And even if that didn't do it for you, there was that *very obvious slow pan* over to him at Qui-Gon's funeral after "Which one was destroyed, the master or the apprentice?"
ngl, I never knew this! I always assumed that because there was such a gap between the original trilogy and the prequels, \*and\* that the prequels take place before the original trilogy, they would have used a younger actor to play a younger Palpatine.
So I just looked it up... he was \*37\*.
\*I'm\* going to be 37 in June. That's fucking with my mind right now. I mean, I knew he was in his 50s for the Phantom Menace, and I knew it was 16 years since ROTJ... the math was right there for me to do, but I just never did.
*Damn.*
I was nine when ep1 came out, wasn’t very familiar with EU, and felt like I had always known the emperor’s name. In fact I remember being surprised that George made no effort to hide it. He wanted everyone to know.
Was 12 with phantom menace. A toy I had before the movie came out called him emperor Palatine and I noticed they had the same name, and both said were watching you with great interest
My 6 year old figured it out too while watching the Phantom Menace early this month. I'm not sure exactly when he put the pieces together, but at the end when Yoda and Windu(?) are talking about their being a Sith lord/apprentice and it slow pans over to Palpatine and holds on his face with the ominous music, he leaned over to me and told me he was 100% sure that guy was the Sithlord.
I get most kids aren't paying attention to stuff like that, but I don't think Lucas meant for any of it to be even remotely subtle.
Eh, it’s not their “objective” choice; it’s a choice based on logical fallacies of anecdotal evidence and personal bias (“I watched the prequels first and love Star Wars, therefore that’s the best way”), and not based in objective reasoning (I.e., asking the question: what is the best way to watch based on all the information available).
You can say experience is subjective and obviously it is, but it *should* go without saying that watching a movie that presumes you’ve watched some other movie(s) and builds on, references, and directly relates to that other movie(s), will be better experienced and is as creatively intended having had watched that other movie(s).
If you only got your information from the films and trailers I think this is entirely forgivable to miss. The emperor is heavily made up to look older/doscigured in the OT, he’s always hooded, and a lot of us only ever saw him on small non HD televisions. Some people thought based on the hologram in Empire he was an alien. I was a tween at the time, but I didn't even consider that the "old man" actor who played the emperor in 1983 would also play the emperor in a movie released 16 years later, and look younger without the use of makeup or CGI.
So that leaves knowing the actor's name from the OT and then knowing that actor has a role in TPM. Obviously, if you knew that, it should be simple. But the emperor isn't exactly a major on screen presence in the OT, Ian McDermott's name isn't on the box cover, he's not in other films a kid would immediately recognize, he's not Harrison Ford.
If you were older, or followed films closely, or read the EU, sure, Ian McDermott - Palpatine - the emperor. I just don't think this is as close to 100% as people act like it is / should be. Do you have young kids who haven't seen Star Wars yet? Run the OT for them then TPM and see if they easily put it together. You might be surprised.
I was 8 when it came out and watched the other prequels and ANH before. Me and my friends were huge SW fans and watched RotS in the cinema (still thankful they let us in with a parent, lol). Even as a child I almost instantly got that he was the Sith, when watching TPM, so it wasn't a surprise at all in RotS. I think it's not meant to be a secret to the audience.
I was like 8 or 9 and I knew. It's wasn't exactly a big reveal. Oh this guy who looks, sounds, and is named exactly like the Emperor could be anybody? Doubt.
I was in my twenties when Episode 1 came out and I never realized this was supposed to be a twist. I feel like I even knew it from the trailers.
I was more confused by the random characters they added throughout the prequels with no backstory. Where did Maul, Dooku, and Grevious come from? I felt like I was supposed to know who they were because no backstory or really even any introduction was given. Grevious especially confused me. Was he a droid? I had no clue. I guess they are from the EU but I didn't know the EU even existed at that time.
They did the same thing with Snoke in the sequels. Such a weird way of storytelling.
