Darth Sidious

Darth Sidious
Gender	Male
Eye Color	Unknown
Hair Color	Unknown
Species	Human
Year of Birth	Unknown
Affiliation	Sith

Darth Sidious is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe.

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

A Sith lord, Darth Sidious was the prime practitioner of "The Dark Side of the Force". In Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Sidious sent out his apprentice Darth Maul to kill Queen Padme Amidala and the Jedi knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Sidious again plotted against the Jedi, this time sending his new apprentice Count Dooku, a.k.a Darth Tyranus to do his work.

Later, supposedly in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, it is generally assumed by fans that Sidious will be revealed to be actually Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, and take on Anakin Skywalker as his new apprentice under the name Darth Vader. If so, then between Episode III and Episode IV, Darth Sidious will become the Emperor who is seen in Episodes V and VI.

There are clear clues to this fact earlier, for example in the closing scenes of The Phantom Menace, Palpatine is shown in profile, matching Sidious seen in the same position but with his face hidden by the hood of his cloak. Both Darth Sidious and Palpatine are also played by the same actor, Ian McDiarmid.

In the original movie trilogy, the name Palpatine is never spoken and he is referred to only as "The Emperor". The name Palpatine originated in the novelizations, in which the name is given as that of the former senator who rose to power.

"Sidious" is two letters away from being "insidious," a word which describes Darth Sidious very well.

Sidious and Palpatine

The Sith are by their nature an obscure group. The films maintain this aura of obscurity, and as such, most of our knowledge of the Sith comes from the novelizations. It is generally presumed that Sidious and Palpatine are the same person, a presumption for which there is much evidence, though as of yet nothing so blatant has been uttered as to make that presumption undeniable. But operating from the knowledge that these two figures are one and the same, it's possible to glimspe the deeper story to the Star Wars saga.

The Star Wars Backstory

Sidious is the Sith Lord responsible for accomplishing the ultimate goals of that dark and cladestine order. Namely, the complete destruction of the Jedi order and the restoration to galactic power of the Sith. These have been Sidious motivations, and these he has sought to implement with every stroke.

It's unknown when he became Master of the Sith. What is known is that as early as a decade prior to the events of Episode I, Sidious had begun training his apprentice Darth Maul. Sidious, not content to just convert a force user to the darkside, instead choose to mold and carefully sculpt his right hand from scratch. Maul was kidnapped as an infant; trained personally by Sidious in all forms of combat and use of the force; and especially, was taught aggression, anger, and hatred. Seemingly much of Sidious's efforts went into perfecting Maul into the ultimate weapon. But in reality, Maul was just another pawn in Sidious grand strategy.

Sidious, possessed with superior intellect and great use of the force in foreseeing the future, could manipulate events as though they were pieces on a board. As Palpatine, he had gained a reputation for being a good and modest man, and had managed to get himself elected as Senator from the relatively minor planet of Naboo. Leading up to the events of episode I, Palpatine had judiciously used his intellect to become a well-respected politician in the Senate, and had even gained the friendship of the current Chancellor.

In the background however, Sidious unfurled his plan. Part of it was to train Maul. And part of it was to then have Maul assassinate key figures, thus gaining Sidious influence, especially in illicit circles.

This eventually led to a secret alliance with the Trade Federation. The Trade Federation was a consortium which controlled shipping throughout the galaxy. They had become powerful enough to have full representation in the Senate as though they were a member world. The Senate had voted to levy taxes on trade in order to raise funds for the government (this at the manipulation of Palpatine). Sidious, appealing to the Trade Federation's greed, persuaded them to blockade Naboo in protest of the levy. He assured them that the action would bring them greater control and profits, as the Senate would be impotent to act.

Meanwhile in his role as Palpatine, he convinced Amidala, queen of the Naboo, to endure the blockade. Advising her that the Trade Federation couldn't force the issue, and that the Senate wouldn't let the dispute continue for long. This leads to the events opening Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.

Jedi mediators have been dispatched to settle the conflict (at the request of the Supreme Chancellor, and the persuasion of his friend Palpatine). When it seems as though the Trade Federation must settle or else face the Jedi, Sidious orders them to kill the Jedi instead and invade Naboo, assuring them that it'll be over before the Senate can respond. Sidious's real goals are to weaken the power of the Trade Federation (one of the key galactic forces at this time), and to gain sympathy among the Senate due the invasion.

As Sidious intended, the Jedi rescue Amidala and bring her to the Senate. There, she testifies of what the Federation has done and pleads for help. Amidala's reputation and testimony is enough to convince the Senate that action must be taken. Since the current Chancellor is unwilling to do anything at this time, Amidala asks for a vote of new leadership. The rest of the Senate agrees.

The sympathy for Naboo concerning the ordeal is enough to earn the well-respected Palpatine a nomination as Chancellor. His secret alliances further assure that he will be the one elected. Amidala then leaves with the Jedi, and returns to Naboo where the Trade Federation is ultimately defeated, and ruined.

Sidious's secondary plan is not as obvious, though it is equally devious and brilliant. Sidous knew he would need a force user of extraordinary power if he was ever to defeat the Jedi Order. The Sith Lord took the necessary steps to ensure that such a force-user was at his command.

It's unknown the true extent of Sidious's influence on Anakin's life. But it is probable that Sidious was aware of Anakin from conception. Tatooine happens to be out of range of the Jedi order, and thus would mean Anakin would be unrecruited and unknown to the Jedi. Tatooine also happens to be a harsh place. A place where Anakin grew up an alien, a slave, and without a father. A perfect place for the seeds of the darkside to grow inside him.

Anakin was destined to become the greatest force-user in the galaxy, and clearly who Sidious would choose as his apprentice. It is equally clear that Sidious wouldn't be able to personally train Anakin. Sidious had many demands and plans yet to implement, especially now that he was Chancellor. So Sidious arranged other means for his future apprentice to be trained, namely the Jedi Order.

He arranged for Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to visit Naboo at the Chancellor's request. He arranged for the Federation to attack with deadly intent, knowing that the Jedi are quite capable of escape. And finally, he arranged for their ship to be damaged (from the blockade) knowing they'd be forced to land in the nearest non-Federation planet, which happens to be Tatooine. There, Sidious knew Qui-Gon would find the chaotic young Anakin, and upon discovering his connection to the force, would bring him to be trained as a Jedi.

The entire Jedi Council refuses to let the boy be trained. They don't know why exactly, but they do know a dark cloud surrounds the boy. Yoda says it clearest when he explains the path to the dark side, how it begins with fear, and how he sees much fear in Anakin.

This is all in accordance with Sidious's plans. For Sidious knows Qui-Gon will train the boy personally if he has to, in fact, Qui-Gon is the only Jedi Master in the galaxy who would be willing to defy the Council. But that is not the extent of Sidious's plans.

Sidous unleashes Maul, and has him track down the Jedi who are protecting Amidala. In the climactic battle of Episode I, Maul proves his prowess and defeats Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Obi-Wan however, seems to have a better connection to the force, and is able to survive despite his foe's superior skill. This costs Sidious decades of work, but in the end he considers it worthwhile. Qui-Gon's dying wish is that the boy be trained; a wish which even the Jedi Council is unwilling to deny their fallen hero. And so an ill-prepared Obi-Wan becomes Anakin's teacher despite the council's concerns. And so Sidious achieves his intermediate objectives.