10 Things you didn't know about Darth Sidious

Important facts you need to know about Star Wars villain Darth Sidious

The new Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi series has ignited many viewers interests in Star Wars, with fans flocking to watch other storylines between films, such as 'Clone Wars' and 'Rebels'.

With the franchise more popular than ever, CBB decided to list 10 facts about the main antagonist made of pure evil, Darth Sidious:

10. Born on Naboo in 84BBY to a noble family, Sheev Palpatine grew up in the affluent capital city of Theed, where he developed many contacts with powerful politicians. He possessed a strong connection to the force and was secretly trained by Darth Plagueis, who he later murdered in his sleep in order to become his own master to train Darth Maul as his apprentice due to the rule of two, a Sith law originally set by Darth Bane which limited their ranks to only two Sith Lords at any time.

9. Together, during their partnership, Plagueis and Sidious tried to unlock the secrets of immortality. When Sidious became aware of his master's ability to manipulate midi-chlorians to create life, he immediately planned to destroy him and steal his secrets. It was then that he began his contingency plans to be able to transfer his spirit into other bodies. This is how he was able to reemerge on Exegol long after his body was destroyed in the Death Star's reactor by Darth Vader. Although his body perished, his spirit lived on as long as there was an available vessel for it. He was helped by Sith acolytes on Exegol, who used dark technology to keep their master alive.

8. Having used his two identities as Sith Lord Sidious and Senator Palpatine to orchestrate the fall of the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order through his rising political power, he ruled as Emperor of the galaxy for 25 years - from 19BBY to 4ABY.

7. One of his only friends in life was Wilhuff Tarkin, who he admired greatly, and later became his General. Tarkin was one of the only people allowed to address the Emperor by his first name. Another allowed this rare honour was Commander Gallius Rax.

6. His first ever apprentice was Darth Maul, but he originally wanted to recruit his Mother Talzin to begin with. Instead, he left the planet Dathomir with her infant son to train him in secret. However, he wasn't initially awarded with the role of apprentice. He was subjected to relentless domestic abuse at the hands of a 'Keeper' and his two sons, who beat him daily. Sidious' wish was for Maul to develop his anger and hatred for his mother for abandoning him, which worked. During a selection tournament organised by Sidious, Maul released his anger to force-choke the keeper and his two sons in front of his new master and dismayed mother.

5. Sheev first met Count Dooku when he was 42-years-old, who was a Jedi at the time. It was this meeting that was the beginning of Sidious' grand plan to take over the galaxy. Dooku left the Jedi Order to betray and kill Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas and take over his commission for a clone army on Kamino, which he then erased from the Jedi Archives to build his army in secret. Sidious then began to contact the galaxy's most powerful beings through holographic transmissions, hidden under his hooded cloak to protect his identity, convincing everyone to obey him by promising them wealth. When Maul was presumed dead, after being cut in two by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Sidious turned to Dooku to become his interim apprentice to fulfill the 'Rule of Two'. Maul miraculously survived the slaying and reemerged years later with his brother Savage Opress as his apprentice and took over Mandalore, becoming too powerful for Palpatine's liking, so he flew his shuttle to Sundari to confront the brothers, killing Opress with ease and bringing Maul to his knees, but opted to spare him believing he could be useful in the future.

4. It was through Dooku that Sidious managed his rise to power by directing his new apprentice under the name of Darth Tyranus to rally several thousand solar systems into declaring independence from the Republic, forming a Confederacy, which greatly grew in number. Due to the growing threat, the Senate created a Grand Army of the Republic with civil war on the brink, which eventually came under Palpatine's power during Order 66.

3. As part of his grand plan to recruit allies, Palpatine once used Dooku and his assassin Assajj Ventress to kidnap Jabba the Hut's son, Rotta, in an attempt to frame the Jedi, but it eventually backfired. Sidious soon after ordered Dooku to assassinate Ventress in order to prove his loyalty, which he did, but the Dathomorian Nightsister survived.

2. Sidious once worked with assassin Cad Bane to steal a Holocron from the Jedi's vaults, which revealed the location of force-sensitive infants across the galaxy. Bane was then instructed to kidnap these children to his facility on Mustafar to eventually form an army of spies. However, the Jedi became aware of this crime and managed to surprise Sidious with a secret mission to rescue the younglings successfully.

1. Sidious once tried to lure Master Yoda to the dark side. When Yoda was trying to learn the secrets of immortality, he entered the Valley of the Dark Lords, to which Sidious and Tyranus became aware of his presence. The Sith Lord produced a dark illusion using Sifo-Dyas' visage offering to uncover his true identity if Yoda would agree to join him, but the Jedi Master refused, which led to a duel between the two. Anakin Skywalker arrived to help Yoda but Sidious immediately rendered him unconscious with his Force Lightning. Yoda rushed to the Padawan's side which enabled the Sith to escape.

Bonus Fact: Sheev was an avid art collector. His offices were filled with paintings and statues he had collected over his time travelling the galaxy.

Film Fact: Sir Ben Kingsley was originally brought in for the role of the Emperor, but Ian McDiarmid ultimately got the part.

True or False: Palpatine could be Anakin Skywalker's father. Having learned the secrets of how to create life from his Master Plagueis, it is rumoured that he manipulated midi-chlorians to create young Anakin. This story was never followed up on in the films, but, in the comics, Vader once had a force vision that reveals how the Emperor might have created him.

Family: His son, Palpatine Jr., was actually a genetically modified clone, but he was not able to use the force, so was abandoned and scorned by his father. He later married and he and his wife raised a child, Rey, who was the Emperor's granddaughter, who they tried to hide away on Jakku, far from his reach.

Apprentices: Darth Maul; Darth Tyranus (Count Dooku); Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker).

Significant Kills: Darth Plagueis; Savage Opress; Mother Talzin; Kit Fisto; Agen Kolar; Sasee Tiin; Mace Windu.

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