Star Wars' new TV show, Star Wars' most powerful Sith, and, in light of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, he is arguably Star Wars' most important villain.
Yet, that wasn't always the plan. As is clear in A New Hope, originally, Darth Vader was positioned as the main villain of the trilogy. Over the course of those three movies, though, that role shifted to Palpatine. This shift represented a major change to George Lucas' original idea for Palpatine, but now, Andor season 2 has made that original plan a major part of Palpatine's story.
George Lucas' Original Version Of The Emperor Was Very Different
Palpatine's Role In The Empire Has Changed Considerably
As mentioned, Palpatine wasn't in A New Hope; however, he existed as a character before that movie was even released. In the A New Hope novelization, written by Alan Dean Foster in 1976, Palpatine was described as a benevolent leader, essentially serving as a figurehead. It was really the Imperial bureaucrats around Palpatine who were ruling the galaxy and enacting these cruelties.
It was really the Imperial bureaucrats around Palpatine who were ruling the galaxy and enacting these cruelties.
In addition to those Imperials, Darth Vader was the obvious villain, wielding the dark side of the Force to maintain control and torment and kill his adversaries. At that point, there was no explicit connection between Palpatine and Darth Vader—including the former's political power and the latter's out-and-out evil. Rather, Palpatine was presented (and seen by the galaxy) as a well-meaning, even naive politician who was being controlled by the bureaucracy around him. Clearly, that's very far afield from who Palpatine ultimately becomes in Star Wars.
Star Wars Just Revealed The Lie Behind Palpatine's Most Famous Quote
Star Wars has proven this one Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious line in Revenge of the Sith completely wrong—and revealed its shocking meaning.
Andor Just Brought Back The Original Palpatine
Many Believe Palpatine Isn't Aware Of The Horrors Taking Place In His Name
While George Lucas obviously did away with those original Palpatine plans in the end, Andor season 2 just reintroduced the notion that the galaxy saw Palpatine as separate from the evils the Empire was committing against the people of the galaxy. In Andor season 2, episode 5, "I Have Friends Everywhere," Carro Rylanz, a Ghorman businessman and politician, tells Syril, "Many of us believe the Emperor has no idea what's being done on his behalf. We think the ISB is running a shadow government."
This is an absolutely fascinating turn for Andor season 2 to make, particularly given how much we've seen to the contrary. Throughout the myriad shows set during the Dark Times, from Star Wars: The Bad Batch to Star Wars Rebels, there's little confusion about who the real enemies are. However, what makes these shows and these characters distinct is their level of awareness and connection to some of the major players in the galaxy, such as the Jedi.
The Bad Batch is focused on the clones, not the Jedi, but they were also witnesses to all that was done at the behest of Palpatine. Likewise, as one of the survivors of Order 66, Kanan Jarrus was highly aware of Palpatine's role. The same cannot be said of the people of Ghorman, and they are therefore a much better representation of how the larger, less informed galaxy saw Palpatine. Evidently, even so close to the original trilogy, some were still seeing Palpatine as a benevolent leader, not as the truly evil force he actually was.
How (& Why) George Lucas' Palpatine Plans Evolved
Ultimately, Lucas' Villain Plans Entirely Changed
Although this is a fascinating shift in Andor season 2, it still makes plenty of sense why George Lucas decided to change this story in the original Star Wars trilogy. The fact is, it wasn't just Palpatine whose story changed in the original trilogy; Lucas entirely altered his plan for the true villain of those movies. Originally, Darth Vader was going to be the ultimate villain of the original trilogy. However, that changed when George Lucas settled on the plot twist that Darth Vader was really Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker's father.
From that point on, Star Wars was the story of Darth Vader's redemption, which required Palpatine to be the actual villain.
From that point on, Star Wars was the story of Darth Vader's redemption, which required Palpatine to be the actual villain. Ultimately, it's a good thing that this changed. Palpatine proved to be a brilliant villain (hence his continual returns), and Vader's redemption has come to inform Star Wars and be one of the most compelling parts of the franchise. Nevertheless, it seems Andor season 2 is reintroducing this story arc for Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious, and I'm loving it.
New episodes of Andor season 2 release weekly on Tuesdays at 9 PM EST/6 PM PST on Disney+.
Release Date |
Episode Drop |
|---|---|
April 22, 2025 |
Andor season 2, episodes 1-3 |
April 29, 2025 |
Andor season 2, episodes 4-6 |
May 6, 2025 |
Andor season 2, episodes 7-9 |
May 13, 2025 |
Andor season 2, episodes 10-12 |
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