the good guys Their leader:

[@mrparkerdan]

Palpatine did take some time off to have a son (the father of Rey). When are we gonna hear more about THAT story? 😏