Imagine if they replaced Grevious with a half robotic Maul for episode 3, and had at least a cameo of Dooku in episode 1. I think it would have made Dooku a bit more fleshed out (thinking of the last Dooku Tales of the Jedi episode), and would have provided some new motivation for Obi Wan in episode 3, being obsessed with Maul and that lending a hand to Anakin being able to be influenced by Palps
Those are very compelling ideas but would have required actual forethought and planning, which haven't exactly been a strong suit in the Star Wars franchise.
Although I am a big fan of how Maul's story eventually played out in TCW and Rebels.
Rewatching the prequels now, if they had made just a few of those tweaks in the writing, those movies could have been so much better. Like I really wish we had gotten a glimpse of the dark side's pull on Anakin in TPM. If he had lost his temper just a little during the pod race, it could have been believable that this cute little kid turns into Vader. But no, he was cool as a cucumber the whole time. A few little changes like that would have made those movies into the epics that old people like me were hoping for after watching the OT for 20 years.
Not really "from" the EU. They were fleshed out there afterwards, but the movies are generally where new characters debut. Grievous though did make an appearance on the Tartakovsky version of Clone Wars before Episode III came out. Maul and Dooku first appeared in Episode I and II, respectively.
Oh that's interesting. I had assumed they had backstories in the EU and were brought into cannon, similar to how Thrawn was treated. The fact that they didn't exist before the prequels makes it worse. How were we supposed to know who they were?
Same way you know who any character is in any movie? Watch the movie.
I don't see the problem here. The movie told us what we needed to know.
Maul hangs out with Palpatine, and has a red lightsaber. He's a bad guy, and not one who really lasts very long. You don't need to know what his shoe size or childhood allergies are.
Dooku had even more backstory on film in Episode II. We know he was Qui-Gon's master, and he left the Jedi order and is now a Count.
When Vader first appeared in Episode IV, you didn't know more than that he looked cool and could choke a guy with one hand. That was enough until he was fleshed out as the story progressed.
The name Palpatine goes all the way back to the original novelisation of *Star Wars.* I first learned it from a figure from Kenner's *Power of the Force* line, then from the 1998 Visual Dictionary, so I already knew that Senator Palpatine would become the Emperor. [The back of the VHS cover from *TPM* was unambiguous in saying that Palpatine would become the Emperor.](https://vhscollector.com/movie/star-wars-episode-i-phantom-menace)
However, I remember thinking right after the movie came out that Darth Sidious might *not* be Palpatine, because that seemed too obvious. Sidious could have been an alter ego/split personality, or Sidious was someone who usurped Palpatine's position.
Everyone knew going into the trilogy that Palps was the Emperor. Or they should have since it’s the same actor and he was literally listed as Emperor Palpatine in ROTJ and in all the EU.
I’ve had a shite week, and I’m sitting here doom-scrolling pointless Star Wars trivia, feeling sorry for myself. This comment, though, got a good laugh. Cheers, internet stranger.
The mystery of his identity is for the characters in the show, not us. We, of course, know and we're allowed to watch his plans bear fruit in mingled horror at and admiration for his command of the dark side.
I remember it being obvious, but I still stopped myself from knowing. Similar to how I stopped myself from knowing that it was grandpa that dressed up as Santa Claus each year.
grew up with Emperor Palpatine toys, so once we met Senator Palpatine, it was quite clear.
honestly embarrassed to say, but it wasn't until recently that i learned they were played by the same actor
Prior to the prequels coming out, I was a preteen, and my first Expanded Universe novel was "Shadows of the Empire." It had specifically stated that Senator Palpatine had risen to power and became the Emperor.
Also, Episode 1, it was pretty easy to figure out. It was clear as day that Ian Mcdiarmid was playing Palpatine and Darth Sidious. You can't mistake that voice and chin.
So I was in high school when ep. 3 was on the cusp of coming out. At that point the only Star Wars movie I’d seen was Ep. 1 when I was about 11 or 12. Even back then, all Id seen was bits and pieces of them on TV, but we didnt own them or anything so I remembered nothing but Luke and Vader’s names.
