Analyzing Evil: Darth Sidious, Emperor Palpatine From Star Wars 

Daniel Plainview will be out next! I hope you’ve all enjoyed this little mini series on Star Wars.

“The most evil villain in all cinema history is a politician” Hits too close to reality.

Palpatine, what every politician aspires to be

Palpatine didn't even _need_ to be turned to the Dark Side. He just needed to be *unleashed.*

“His crimes are immeasurable.” That’s honestly the most terrifying part about Darth Sidious.

Fun fact: The robes Sidious wears when hes making the speech to the senate. Those are Sith robes. The only people who knew what the robes were are the Jedi. So its one giant "Fuck you. I win."

you do have a point. Palpatine ruled the entire known galaxy. Sauron failed conquering middle earth. Voldemort couldn’t conquer a high school.

The emperor turning around in his chair and saying “hello everyone” is the perfect start to a video

This guy felt genuine joy in being evil. He laughs in such a way after doing something evil that you can tell he finds doing evil deeds to be hilliarious😅

He was so good at planning, he'd created plans that even the writers didnt know about until they scrambled to bring him back for episode IX

I remember the actor once said Palpatine's only redeeming quality is that he is a patron of the opera house

Psychopaths are typically too impulsive, chaotic and incapable of long term planning, but some are and those are the most dangerous kind. Palpatine actually exercises self control while manipulating everybody around him.

Ian McDiarmid had the best performance in any of the 9 movies. The fact he came back 15 years later to play someone 20 years younger than the original performance is still magic to me.

This entire essay reminds me of a famous movie line: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled, was convince the world he didnt exists” perfectly fits with Palpatines story

The most terrifying enemy is one that knows patience.

The ultimate proof of his genius is his complete success in framing the Jedi as the villains of the galaxy. A victory so pervasive and enduring that Star Wars fans themselves often quote his lies in their own condemnation of the Order without even realizing they're doing it.

Becomes even more fascinating if you take into account the thousand years leading up to his victory. The entire Sith Grand plan is a brilliant idea. It is not like Palpatine had to convince everyone in the galaxy to be evil and corrupt. Human nature mostly takes care of that. They worked in the background to pull strings to make the corruption worse true, but it was not entirely up to him.

Ian Mcdiarmid was born to play The Emperor.

It’s safe to say that Palpatine is one of the greatest villains in cinematic history. He played the longest game possible and wound up getting exactly what he wanted. Yes, he died in the long run, but all villains do eventually. The point is that he was patient and smart, and it completely paid off.

The fact he has no redeeming qualities is exactly why i love him so much

*"There is no mercy."* ~ Darth Sideous

To summarize why I love Palpatine: He knows he is evil and he *loves* every second of it

Palpatine knows exactly what he is and he's having a blast with it.

18:41 “suffered grievous injuries” flashes to general grievous for a split second. Nice one😂 great video as always!👏

As said by others... Palpatine is the villain that reflects the biblical Satan the best. Super narcistic, selfish, cruel, manipulative, sadistic, merciless, repentless, a killer, hiding his true personality, even transforming himself into an angel of light to others while being truly evil on the inside, tempter, deceiver and in order to accomplish this all through unimaginable patience and a brilliant masterplan/strategy... hyper intelligent.

Sidious *IS* Ian McDiarmid's own creation. Originally The Emperor in ROTJ was supposed to have an even deeper voice than Vader but Ian thought that he should have a more snivellish voice based on his concept art. And in every single review I have ever seen bashing Rise of Skywalker, they never fail to mention that - even if they did not agree with Palpatine's return - they love McDiarmid's performance... That speaks volumes of his acting ability and his total control of the character.

"this insidious monster", I see what you did there.

I love how you drew a line from Palpatine’s love of minimalist art in the Plageuis novel to the general aesthetic of the empire after he took power. Even though the Plageuis novel is my favorite expanded universe book, that never occurred to me but it makes a lot of sense.

