The Evolution of Palpatine (Animated)
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The Skywalker Saga? More like the Palpatine Saga! But just how has Palps evolved through the series? Let's go through his ever-changing designs and story to find out!
warning: spoilers ahead!In Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Senator Palpatine dons green robes with puffy arms, a buttoned under-shirt and tall boots. He also secretly sports a hooded robe with an added clasp and a plain tunic and calls himself Darth Sidious. In this disguise, he trains a Sith apprentice and manipulates greedy aliens to start a trade war with his governed planet. With people pitying his situation, he's able to usurp the Chancellorship, which gives him close access to Jedi padawan Anakin Skywalker.
In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, he wears a black and brown ensemble with long sleeves and appears much more aged. He also wears a purple robe that has bunched shoulders and an additional cross-section down the torso. He arranges a forbidden romantic trip for Anakin, and as Sidious – along with his new apprentice – he helps amass a droid army for separatists from the republic. Meanwhile – as Chancellor – he's granted emergency powers, allowing the republic use of a Clone Army to defend against the droid army.
In Star Wars: Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine dresses in a textured grey robe, while his hair is now pure white. He also wears a grey version of his long-sleeved ensemble from Episode 2, and another cross-sectioned robe, but with less bunched shoulders and a red colour scheme. After revealing his Sith identity to Anakin, a group of Jedi Masters come to arrest him. While he slices most of them like butter, one of the Jedi reflects his lightning back onto him, which reveals his disfigured face, yellow eyes, and rotten teeth. He recruits Anakin to help him, giving him the upper hand. He then takes Anakin on as his new apprentice – Darth Vader, and covers up his disfigurement with a black robe. Afterward, he orders his Clone Army to execute the remaining Jedi. His new Sith attire consists of red robes with a heavy shoulder plate and a long pattern down the front, as well as brown robes, with dark shoulder accents, taut sleeves, and a triangular clasp. Dressed in his Sidious garb, he and Darth Vader reign over their new empire.
In The Empire Strikes Back, Palpatine initially resembled an old woman with bulging prosthetics and monkey irises, although in the DVD release, he appears like his Episode 3 self. But he just has a quick hologram chat with Vader to talk about his son, so moving on...
In Return of the Jedi, Palpatine comes to oversee the completion of the second Death Star. He now uses a cane, wears a detailed – and belted – tunic, and his face appears less swollen with subdued eye-shadowing. He tries to convince Vader's son to become his apprentice, but after being rejected, Palpatine blasts him with lightning, only for Vader to throw him down a shaft, which apparently explodes him.
The game Star Wars Battlefront II would feature sentinel droids with domed heads and red gowns that play recordings of Emperor Palpatine communicating plans on how to carry on after his demise.
In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a new figure would rise in the form of 7-foot-tall Supreme Leader Snoke. He wears a golden bathrobe and has a sunken, scarred face. Just a few hours later, his face looks more rounded and his shoulders appear more broad. He enlists Vader's grandson – Kylo Ren – to take out budding Jedi, Rey, but instead, Kylo slices Snoke in two…
… only for it to be revealed in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker that Snoke was one of many Snoke clones, somehow created by Palpatine, who himself was brought back by dark science and cloning. This time, his robe has no opening in the front and his arm sleeves are shorter. He lacks most of his scarring, is paler, has no pupils, and withered limbs which prevent him from standing. He’s kept alive by a giant medical device, and now spends his time sitting in darkness amongst obnoxious strobe lighting. He recruits Kylo Ren to kill his grandaughter, Rey – apparently born from a defunct Palpatine clone – but when his plan fails, he asks Rey to strike him down so his spirit can enter her. She refuses, so instead he sucks the force power out of both her and Kylo, restoring his body and allowing him to leave his life support system. He then trades his old robes for new black and crimson apparel, plus an electronic belt. Despite his apparent unlimited power, when Rey deflects his lightning with a second lightsaber, he's easily torn apart, which brings Palpatine's reign to an end – until the next clones rise to power, that is…
Check out Darth Vader's and other Sci-Fi evolutions on the channel, and let us know what other Star Wars evolutions you may want to see in the future!
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