Whether you think he should have returned in the sequels or not, Emperor Palpatine is one of the most important characters in all of Star Wars. Across all major eras during the Skywalker Saga, every major conflict can be traced back to Darth Sidious, the mastermind of the Clone Wars who destroyed the Jedi Order and built the Galactic Empire. It’s recently been revealed that a Palpatine series was once in development, though I’m confident it would have been set in the wrong time period.
Thanks to new comments from Palpatine actor Ian McDiarmid, it seems as though George Lucas once discussed developing a television series centered on Emperor Palpatine, exploring the Emperor’s earliest years consolidating power after the fall of the Republic. While it’s an idea with some solid potential, I can think of a much better premise and setting if a Palpatine series were to be made today.
Between so many shows set during the Dark Times, I don’t think it’s the right setting for a Palpatine series. Instead, I believe a Palpatine series would benefit most by going back even further, before the prequels themselves.
Ian McDiarmid Recently Revealed A Palpatine Series Was Once In Development
Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) declares the Republic as the Galactic Empire inside the Senate chambers, with Mas Amedda by his side.
During a recent appearance with Hayden Christensen and Jimmy Smits at SpaceCon San Antonio, Ian McDiarmid revealed that George Lucas once discussed making a Palpatine-focused television series before he sold the Star Wars franchise to Disney:
“[George Lucas] was talking about, I think I can tell you now, a television series. At the time, we didn’t think about Star Wars in terms of a television series. Very speculative. We had lunch one day, and he said I’ve got this idea, and I hope you might want to be involved. We could sort of follow the Emperor’s progress, like Hitler’s, some of that. There might be an assassination attempt, and of course, it wouldn’t succeed. It sounded really exciting. And he also said that maybe you could direct one, and then I fainted. But sadly, that didn’t come to pass.”
According to the actor, the project would have explored Palpatine’s earliest days as Emperor between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, showcasing early struggles with the new Imperial rule and even assassination attempts.
It’s certainly possible that McDiarmid was recalling ideas tied to Lucas’s canceled Star Wars: Underworld series, which was famously intended to explore the criminal underworld and political landscape during the Empire’s rise, including arcs with Palpatine himself. Then again, perhaps Lucas was also toying with the idea of a full-on Emperor Palpatine show as well.
Either way, I don’t think The Dark Times between the prequels and the original trilogy would be the way to go if Lucasfilm ever decides to revisit the idea. After all, multiple Star Wars shows and projects have since been made set during the same time period under Disney. Likewise, there’s a far more compelling concept that could (and should) be used.
A Palpatine Series Should Happen (Just Not During The Dark Times)
Custom Image by Kevin Erdmann
In my mind, it would be far more interesting if Lucasfilm went much further back before The Phantom Menace.
In the official Star Wars canon, Palpatine’s early years as Darth Plagueis’ Sith apprentice remain one of the biggest untold stories. It would be darkly fascinating to see a young Sheev Palpatine gradually embrace the dark side of the Force, enter politics for the first time as Naboo’s senator, and eventually evolve into Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord who would bring the galaxy to its knees.
A Long Time Ago · In a Galaxy Far, Far Away The Sith Trivia Challenge
⚔Dark LordsUnlimited power
⚡PowerForce lightning
📘LoreHolocrons
🗡BetrayalAlways two
🌈LegacyThe dark side
01
The Sith operate under a strict doctrine that limits their number to prevent infighting and self-destruction. This ancient code dictates that there can only be a master and an apprentice — no more, no less. What is this fundamental Sith principle called?
✓ Correct! The Rule of Two states “Always two there are — no more, no less. A master and an apprentice.” As Yoda himself observed, this principle ensured the Sith could operate in secret for a millennium while plotting the downfall of the Jedi Order.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is the Rule of Two. While the Sith Code exists separately as their philosophical creed, the Rule of Two is the specific doctrine limiting Sith to a master-apprentice pair. It allowed them to hide in the shadows for a thousand years.
02
The most powerful Sith Lord in the saga hid in plain sight as a seemingly benevolent politician, secretly manipulating the Clone Wars from both sides. He orchestrated the fall of the Republic and the destruction of the Jedi Order. Who is this ultimate Sith Master?
✓ Correct! Darth Sidious, publicly known as Senator and later Emperor Palpatine, is the mastermind behind everything. He engineered the Clone Wars, executed Order 66, turned Anakin Skywalker to the dark side, and ruled the galaxy as Emperor for over two decades. Ian McDiarmid’s portrayal is iconic.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Darth Sidious, also known as Emperor Palpatine. Darth Vader was his apprentice, Darth Tyranus (Count Dooku) was a pawn, and Darth Plagueis was his former master. Sidious was the puppet master who destroyed the Republic from within.
03
Once the most promising Jedi Knight in the Order, this Chosen One was seduced to the dark side by Palpatine’s promise of saving his wife from death. After his devastating duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, he was rebuilt in a black life-support suit. Which Sith Lord is this?
✓ Correct! Darth Vader, born Anakin Skywalker, is the tragic heart of the Star Wars saga. His fall from heroic Jedi to Sith enforcer — and his ultimate redemption when he saves his son Luke by destroying the Emperor — is one of cinema’s greatest character arcs.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Darth Vader. Darth Maul was Sidious’s first apprentice, Darth Revan is from the Old Republic era, and Darth Bane created the Rule of Two. Only Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader after his fall on Mustafar.
