Darth Sidious is one of the most famous Star Wars Villains of all time, but even so, there are still different aspects of his character that make no sense. With a characterization that reaches all the way back to the original trilogy, Emperor Palpatine is a character whose presence can be felt throughout every corner of the franchise. His character is a constant within star wars, And because of this long tenure, there are some inconsistencies in his character.
Not only that, but he also made some head-scratching decisions. Although things work out for him at the end of the prequel trilogy with the rise of the Galactic Empire, there are countless places where his plan could have and possibly should have gone wrong along the way. This list includes some of those moments, as well as the larger inconsistencies that reside in what is otherwise such a strong character.
10
Palpatine breaks the rule of two
He did not abide by the rules that the CIT had for him
One rule that has been characteristic of the Sith for thousands of years is the notorious rule of two. First instituted by Darth Bane and put into play with his student, Darth Zannah, this rule dictated that there should only be two Sith at a time. Despite the fact that this was a major part of the Sith for a long time, Darth Sidious did not follow this rule.
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Palpatine broke this rule a couple of different times, with the most egregious being his training of Darth Maul while his own master, Darth Plagueis, was still alive. He would eventually go on to kill his former master, but not before taking on a very young Darth Maul and beginning his training in the ways of the Sith. While it may make sense that Palpatine is simply out for himself and not the Sith, it still shows that he has little regard for the rules of the Sith and puts their secrets in danger.
9
The Emperor hated lightsaber combat, but still slaughtered Jedi masters
He believed that a Sith should be able to rely on the Force alone
Lightsaber combat is not something that Emperor Palpatine is known for, and on several occasions he has remarked how “barbaric” and less authentic he believes the discipline of combat to be. After all, if a Sith can’t defend themselves with their abilities in the Force alone, what is their value as a Sith? Despite this, there were still several instances where Palpatine used a lightsaber, either to defend himself or to strike down a Jedi.
One notable example of this includes his attack on Jedi Master Mace Windu. He uses his lightsaber in the battle and just barely manages to defeat Mace Windu, ultimately relying on his Force Lightning to finish the fight. Despite his posturing about lightsabers and how they shouldn’t be used, he still fell back on them as a crash to get the job.
8
He decided to build a second Death Star
The second was not much stronger than the first
The destruction of the first Death Star in A new hope was one of the most climactic moments in the entire original trilogy. Destroyed in one shot due to the planning of Galen Erso and the efforts of the Rebel Alliance, it would be reasonable to think that the Empire would take a different route when it comes to rebuilding. However, at the time of return of the jedi, Darth Sidious and his empire decided to build a second Death Star.
While improvements were made to the second Death Star, most notably a shield, it still did not hold up to the efforts of the Rebellion.. One would think that either more improvements would be made to the original base design, or the Empire would come up with something different entirely. Regardless, by allowing the plan to go on unchanged, Emperor Palpatine secured the fall of the Empire and, by extension, his own downfall as well.
7
Why blocked the communications of ​​​​​​​​Naboo?
Word of the blockade needed to reach the Senate
As Senator of Naboo, one of the ways Senator Palpatine secured sympathy from the wider Senate was through the Trade Federation’s blockade of Naboo. This was something he organized through his influence as Darth Sidious, creating a problem only for him to later solve. However, the Trade Federation intercepted Naboo’s communications in the process, making the process much more difficult for Senator Palpatine.
After all, an integral part of his plan revolved around the danger on Naboo being discovered. If the Jedi had died there with the Trade Federation, no one would have survived to bring the news back to the Senate. By allowing the Trade Federation to cut communications, Palpatine almost made the problem much more difficult to solve with the possibility of not gaining anything in the process.
6
The emperor never set up a succession plan
The empire is broken without him to rule it
After such a massive win with the execution of Order 66 and the annihilation of the Jedi, Emperor Palpatine is essentially untouched. He suffered for years without any dust, keeping full control over the galaxy. This type of rule thrives on confidence, and it is possible that this overconfidence led the emperor to believe that he would never be killed or defeated.
