The devil has long served as the personification of evil in both religion and literature throughout the ages. In different cultures, histories, and stories, he has taken on a variety of easily recognizable forms and characteristics. Even in tales that do not specifically have Satan himself as a character -- or are not based upon the beliefs of real-world religion -- the devil is often found in characters meant to embody the archetype. This is true of the Star Wars saga, where the character of Palpatine serves as the true devil figure. As the Emperor and Dark Lord of the Sith, Palpatine is more than just another “bad guy.” He is the “bad guy” and takes on multiple markers of the devil throughout the films. Star Wars is often cast as a basic story of good versus evil; by relating Palpatine to the definition of evil, that main thrust of the story is strengthened and deepened.
To expound on the basic point, Palpatine acts as the most direct personification of evil in the Star Wars story. Palpatine is a Sith, one of “[a]n ancient order of Force-practitioners devoted to the dark side…a menace long thought extinct.”1 The dark side essentially is evil -- the audience learns that it consists of many (if not all) of the negative traits, emotions, and resulting actions that people experience and work to conquer or control. The dark side is based in selfishness and impulse, in lust for power and control. It is destructive and corrosive to people and the systems they have created; it feeds off confusion, anger, and suffering. The Sith are followers and users of the dark side, cultivating all of these negatives in a quest to attain supremacy and might in the galaxy. Palpatine is one of four Sith characters in the movies, but he is the only Sith Master the audience ever sees. He rules the Order during the 30-plus years between Episodes I and VI. Maul, Tyranus, and Vader all follow him, to varying degrees of slavishness. Until he defeat in Return of the Jedi, Palpatine is firmly in control of the Sith and his apprentices, masterminding a number of wide-reaching plots.
Wikipedia states: “The Devil is the name given to a supernatural entity, who...is the central embodiment of evil.”2 In multiple religions (and in religion-based literature), the devil is God’s arch-nemesis, in opposition to all that is good. He commands Hell, or the Underworld, holding dominion over his subjects -- those condemned to eternal suffering -- and his followers, including demons, spirits, and worshippers. “In Christian teaching,” according to the Religion Facts website, “the leader of the rebellious angels was Satan, who [became] humanity's chief adversary.”3 As with Palpatine, the central point is not simply that the devil is “bad,” but that he is true and pure evil.
One of the manifestations of that malevolence is the ability of Satan, or a Satan-like character, to seduce, tempt, and otherwise successfully corrupt people and the systems they inhabit. Often, they are able to do this without their victims fully realizing what is happening. Palpatine, of course, is quite infamous for this, particularly with regard to his conversion of Anakin Skywalker to the dark side of the Force, and his later, unsuccessful attempt with Anakin’s son, Luke Skywalker. George Lucas himself says of Revenge of the Sith, that Anakin “made a deal with the Devil...and lost.”4 Palptine spent years cultivating a relationship with Anakin, quietly planting the seeds that would later lead the young Jedi to reject his Order and the Republic he had served for most of his life, as well as his sense of right and wrong. There was no such luxury of time with Luke, however, he (with Vader’s help) was still nearly successful in getting him to succumb, showing the strength of Palpatine’s ability to confuse and ruin otherwise good people. It also can be assumed that Count Dooku went through a process at least generally similar to that of the Skywalkers when changing from a respected Jedi Master to a Sith apprentice by the events of Attack of the Clones; his biography on StarWars.com states that “Dooku had been corrupted by the power of the dark side. After his departure from the Jedi order, Dooku was seduced to the dark side by Darth Sidious…”5
More subtle examples also exist. For instance, in The Phantom Menace, Palpatine leads an unknowing Padmé astray as he maneuvers her into taking a critical step in his scheme to rule the Galactic Republic. His discussions with her upon her arrival to Coruscant are designed to lead her to the conclusion that a no-confidence vote is her planet’s best chance of gaining the government’s help with the recent invasion. During the session in the Senate chamber, Palpatine drives his point home with a few careful and well-placed words to Padmé, as she watches the Chancellor fail to act. The imagery of this scene evokes a clear image of the devil -- Palpatine whispers in Padmé’s ear much as the devil, in the guise of a snake, whispers to Eve as she considers whether to eat the fruit in the Garden of Eden.6 More generally, Palpatine manipulates the entire Republic, pushing it into war with the Separatists, staying in office well beyond his term limits, and finally, creating an oppressive Empire to the delight of his deluded Senate colleagues.
