Emperor Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious, is a key antagonist in the Star Wars saga. Palpatine is a Sith Lord who manipulates political events to rise to power and establish the Galactic Empire. He is a master of the dark side of the Force and serves as the overarching villain in both the prequel and original trilogies.

Palpatine’s rise to power is detailed in the prequel trilogy. He initially appears as a charismatic politician named Sheev Palpatine, who manipulates political unrest in the Galactic Republic to become its Supreme Chancellor. Simultaneously, he secretly operates a Darth Sidious, training Anakin Skywalker as his apprentice and orchestrating the fall of the Jedi Order.