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Possibly because of this way of thinking, Darth Sidious never instituted a method for someone else to become the Emperor in his place. Darth Vader was the only one with the power to truly rule the Empire, and he was the one who struck the final blow in Return of the Jedi. Without a plan for the empire to continue in the event of a disaster, it eventually crumbled to nothing, and he left the new republic to rebuild itself from its ashes.
5
He tried to use Rey and Ben Solo’s dyad in the force
The connection would be its own undoing
One of the most shocking moments in Star Wars: The Last Jedi Comes with the reveal that Rey and Kylo Ren are connected by the Force. The connection comes in short flashes, with each side drawing the other closer to the light or dark side respectively in their constant back and forth. Snoke initially says that he was the one who connected them with the Force, but this was an attempt by Snoke, and by extension Darth Sidious, to exploit the naturally formed bond.
For years, Darth Sidious tried to create a similar alliance, trying and failing with Darth Plagueis and Darth Vader. This bond would eventually be the reason Snoke would die, and later Darth Sidious himself. It is possible that this could have been avoided if the alliance had been suppressed or looked down upon earlier by Snoke, but instead they played into it, eventually leading to Palptine’s ultimate downfall.
4
No one considered Palpatine’s interest in the Sith alarmist
His interest in Darth Plagueis the sages did not stop
In a famous moment of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Chancellor Palpatine tells Anakin Skywalker the story of Darth Plagueis the Wise. He does this in an attempt to manipulate him further, successfully using the story to bring him closer to the dark side. But not once does Anakin question the interest in Darth Plagueis, a man who is very obviously a Sith Lord.
Not only does he never question this, but he never tells anyone about it, either. It is possible that Palpatine was confident about his manipulation of Anakin by this point, sure that telling him the story would only lead to what he considered to be the inevitable result of him falling to the dark side. However, the fact that Anakin doesn’t really question this despite still being a Jedi makes you wonder what he was really thinking when Palpatine told his story.
3
Palpatine reveals the Sith to the Jedi so soon
Darth Maul was revealed years before the Clone Wars
When the Sith initially reveal themselves to the Jedi in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Darth Sidious is basically fighting a war on two fronts. On one end, he’s still coordinating the Trade Federation’s blockade on the planet Naboo. On the other, he gives Darth Maul his orders and essentially runs his operation on Tatooine and later on Naboo.
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However, this is years before the start of The Clone Wars, when Count Dooku finally reveals himself and the Sith’s plans really start to ramp up. All of Darth Maul’s appearance on Naboo, aside from killing Qui-Gon Jinn, is putting the Jedi on high alert. If the Sith were to reveal themselves later, they could have surprised the Jedi, as there are a variety of different ways Qui-Gon could have been removed from the equation if that was the ultimate goal.
2
The emperor could not foresee his own death
He did not expect Darth Vader’s betrayal
One of Emperor Palpatine’s greatest powers was his ability to use the force to see into the future. This is a massive reason why his iteration of the galaxy was so successful, allowing him to navigate what would be essentially impossible for someone without his talents. However, despite his ability to see the future, he was unable to foresee his own defeat at the hands of his own apprentice, Darth Vader.
The climactic end of Return of the Jedi Taking an unexpected route, Anakin Skywalker redeemed himself when he killed Darth Sidious. This is something that came as a surprise to the Emperor, who was so confident that Darth Vader would remain loyal to him. It is unknown what he could see into the future that allowed him to rise to power, but his fall from grace was hidden from his view.
1
Darth Sidious has no disguise
Many saw his face, like the trade federation
Perhaps the most baffling thing about Senator Palpatine that makes no sense is the fact that when acting as Darth Sidious, he does not wear a disguise. He wears only a hood, dressed as if his face is only partially hidden from view. It would be nice if he only ever showed his face to other Sith, such as Darth Maul or Darth Tyrannus, but he does to others like Darth Sidious a few times.
One such example occurs in The Phantom MenaceWhen he appears in hologram to the delegates of the trade federation. This means that Nute Gunray could have the information to join Chancellor Palpatine and Darth Sidious, and yet he never did. This is perhaps one of the most baffling things in Star WarsIt’s surprising how his identity remained a secret for so many years.