Palpatine is one of the few villains, and I am inclined to believe he's the only one, who was able to check every single box in his time table. He achieved everything and anything he planned, perhaps to the point he to a degree was surprised at the high, absolute degree of success he had. Palpatine never grew tired of winning. I mean, Ian McDiarmid said it this way: the Emperor was incredibly old and _ran the universe_.

The genius of Ian McDiarmid in this role is the eyes. If you look at the scenes of the Chancellor, he changes his facial expressions to fake empathy or to fake joy during a celebration…but the eyes stay dead focused, cold and unchanged. He is always working on the great plan. No days off and Ian McDiarmid showed that focus in every scene no matter how small

The most evil thing Palpatine ever did, was help create Episode 9

You’re right. Palpatine is an amazing villain. He had LITERALLY EVERYTHING planned out from the start.

Patience is probably the greatest power of Palpatine that gradually fuels his hatred towards any living being I think.

This video makes the words that Vader said in return of the Jedi “the emperor is not as forgiving as I am” hit much harder

When you really think about it, Sidious was a genius. The sith have a rather embarrassing history of failed attempts to take over the galaxy... generally because of their notorious affinity for betrayal. This never happened when Sidious was taking over the republic because he made sure no one could overthrow him; not Maul, Dooku or Vader.

I think one of the reasons why Sidious is such a good villain is because he embodies the trope of pure evil while still being incredibly interesting. He's not a complicated character in his goals or aspirations, but his intelligence and devotion make him really fascinating, unlike a lot of attempts as a pure evil character.

In legends, Luke's New Jedi order had the idea that anyone who fell to the dark side could be redeemed like his father, but for Palpatine it would've been impossible because he didn't fall to the dark side... he was forged by it.

I mean the guy was emperor for like 25 years. He basically won tbh.

Let's all be grateful that Ian McDiarmid was still in his thirties when he got the part, which has allowed him to give us four decades of Palpatine. I wasn't crazy about Rise Of Skywalker but the Emperor is always entertaining to watch. As a sidebar, notice that in AOTC they were clearly intending to just have Palpatine age into his Emperor face and then decided later to burn him with his own Force lightning in Episode III

100% agree. Palpatine is the singular most evil character brought to life on screen or on page. Everything about his existence. Complete and total evil compounded by genius level intellect and unbridled success.

He's a very well written villain.

"The Emperor is pure evil. He shows no mercy. He´s the devil himself." I have heard that George Lucas said something like that of Emperor Palpatine

Can we please get an Analyzing Evil: Griffith (from Berserk), to celebrate that masterpiece of a story, that sadly lost it's author recently? Griffith is such an amazing villain, because some 30 years after his introduction, people are still arguing over if he did nothing wrong, or if he is the most vile villain in fiction.

Palpatine 2024. For a SAFE and SECURE society!

Palpatine: Space Hitler with an IQ of 200 and M A G I C.

Palpatine is hands down the best villain. As "So Uncivilized" said: "He is the devil, and he dragged the Messiah (Anakin) to the Dark Side." It's not the exact quote, but you get the idea.

6:33 His last conversation with his dad in the Darth Plageuis book was great. Cosinga: You're an animal at heart. Palpatine: King of the beasts father.

Palpatine is probably the most evil cinema villain I can think of because, he’s like the embodement of evil, sin, or the flesh itself and I don’t think I’ve seen another cinema villain like that before so this sure says something.

I too am inclined to view Palpatine as the GOAT of cinema villians, but I'm also partial towards "evil mastermind" types. Also HUGE shoutout to Ian McDiarmid (who was a trained Shakespearean actor before joining SW)! Palpatine would have nowhere close to as compelling, enduring, or chilling as he was without his stellar portrayal of the character! Fun Fact: Ian said in an interview that George Lucas originally wanted a more "aristocratic" emperor like Clive Revel's version in the original Empire Strikes Back (ie, the Palpatine voice in hologram sequence). But it was Ian's idea to make the emperor be the embodiment of evil and George was swayed after seeing Ian's efforts at doing so.

"So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause."