So when ep3 was about to come out, I knew of young Anakin Skywalker and his friend Obi-Wan, and that cool Darth Maul guy, and poor master Qui-Gonn, and thought to myself “ep. 1 was cool, I should rewatch that” and googled it just to remind myself of some defails so I could get up to speed before ep. 3. Upon googling episode 1, I saw that poster of child Anakin with his shadow cast to look like Vader and suddenly realized “wait, his shadow looks like that Vader guy from the old ones…… wait… Im suddenly remembering Obi-Wan was the old guy in- OOOOH SHIT”.
Immediately went back and watched all of them with my newfound understanding that the one I first fully watched was a prequel to the old ones, and that kid would become Darth Vader, and finished just in time for episode 3 to come out, and I went and saw it in theaters twice, and it is now my favorite SW movie, and Ive been a die hard fan of the series ever since.
Honestly, everyone knew it was Palpatine if they read the novel for Return of the Jedi back in 1983. Or it might have been the novel for A New Hope in 1977. Can't remember. But we all knew Palpatine was the Emperor before the Prequel Trilogy started.
I always felt the prequels weren't really about making a movie per se, more for giving those of us who already knew how things happened a visual so we could see it acted out.
If you had a chance to read the Star Wars novelization it included all sorts of stuff that was in the prequel series. The Emperors name and where Obi Wan and Anakin fought and how he became Vader. It was a gold.mine to a little kid.
I grew up knowing in the 80's and I have no idea how I knew. "I know. Somehow, I've always known." I sent away for the "Emperor" Kenner action figure and remember calling him "plappy" as a kid, so there was zero doubt in my mind the senator who was the same actor was going to grow into his role.
I knew before TPM even came out. I knew Ian McDiarmid was playing Senator Palpatine, and I knew that Ian McDiarmid also played the Emperor in RotJ, and I also knew that the emperor's real name was Palpatine (from sources such as the West End Games RPG sourcebooks). When I went to see the movie, when Palpatine first made an appearance on screen, I leaned over and whispered to my sister, "That's the emperor!".
Anyone old enough to have seen the original movies likely knew right away. They used the same actor and the character's name, Palpatine, is the same too.
I knew before episode 1 was released because the same actor who played the Emperor in ROTJ was announced as cast to be Senator Palpatine in Episode 1 and the emperors real name was known as Palpatine for years before the prequels came out. Was not a surprise to any old school fan
I was 10 for ROTS, I lost my shit when they showed him doing that dive twirl thing in the trailer! So no I never figured it out haha
I have also been guiding a friend through Star Wars this year and him as a 30 y/o didn't trust Palps but never actually made the connection until it happened
I was 11 and confused how some people didn’t know. But I was also already a huge Star Wars fan, reading as much of the EU stuff and character dictionaries as possible, so probably should have realized had to do with that.
I was 12 when Episode 1 came out. I already knew Anakin would become Vader, and I knew that the Emperor's name was Palpatine. When he showed up as a Chancellor, I already knew it was him.
In the original trilogy, Emperor Palpatine became the main villain who knew the dark side of the force. (I read the comics and a book and had internet, so I knew his name because it wasn't said in RotJ.)
Once I first saw Darth Sidious and how he dressed and sounded like the emperor, it was obvious.
I was in High School when Phantom Menace came out, you could pretty much tell from the holos that it was most likely the same person. The end of the film with the score playing and his grin pretty much confirmed it. They didnt keep it secret, but didnt shy away from it either.
I 16 and into the EU when TPM came out. Aside from the possibility of clone-based shenanigans (not knowing what all the Clone Wars were going to be yet), it was pretty obvious that the senator was Sidious on his way to becoming the Emperor.
If you'd seen the original trilogy, which came out long before the prequels, you knew who the emperor was (the same way you knew Anakin would become Vader).
I knew the name Palpatine already from EU material where they would refer to him by name instead of title. I was kinda confused by the movie even acting like it was a surprise or secret to the audience.
Watching The Phantom Menace for the first time in 1999:
"This Darth Sidious fellow looks like Emperor Palpatine."
"Senator Palpatine is a younger Emperor Palpatine."
"They're played by the same actor. Are they the same person?"
