No matter which side of the Force you prefer, there is no denying Sheev Palpatine’s ability to play the long game. After a life spent manipulating and scheming, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious earned his rise to the rank of Emperor Palpatine. But when it comes to actually enticing new worlds to join his Galactic Empire, it turns out a gnarled, cackling, and murderous recluse may not be the best man for the job. It’s a secret Star Wars now admits, even if he never will.
Imperial Minister Pitina Voor Deserves Credit For The Empire
The New Piece of Canon Fixes A Major Problem With The Original Trilogy
For all his bravado, grinning, and ego, it’s well-established in canon that Palpatine couldn’t plan for everything. But when examining the brutal, reckless, and transparently vicious nature he exhibits once actually claiming absolute power, some holes in the plot start to develop. Frankly, after seducing a new apprentice and wiping out the Jedi Order, it’s hard to imagine Palpatine being thrilled with the administration of his government. Beyond ordering genocides, mass exterminations, assassinations, or other short-sighted means of domination.
That anger might work on a world, and a choke from Darth Vader might work in a meeting, but to expand a loyal, stable empire, modern Star Wars has sought to solve this suspension of disbelief with Palpatine’s agents. With none being more significant than Imperial Minister Pitina Mar-Mas Voor. An ambitious princess-turned-advisor, Pitina could see the true conclusion of Palpatine’s domination by brute force: “The empire was being murdered by its own expansion.”
Pitina was by no means an altruistic person, but a conqueror with all the same ambitions as Palpatine himself. She merely knew that to make the empire an appealing option, there were better strategies than “join or die” (preferring to catch more flies with sugar than Death Stars). And her work led to official doctrine, and employed strategies to coerce worlds and cultures into obedience, as outlined in Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #36 by Simon Spurrier, Wilton Santos, Cris Bolson, Walden Wong, and Chris O’Halloran.
Sheev Palpatine Was A Villain, But Not An Actual Empire-Builder
There Is More To An Empire Than Being The ‘Most Ruthless’ Leader
In the bigger picture, this is just one of many new storylines and insights into canon that all agree: fans have believed a bit too much of Emperor Palpatine’s own hype, and as a result, have given him entirely too much credit for the way the Star Wars saga played out. But even aside from those who point out Palpatine was obscenely lucky that Padmé Amidala ever met Anakin Skywalker, taking a critical eye to his actual leadership is fair game. Assuming that ‘running the universe’ would be a difficult, nuanced job.
But for those who know the truth, the figure Emperor Palpatine tried to keep hidden in his shadow will never be forgotten as the true architect of the Empire’s expansion and stability.
- Died
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Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise Of Skywalker
- Alliance
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Sith, Empire
- Race
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Human