The fact that a man got so powerful just with his words and rhetoric, fooling them all, is honestly so wonderfully crafted and enjoyable to watch

What i like most about sidious is that he serves a higher purpose. He is not just some power hungry dude as he first appears to be. He indeed sticks to his authority and does not allow anyone to mess with it, but he feels like the sith legacy is safe and actually gets very happy when he learns Vader is building his own small power sphere within the galactic empire. He is delighted with his apprentices patient and calculated approach about overthrowing the emperor. What furiates him is when Vader cant direct his anger with control. Sith masters of old appreciate their apprentices slowly yet surely prepearing for the day they will confront their masters but they hate it when their apprentices decide to take over when they are not yet ready. They wish to see that their apprentices are wise enough to understand wether they learnt everything they could from their master before they act. That makes them feel like they can trust their successors to carry the responsibility of keeping sith legacy alive. Darth Bane loses his shit when he thinks his apprentice tried to confront him too early but feels proud when his apprentice actually defeat him years later and claim the title of master. Vader still had demons he fought. Thats why Sidious was angry at Vader most of the time. He wanted to make sure Vader was focused and ready when the time came. That does not make him a good guy in no way tho, but it proves he is not a hypocrite. Consistent ideology and action makes great characters

Palpatine must have done a decent amount of good deeds in order to fool others and become emperor. Indirectly, he may even be a savior somewhere

Been saying this for years myself but got laughed off of film forums for doing so. Darth Sidious is the greatest cinematic villain of all time. He's the GOAT. And the fact that people are finally giving that perspective the attention it deserves is fantastic. Thank you for this video.

You misspelled Analyzing Evil: The Senate.

My mom has this really heavy, warm, thigh-length jacket that looks like the top half of Sheev's episode 1 senate robes, so whenever one of us is cold and wants it we ask the other where The Palpatines at. He's usually in a closet under the stairs. Very snuggly 10/10

Honestly, a series about young Sheev Palpatine would be interesting.

I like how in episode v when Darth Vader says Luke would make a powerful Ally. The emporer says he would be a great "Asset". Shows a lot about their different personalities.

The actor who played him once said he’s more evil than Satan - Satan, after all, fell.

I've never been opposed to the idea of Palpatine coming back, but both times it's been tried, it has just gotten lost in stupidity. I like elements of each, but never the whole. I liked the idea of Sith cultists so lost in their devotion to Palpatine they would retreat to the farthest corners of the galaxy to enact his plan in exchange for even the most fleeting drop of power. In that way, Palpatine almost became the Star Wars Universe's version of a Chaos Daemon, never able to be truly defeated, only suppressed, and the real battle would be against the cult that he formed around him. But between torching the empire, building a fleet of planet destroyers, and trying to turn the hero evil for the ten millionth time, both stories just sort of feel like they are artificially rising the stakes. There could be something brilliant in there, that by clever manipulation of the Force, and a series of plans and failsafes, that a man, made of mere flesh and blood, could transcend the physical realm and become, in some strange way, a sort of devil-figure. It would be an amazing counterbalance to Force Ghosts, and in the way that Jedi become so one with the greatness of space and time that they transcend the physical world in a symbol of harmony with the natural law, Palpatine could, through willpower alone pervert the natural order. The IDEA of him coming back is a sound one, but the execution has just been terrible, with magic hand-wavy garbage to reassure the audience that 'oh yeah, this time, he's *dead* dead, not just fake dead'. Would it really be so bad to fully commit to the idea that Palpatine could return at any moment? That the real battle is not against a man, or even an organization, but against an idea, against thought, against his false promises that contort the evil within every flawed mortal. I don't know about you, but that sounds awesome.

Palpatine used sith alchemy to cover up his real face, when his alchemy face was hit with force lightning it melted away revealing his real face.