Satan delights in the downfall of people and the ruin of systems, and seems to constantly work to pull people from the right path. In the Bible he is referred to directly as “the tempter”7 and Wikipedia adds, “None escape his temptations. He is continually soliciting men to sin.”8 The Christian Bible contains several stories of the devil’s efforts to tempt people -- including Eve, of course, and a famous failure with Christ.9 In the Old Testament, the fate of Israel and the Jewish people as a nation often related to their leaders’ or fighters’ decisions to listen to God’s instructions and follow His will.
Palpatine’s duplicitous nature is not only key to his ability to tempt and lead others astray, it also plays into his overall physical appearance and mannerisms, and the look of the devil is an important facet of the archetype. Though Satan’s physical appearance is only described once in the Bible (as a particularly fantastic monster-creature in the book of Revelations), many traditional ideas of his appearance have emerged in art and literature. The devil has horns, hindquarters, and a forked tail. He carries a strident spear.10 He has red skin and a generally frightening visage. However, he apparently has the ability to change his appearance -- his coming to Eve as a snake suggests that, and it is unknown how he appeared to Christ.
Palpatine also relies on being able to control his look, and eventually, his look reflects his inner, evil nature. Palpatine the politician is a perfectly normal, even kindly, non-threatening older man. He mentors both Padmé and Anakin, and appears to be well-liked and trusted by those he works with and rules over. Sidious the Dark Lord of the Sith is a dark, hidden figure, lost within the black robes that constantly conceal him. He speaks with a deeper, more deliberate, and more threatening voice. In Episode III, his face is badly disfigured and his voice is badly distorted by his own Force lightning during his duel with Mace Windu. He maintains this look, without any attempt at the further pretense of the Palpatine persona’s appearance, for the rest of the saga as his ruthless plans are finally executed.
Aside from revealing Palpatine’s true nature, the fight with Mace Windu -- and with three other Jedi Masters -- shows Palpatine’s great power in the Force. The devil also has great power. The devil cannot claim final victory over God (and is eventually portrayed as defeated following a large battle against God11), and in Star Wars, the dark side is finally defeated by the Light, with Palpatine destroyed, evil often gives the impression of winning important battles, despite losing the overall war. The power of the devil in religion provides a heightened sense of drama in the battle of individuals and their souls, and in the context of Star Wars, Palpatine needs to be powerful to create a credible threat to venerable institutions such as the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic. He also must be a Master to a rabid fighter like Maul, a seasoned Jedi like Dooku, and a powerful but troubled Anakin, all while responding to the Jedi-Separatist-Rebellion threats to his rule, and running a Republic and Empire. His power, and his ability to challenge the “good guys” and their institutions (though ultimately losing to them) is a key part of the story, and to his devil-like figure.
Palpatine/Darth Sidious is one of the Star Wars saga’s most memorable and intriguing characters, because of his powerful, duplicitous, deceptive, frightening, and evil natures. His connection to the religious and literary traditions of the devil helps bring depth to the contemporary story told in these six films.
Works Cited:
1 Sith databank entry from the official Star Wars website, StarWars.com, <starwars.com/databank/organization/thesith/index.html>
2 Wikipedia.com. “Devil.”
3 “The Devil and Demons in Christianity.” ReligionFacts.com. <religionfacts.com/christianity/beliefs/devil_and_demons.htm>
4 Windolf, Jim. “Star Wars, The Last Battle.” Vanity Fair. 11 January 2005.
5 Count Dooku databank entry from the official Star Wars website, StarWars.com, <starwars.com/databank/character/countdooku/index.html>
6 Genesis 3. The Holy Bible, Authorized King James Version. Iowa Falls: World Bible Publishers, 1989.
7 Matthew 4:3. The Holy Bible.
8 Wikipedia.com. “Devil in Christianity.”
9 Matthew 4:1-11. The Holy Bible.
10 Wikipedia.com.
11 Wikipedia.com.
