Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidiousis largely seen as one ofStar Wars’most powerful Sith, but his Empire actually reveals that he was so much weaker than the ancient Sith. The history of the Sith has admittedly been minimally explored inStar Warsmovies and TV shows, although canon and LegendsStar Warsbooks and comics have explored that history in considerably more detail. On screen, though, we’ve primarily heard about Palpatine’s Sith Master, Darth Plagueis, during Palpatine’s conversation with Anakin inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.
Plagueis also had a surprising cameo inThe Acolyte, and it seems as thoughThe Acolyteseason 2would have explored his backstory much more, but that show was ultimately not renewed for another season. Beyond Plagueis, we know various things about the Sith, such as Darth Bane’s establishing ofthe Sith Rule of Twoand the existence of an ancient Sith Empire.It is this ancient Sith Empire that confirms just how weak Palpatine really was, as his Empire had a major weakness the ancient Sith never had.
Palpatine Didn’t Truly Have “Unlimited Power”
This Declaration In Revenge Of The Sith Was Premature
InRevenge of the Sith, Palpatine watched as Anakin Skywalker turned on Mace Windu, and, after realizing he’d won Anakin over at that moment, he shot Mace with Force Lightning and declared that he had"unlimited power.“It seems most likely that Palpatine really believed that was true. At that point,he had finally secured Anakin as his new Sith apprentice, and he knew he was mere moments away from executing Order 66, which would not only wipe out the Jedi but would also clear the path for him to overhaul the Republic and establish his new Empire.
It’s fair, in light of that, that Palpatine believed he now had unlimited power, but that wasn’t exactly the case. For one, Order 66 didn’t actually eradicate the Jedi from the galaxy entirely, andStar Warshas increasingly revealed that there were more than a fewJedi survivors of Order 66. In addition to several Jedi surviving that massacre, many of whom came out the other side and became instrumental in taking Palpatine and the Empire down in various ways,there was also a key structural issue with Palpatine’s Empire that reflected just how weak he really was.
Palpatine Needed To Maintain The Government To Rule The Galaxy (And It Became A Weakness)
Although Palpatine declared his so-called unlimited power inRevenge of the Sith, the truth is,Palpatine needed to maintain the Senate in order to obtain and hold onto his brand-new role as Emperor. He knew that, had he tried to dissolve the Senate along with taking down the Jedi Order and the Republic, it would have been too much for even those loyal to him to accept, and his Empire would have been short-lived, if it was established at all. While that may seem obvious, it does suggest that Palpatine’s power wasn’t so unlimited after all.
In fact, the Senate proved to be Palpatine’s downfall in some ways, only reinforcing how constrained his power really was.Andorseason 2 in particular made that abundantly clear followingthe Ghorman Massacre, at which point Senator Mon Mothma delivered a speech to the Senate calling Palpatine out by name. Not only did this rally the Rebel cells together, leading to the formation of the Rebel Alliance, but it also broke the illusion that Palpatine was a benevolent leader who didn’t know what was being done in his name, which is something many in the galaxy believed.
The Senate proved to be Palpatine’s downfall in some ways, only reinforcing how constrained his power really was.
What’s particularly notable about this is the fact that,while Palpatine needed to keep the Senate running within his Empire, the ancient Sith had an Empire of their own, and it required no government limitations. Instead, the ancient Sith ruled their Empire outright, and they were often in opposition to, not beholden to, the government. In that sense, Palpatine had a massive limitation the ancient Sith didn’t have, and it’s one that ultimately helped the Rebels bring him and his Empire down.
Even The Death Star Wasn’t Enough To Give Palpatine What He Wanted
Palpatine Dissolved The Imperial Senate When The Death Star Wars Completed
Palpatine was aware of this limitation, and he intended to do away with it as quickly as possible, no doubt anticipating the very type of threat Mon Mothma ultimately posed. Specifically,Palpatine believed that, once the Death Star was completed, he could bring an end to the Senate and truly take control of the galaxy. He eventually did dissolve the Imperial Senate when the first Death Star was finished, but he unfortunately (for him) miscalculated in myriad ways.
Palpatine’s very need for the Death Star, like his need to keep the Senate, reflects that he never really had unlimited power at all.
The most obvious miscalculation was Palpatine’s belief that the Death Star was a sure thing, but Galen Erso made sure that wasn’t the case by building in the weakness that brought the Death Star down. Without his superweapon, the reality of Palpatine’s limited power was once again clear, but the truth is, Palpatine’s very need for the Death Star, like his need to keep the Senate, reflects that he never really had unlimited power at all. In the end,Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidiousand his Empire really were so much weaker than the ancient Sith.