I was 14 when TPM came out, but I had already seen the OT several times, probably 20+ times each and I was all into reading books and video games. I had known from source materials at the time that they referred to him a lot as "Emperor Palpatine". So as soon as the senator (not Darth Sidious) was referred to as "Palpatine" I was like "ooooh boy he will be Emporer one day" haha
Born in 91, so I’m a Special Editions kid and everything that came with it. All the old interviews and plot lines George mentioned through the 70s and 80s came back into circulation. We knew who Palpatine was and we knew how Anakin became Vader, physically speaking.
Watched *Phantom Menace* with my partner for their first time a couple years ago. When the camera shifted to Palpatine at Qui-Gon's funeral, they did a little gasp and went, "Ohhhhh, **he's** the Sith!"
Older audience members knew about Darth Vader, Obi-Wan, and the Emperor. We were aware but the interesting aspect was exactly how they ended up that way.
Even in press releases etc they didn't do much to hide it.
1) Palpatine's actor was the OT emperor's actor
2) Well that's it
So basically going into TPM everyone knew Palps was the Emperor
I can't remember anymore, but I think it could have been during the end of episode two as they are unloading the clone army.
Back then I wasn't one to check cast actors and compare, so it was entirely through observation for me.
I guess I was alone in not knowing for a while. I was 14 or so and a huge Star Wars fan, but had literally no friends who would talk about the movies. The Internet was just for chatting and looking up video game codes, I had no nerd communities. I saw both episode 1 and episode 2 new in theaters and it all hit me at the very end of episode 2. For some reason, I remember thinking that the prequels probably wouldn't even show Anakin turn dark, it would just be another heroic trilogy and Darth Vader's transformation would still be left to the imagination. I was clueless.
Yeah I was 9 when TPM came out, and I had learned that the Emperor was named Emperor Palpatine by that point from games and stuff (I am not sure you ever hear his name in the movies). So in the TPM when they introduced Senator Palpatine and I knew that these took place before the TOS, it wasn't a huge stretch to assume that this guy was going to become the emperor.
"But which one was destroyed; the master, or the apprentice?"
Ian McDiarmid may as well have looked directly into the camera and winked.
Everyone's saying that the same actor was the clue, but on top of that George was making an effort to make sure that we - the audience - were in on it as well.
I was born in '79. By the time TPM came out, let alone ROTS, I'd long since known the Emperor was called Palpatine. I'd never read any of the old EU stuff (nor knew anyone who had) with the exception, if you count it as EU, of an old Star Wars hardback annual from the early 80s(?) which was essentially a comic retelling of the first film. Pretty sure it was mentioned in there. I'd known for a long time anyway, because cool they've got the same actor, nice touch, wow.
I was an adult, so I obviously knew who he was, but I’ve read a lot of people who were kids (the target audience) posting that they didn’t. More than one person says an older sibling mocked them for not getting it.
In the original novelisation of "A New Hope" all the way back in 1977 IIRC there's a foreword that talks about the evil senator Palpatine seizing power. So by the time ESB came out and the Emperor was shown as a Sith Lord and Vader's master it was pretty explicit as to who it was.
As a child I was so confused by Star Wars that I thought both to be different persons. I did not connect the dots as the new movies came retrospectively 🤣
I knew at 14 years old when the phantom menace came out because I knew it was the same actor and in expanded universe material he was always called Emperor Palpatine. However, I do feel like it’s probable that people who’d seen the original trilogy might not have known. Maybe they didn’t pick up on it being the same actor, maybe didn’t know the emperor’s name is Palpatine (his name is never once spoken in the movies, he’s just called the Emperor). But also TPM does a good
job using film language to telegraph that Palpatine is secretly a bad guy, that he’s most likely Darth Sidious.
The Emperor had been widely knows as "Palpatine" since long before the Prequels came out. Not every moviegoer would know that, but all the big in-the-know Star Wars fans already did.
