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Emperor Palpatine

Before his rise to power, Emperor Palpatine was an ambitious Senator in the Galactic Republic. Emperor Palpatine saw the Republic crumbling about him, torn apart by partisan bickering and corruption. Emperor Palpatine's moment of opportunity came as a result of a trade embargo. The Trade Federation blockaded and invaded Naboo. Naboo's planetary leader, Queen Amidala, rushed to Coruscant for Emperor Palpatine's aid. Together, the two pleaded to the Senate for intervention, only to see their request stalemated by Trade Federation filibustering.

Queen Amidala acted upon Palpatine's suggestion, and called for a Vote of No Confidence in the Republic's leadership. The crisis on Naboo prompted a strong sympathy vote, and Palpatine became Chancellor. He promised to reunite the disaffected, and bring order and justice to the government.

A decade after his nomination, Palpatine's Chancellery was faced with the challenge of a popular Separatist movement led by the charismatic leader, Count Dooku. Upon the discovery of a secret army of droids, it became apparent that the Separatists were on the verge of declaring war against the Republic. Senators loyal to Palpatine motioned that the Chancellor be given emergency powers to deal with the Separatist threat.

Palpatine's term as Chancellor ended during the rise of the Separatists, but that crisis allowed him to extend his stay in office. The monstrous specter of General Grievous leading an assault ensured that few questioned Palpatine's growing authority. Some in the Senate also quietly whispered their misgiving about Palpatine. The Jedi Council was among the wary.

Emperor Palpatine instituted a military build-up unprecedented in galactic history. He created the New Order, a Galactic Empire that ruled by tyranny. The Jedi Knights, his biggest threat, were extinguished by his greatest dark side pupil: Anakin Skywalker, who had become Darth Vader.

During the Galactic Civil War, Emperor Palpatine ruled with an iron fist. He disbanded the Imperial Senate, and passed control down to the regional governors and the military. During the Hoth campaign, Emperor Palpatine expressed to Vader his concerns over Luke Skywalker, a young Rebel powerful in the Force. Vader suggested that the two convert the youth to the dark side of the Force, an idea the Emperor seconded.

Emperor Palpatine allowed Rebel spies to learn of the location of the second Death Star, and foresaw their strike team and fleet assault. Emperor Palpatine crafted an elaborate trap that was to be the end of the Rebellion. He also concentrated on converting Luke Skywalker to the dark side of the Force, even at the expense of sacrificing Vader. In the Death Star, high above the Battle of Endor, Luke refused the Emperor's newfound dark side power, and so Emperor Palpatine used his deadly Force lightning to attack the young Jedi. Luke almost died in the assault, but his father, Darth Vader, returned to the light side of the Force, and hurled the Emperor into the Death Star's reactor core, killing him.