The way he admires and mocks his old master Hego Damask aka Darth Plagueis at the same time is something you don't often find in villains. He is so skilled, learned, patient, charismatic, focused, easygoing and even therapeutic that would make you wish he was your mentor. He loves foreplay and adores his main victims, like a true super-predator. He also has a strong feminine side to him, that makes him look so kind, soft, gentle, warm and caring, like a mother. He also gives the impression that he has all the answers and makes his followers feel very comfortable around him. This is how he gains their trust because he boosts their ego in different ways to manipulate them. This is how he hides from everyone, because who'd think that a man so sweet and wise can be that sinister? That scene in the theater with Anakin, when he's seducing him and getting off on it, was the most charismatic owning of a young booty in cinema history. Its hard to criticize him or find flaws in his perfect game plan. He's like a cat-fox-snake hybrid as a person, so cunning and you can't catch him. Sheev Palpatine aka Darth Sidious savors every moment. That's a deep character right there. Ian McDiarmid played him brilliantly.

Palpatine was described as such in the Revenge of the Sith Novelisation: "Powered by the dark side, Dooku's perception took the measure of those below him with exhilarating precision. Kenobi was luminous, a transparent being, a window onto a sunlit meadow of the Force. Skywalker was a storm cloud, flickering with dangerous lightning, building the rotation that threatens a tornado.And then there was Palpatine, of course: he was beyond power. He showed nothing of what might be within. Though seen with the eyes of the dark side itself, Palpatine was an event horizon. Beneath his entirely ordinary surface was absolute, perfect nothingness. Darkness beyond darkness.A black hole of the Force." Even to Dooku, a man who believed himself powerful and worthy of note understood that Palpatine was so much more than he was that it was unapproachable. You're right though, what makes Sidious scary is not his UNLIMITED POWAAAAAH but his unwavering devotion to absolute darkness. He is in effect the Dark Side personified.

I absolutely love Palpatine, he terrified me as a kid. Ian McDiarmid's portrayal, especially in the prequels is just phenomenal.

He's one of the best Sith of all time and he's pure evil. No pretending to be good or noble. That's why he's badass.

Usually it's villains who have a motivation or goal that's at least somewhat sympathetic that are the best, but Palpatine is a definite exception. He's evil and he loves it.

Emperor: *slowly turns around in chair Emperor: * stares Empreror: hello everyone and welcome to the 3rd episode of analyzing evil

One of my favorite pieces of acting from Mcdirmid is in revenge of the sith, after Vader first speaks and learns padme is dead, as Vader shouts noooo in absolute agony, you can see palpatine with a genuine smile, it's so subtle, but so insanely evil. You can tell he is proud of his horrifying Frankenstein monster that he turned Anakin into

"Execute Order...65?" "Deleting Imperial Porn Archive" "Nonononoo!"

What I love about Palpatine is, he appears as the type of villain that will only scheme from behind, the cowardly evil politician type villain that is absolutely defenceless if he was locked in a room with an enemy, but no, he will beat the living shit out of you in the most humiliating way possible if you ever tried to attack him and be like “What you gonna do about it?”

Finding your channel was like finding a Diamond in the Desert. Every video I learn more about characters I had a surface level understanding about in a very intriguing way. Phenomenal Work man and for a future antagonist I'd love to see someone like Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger analyzed as well.

No redeeming qualities? Clever, patient, eloquent. ruthless, conniving. You gotta love his laugh.

Words cannot describe the excitement I felt, when I saw this episode appear on my recommended list on May 28, 2021. I had been waiting for it ever since I first checked out the channel. Well done, Vile Eye.

Sidious is the most absolutely evil villain I can think of. He was literally born evil as confirmed in the Darth Plaguies novel. That alone is terrifying.

So basically, Sheev Palpatine was already a politician long before he became a Sith Lord.

There is no villain more evil than this man. He is the single greatest and most successful antagonist in cinema history, and his evil can only be compared to satan himself. In fact, there are several Easter eggs in the shows that hint at palpatine basically being satan

My favorite line from any film in the entire series is when Ian basically admits to learning all of Darth Plagueis’ secrets and then murdering him in his sleep. Apparently, Ian was suffering from bronchitis during that shoot and it sounded so evil that they kept the original cuts from the scenes and didn’t provide overdubs in post production. It only lends to the awesomeness of the dialog. The fact that we already know he’s the Sith Lord doesn’t make his revelation any less impactful. It was Darth Sidious testing the waters. Testing his years long approach to grooming Anakin. Toeing the line between mentor and master.