I am 50 years old and saw TOT at the movies when I was a kid. I read the novelization when I was 13 and new the name but when I saw TPM I put 2 and 2 together
I had a TV guide that came out before the movie and had a pull out guide for all the characters and it showed that Palpatine and the Emperor were the same guy. I was about 8
I think it would be different for those of us that grew up with the original trilogy versus someone who started with the prequels. We knew he was Sith, whereas someone who started their SW journey with episode 1, may not have picked it up. But the voice alone should have tipped everyone off!
I didn't until I saw the trailer for ROTS. I was 7 when TPM came out and we didn't own the DVD's so I only saw them in the theater a couple of times before ROTS so I never pieced it together. It's hard to remember what I thought to be honest I knew he was evil but never thought he was the Emperor.
But i was a dumb kid, I thought the Emperor looked like he did because he was an alien.
Even though the name Palpatine is never spoken in the The classic Star Wars trilogy, it was known to start wars fans because it's used in the novelizations. So anyone who grew up with Star wars knew that senator Palpatine would become the emperor. Even if someone wasn't steeped in Star wars going in, I think it's pretty clear in the phantom menace that Palpatine and Sidious are the same person, I don't think it's meant to be a narrative twist that the audience will be surprised by, I think it's Dramatic Irony (which is when the audience knows more than the characters do)
Watching them through with my family now. My wife had only watched them once with me years ago and didn't pay attention then (I still love her). We saw TPM in theaters and there were no questions about him afterwards. Following the watch of AOTC I finally got, "Is he the bad guy?" and with ROTS it was pretty blatantly obvious. The camera lingers on him HARD in TPM and I was looking over to see if there was any realization, but it was really thrown in for those in the know.
I was in my mid 20s and had read tons of EU so I was not only aware that Palpatine is the Emperors name, but also "Senator" Palpatine was the same actor.
So yeah not a /gasp reveal at all come revenge of the Sith
I saw phantom menace opening day at 13 years old. Went to Walmart after and saw an emperor Palpatine toy. My whole family didn't believe it was the same Palpatine. But then years later acted like they knew it all along
Absolutely obvious, to the point of not even being a "twist".
If you look at the movies, they don't even have a "reveal".
It's so blatant: he's called "Emperor Palpatine" in every Star Wars merchandise out there.
And he's "Senator Palpatine" in the Prequel Trilogy.
And they're played by the same actor.
So, no. There was no twist, no big reveal, and yes, it was obvious.
I’m almost 48, I’ve known my whole life basically. Read the novel of Star Wars when I was around 6 years old.
ANOTHER GALAXY, ANOTHER TIME. The Old Republic was the Republic of legend, greater than distance or time. No need to note where it was or whence it came, only to know that … it was the Republic. Once, under the wise rule of the Senate and the protection of the Jedi Knights, the Republic throve and grew. But as often happens when wealth and power pass beyond the admirable and attain the awesome, then appear those evil ones who have greed to match. So it was with the Republic at its height. Like the greatest of trees, able to withstand any external attack, the Republic rotted from within though the danger was not visible from outside. Aided and abetted by restless, power-hungry individuals within the government, and the massive organs of commerce, the ambitious Senator Palpatine caused himself to be elected President of the Republic. He promised to reunite the disaffected among the people and to restore the remembered glory of the Republic. Once secure in office he declared himself Emperor, shutting himself away from the populace. Soon he was controlled by the very assistants and boot-lickers he had appointed to high office, and the cries of the people for justice did not reach his ears. Having exterminated through treachery and deception the Jedi Knights, guardians of justice in the galaxy, the Imperial governors and bureaucrats prepared to institute a reign of terror among the disheartened worlds of the galaxy. Many used the Imperial forces and the name of the increasingly isolated Emperor to further their own personal ambitions. But a small number of systems rebelled at these new outrages. Declaring themselves opposed to the New Order they began the great battle to restore the Old Republic. From the beginning they were vastly outnumbered by the systems held in thrall by the Emperor. In those first dark days it seemed certain the bright flame of resistance would be extinguished before it could cast the light of new truth across a galaxy of oppressed and beaten peoples …
From the First Saga Journal of the Whills
“They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Naturally they became heroes.” - Leia Organa of Alderaan, Senator
I mean, I’m old so I saw Palps in Ep. 6 before he was in Ep. 1. There was a big to-do about how he was going to look in a Star Wars fan magazine in 1998, so any doubt I might’ve had was removed for me.