04
This fearsome, red-and-black-tattooed Zabrak wielded a double-bladed lightsaber and killed Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace. Though cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi, he survived through sheer hatred and returned with mechanical legs. Who is this relentless Sith assassin?
✓ Correct! Darth Maul was Palpatine’s first known apprentice, a weapon of pure rage trained from childhood. His survival after being bisected — fueled entirely by hatred for Obi-Wan — led to his expanded story in The Clone Wars and Rebels, where he became one of Star Wars’ most compelling villains.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Darth Maul. Savage Opress was Maul’s brother, Asajj Ventress was Dooku’s dark side assassin, and the Grand Inquisitor served the Empire. Only Maul wielded the iconic double-bladed saber and killed Qui-Gon Jinn in that legendary duel.
05
This elegant former Jedi Master left the Order and became Sidious’s second apprentice, taking the Sith name Darth Tyranus. A master of Form II lightsaber combat with a curved-hilt saber, he led the Separatist movement. Played by Christopher Lee, who is this aristocratic Sith Lord?
✓ Correct! Count Dooku, Darth Tyranus, was the political face of the Separatist movement and a pawn in Sidious’s grand plan. A former student of Yoda himself, Dooku’s elegant fencing style and aristocratic demeanor made him unique among the Sith. Palpatine ordered Anakin to execute him in Revenge of the Sith.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Count Dooku, also known as Darth Tyranus. Mace Windu was a Jedi Master, Qui-Gon was Obi-Wan’s master killed by Maul, and General Grievous was a cyborg commander but not Force-sensitive. Dooku was the fallen Jedi who became Sidious’s Sith apprentice.
06
Approximately a thousand years before the events of the saga, one ancient Sith Lord recognized that the Sith kept destroying themselves through infighting. He wiped out the existing Sith Order and established the Rule of Two, ensuring the dark side would be passed from master to apprentice in secret. Who created this doctrine?
✓ Correct! Darth Bane, who appeared as a Force ghost in The Clone Wars, was the visionary who realized the Sith’s numbers were their weakness. By limiting them to two, he ensured each generation would be stronger than the last — a chain that ultimately led to Palpatine’s galaxy-conquering scheme a millennium later.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Darth Bane. Darth Revan was a legendary Sith from the Old Republic, Darth Nihilus consumed entire planets through the Force, and Darth Malgus led the Sith Empire. But it was Bane who created the Rule of Two that shaped all Sith to follow.
07
In the sequel trilogy, the grandson of Darth Vader was seduced to the dark side by Supreme Leader Snoke. He wielded an unstable, crossguard lightsaber with a cracked kyber crystal and killed his own father, Han Solo, in The Force Awakens. Who is this conflicted dark side warrior?
✓ Correct! Kylo Ren, born Ben Solo to Han Solo and Leia Organa, was torn between the light and dark throughout the sequel trilogy. His worship of his grandfather Vader’s legacy and his crackling crossguard saber made him visually iconic. Like Vader before him, he ultimately found redemption, sacrificing himself to save Rey.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Kylo Ren, born Ben Solo. Snoke was his dark side mentor (later revealed as a Palpatine puppet), General Hux was a First Order officer, and Darth Revan existed thousands of years earlier. Kylo Ren carried the Skywalker bloodline’s burden into the sequel era.
08
In one of the saga’s most chilling scenes, Palpatine tells Anakin the “Tragedy” of a Sith Lord so powerful he could use the Force to influence midi-chlorians to create life and prevent death. His apprentice killed him in his sleep. Who is this legendary Sith whose tale tempted Anakin to the dark side?
✓ Correct! “Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?” is one of the most meme-worthy and narratively crucial lines in Star Wars. Plagueis was Palpatine’s own master, and the irony is thick — Palpatine tells Anakin the story as bait, having murdered Plagueis himself. It’s not a story the Jedi would tell you.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Darth Plagueis the Wise. Darth Bane created the Rule of Two centuries earlier, Darth Vitiate ruled the Old Republic Sith Empire, and Darth Sion was sustained by pain. Plagueis could cheat death itself — ironic, since he couldn’t save himself from his own apprentice, Palpatine.
Trial Complete Your Dark Side Record
/ 8
Are you a Sith Lord — or just another youngling?
Likewise, this would also be an opportunity for Darth Plagueis to play a key role. Long considered to be one of the most fascinating Sith Lords, Darth Plagueis recently made his live-action debut in 2024’s The Acolyte. Despite the show’s divisive reception, his brief cameo appearance was widely seen as one of the show’s most exciting (and least divisive) reveals, leaving many Star Wars fans eager for more.
As such, A Palpatine prequel series could naturally explore Sheev and Plagueis’ twisted relationship, showing how Plagueis molded Palpatine into the galaxy’s greatest Sith Lord, while also training the man who would ultimately betray and kill him in his sleep. After all, a series starring both Sidious and Plagueis would have no choice but to bring Revenge of the Sith’s most iconic conversation full circle with “The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise.”
All things considered, if a Palpatine series is ever going to happen in the future, that’s the story worth telling.
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