I honestly want to see you making a second series about morally grey characters like sympathetic (anti) villains or dark antiheroes.

One part I feel you leave out is just how much Palpatine, enjoys the pursuit of power. Through his sly smiles to himself when no one can see his face, his showmanship while battling Yoda, his cackling glee when showing Maul just how outmatched he was, to taunting underlings to keep them in their place, Palpatine was having a blast. While some villains focus either on the journey or the destination, a certain Sith Lord had his cake and ate it too.

We seriously need a movie about the early years of palpatine, right up to the point where he kills Darth Plagueis.

I think we will see him again. A being that powerful and evil can never truly die.

Corruption and conflict incarnate. Darkness and death given shape. That is what palpatine is. It always felt weird how palpatine wanted to rule the galaxy while he was still old but in a way that shows how smart he is. He knew if he went about his evil plans publically he would eventaully get stamped out. So he waited for the best chances possible to rule.

Palpatine is so OP that he returns in both continuities after actually dying

The ultimate villain in every aspect especially in his manipulation. I love how he did this cover so perfectly.

Also, no protagonist ever defeated him.. it took another badass villain (Darth Vader) to defeat him.

What I always found interesting about His plan was he built both armies for the civil war he planned. Basically the galaxies population wasn’t needed to be mobilized into the service, the war in modern terms was between child soldiers and drones.

"There is no mercy, I'm not gonna kill you, I have other uses for you"

I’ve never heard a phrase more surprisingly well written in a RU-vid video than “Architect of terror”.

This has to be my favorite Analysis you’ve made. Not only did it have your typically meticulous reportage of evil but also it struck a nostalgic in nerve. Keep up the great work!

Palpatine in Star Wars 3 alone is one of the best sci-fi villains in cinema history

Honestly all things aside, Palpatine/Darth Sidious probably has one of the best themes in movie history

I tend to view Revan as what Palpatine would be if he could be selfless. Revan also sought power and did multilayered machinations to achieve their goals, and there was always a purpose, and the primary purpose was to strengthen the galaxy against an unforeseen threat or instability. They saw the Mandalorian threat as likely to destabilize the galaxy, and joined the war to end it, dethroning Mandalore the Ultimate, but knew that they might be needed later, so they kept the helmet of Mandalore to later bestow to a worthy individual if necessary. They found out about the oncoming threat of the old Sith, so they used the Star Forge and the Sith to try and conquer the republic, being very deliberate in keeping the infrastructure intact, but was betrayed by their friend and apprentice Malak. When they recover and remember who they are, it's apparent that Malak had ignored the ethos of maintaining infrastructure and gone for a full on destruction rampage, it was again more effective to defeat the Sith. Whether you played as a light or dark side character, these things still hold, and the ultimate motivations are up to the player, but what we learn from the sequel hints that Revan never had any real loyalty to the Sith ideology, it was a tool to unify the galaxy. Whether this was so that they could take it for their own, like Palpatine did, or if it was to protect it selflessly, is up to the player and how they view it.

No matter what people think about the sequels, palps being prepared for the event he does die isn’t much a surprise

Palpatine is absolutely my favourite villain ever. Brilliant especially his smiling face when he tells vader he killed padme. Genius

In the force unleashed you hear palpatine clapping and laughing as Darth Vader brutally betrays Galen. This just shows more how sadistic he is.

Billions have died or became slaves cause this guy was merely playing chess with himself on a Galactic scale by being the head of both warring factions.

Palpatine is a perfect psychopath and a good example that you do not need to nuance characters.

"Wait, Palpatine wasn't married. How could he have a granddaughter?" "He happened to like hookers, okay."

Palpatine: I love democracy. Also Palpatine: Starts the galactic empire.

My favorite thing about Palpatine teaching Maul or Vader is that when they ever schemed behind his back to cause misery and destruction Palpatine just flat out tells them, "Good job I'm proud of you!" The man is literally evil incarnate I love it