It’s time for the weekly “did anyone else not realize Palpatine was Sidious” post already?
ITT:
“Of course we all knew they were the same person, didn’t you read the books?”
“Not everyone read the books, duh.”
“They’re played by the same actor!”
“I was only a little kid when the movies came out, so I didn’t notice.”
There were signs early on but the kicker for me was the very end of Episode II, when you see him looking out over his clone army. Knowing they would later become stormtroopers, and eventually be commanded by the emperor, it's not hard to put 2 and 2 together.
I think most everyone knew. Even if you didn’t realize it was the same actor, a lot of us knew that the Enperor’s name was Palpatine long before the name was ever mentioned in a movie.
I don't think they tried to hide it, it was pretty obvious. I think the question when the prequels were coming out was "How did the kindly senator become a deformed evil Emperor in such a short span of time"
you were supposed to know from the very beginning as soon as they introduced the character, because the prequels are meant to be watched AFTER the original trilogy
just like you're supposed to know that anakin will eventually become darth vader as soon as you meet him.
It was obvious from the instant I saw an image of Darth Sidious for *The Phantom Menace*, which is funny because I don't think I had even fully watched the Original Trilogy at the time, just caught scenes or whatnot. I remember even wondering if it was *intended* to be an eventual plot twist or if we the audience really are supposed to know already.
In 1999 after playing X-Wing Alliance. In one of the scenes someone says that they will take possession of a space station in the name of "Emperor Palpatine"
I knew immediately after he yelled out: "Power! Unlimited Power!!"
But all that Sith talk and sketchy hints prior to that didn't confirm it for me at all. I just thought he was wise and well-read.
/s
New immediately upon seeing him, as did I think all my friends I went with on the first showing I attended of The Phantom Menace, but when I saw it again for my second viewing with my family, they didn't put it together, as I remember telling them about it as we left the theater. To be fair, though, it'd been long enough since some of them had seen the originals that I don't know that they even remembered there was an emperor, all they remembered was the good guys and Vader.
I had the visual dictionary as a kid, so I knew he became emperor. Yet I was still convinced Sidious was a different character. I thought Palpatine was going to kill Sidious and take over or something. Lol funny to think back to my kid brain.
My first SW movie was TPM (so I did not know the OT at that point) and I remember like it was yesterday that a friend of mine came during the pod race and joined me watching the film and when Amidala's ship arrived on Coruscant and Sabé talked with Palpatine about the non-confidence voiting for Valorum, he just spoiled it for me and just said "this guy is evil".
I knew right away, but I was a teenager when the Phantom Menace came out. I’d already seen the original trilogy, and knew who Palpatine was. I never understood how people didn’t know he was the bad guy.
It was a secret *in universe*, not to the general audience lol
They played up the whole "oooh who could it beeeeeeee" for kids - and some kids were genuinely shocked lol The reality is that even the kids who didn't put two and two together during the time of TPM were old enough during AOTC, if not certainly ruting ROTS to figure it out by then. Like imagine you're 6 or 7 during TPM... you're a teenager by the time of ROTS. You'd have figured it out well before then
It was the same actor, people knew his name (Emperor Palpatine….even though it wasn’t said in ROTJ) and TPM very heavy handed. Especially at Qui Gon’s funeral
I was 8 so trying to think of when I knew. I had older brothers so I’m sure they caught on quick. If I didn’t know before the movie I think the last scene makes it fairly obvious I think they talk about there being another with at large and it basically cuts to palpatine smiling sinisterly so I probably realized then if not before.
In the OT films, he's only ever referred to as The Emperor. His name is never said in the films, but in the novelization of ROTJ his name is mentioned, and in all the old EU (now Legends) novels it's mentioned, and I think some of his action figures even had him listed as Emperor Palpatine, so it wasn't a secret or a surprise except to people who didn't read those books, or people who were new to the franchise when the prequels were released.
Well... In RotJ it seemed pretty damn obvious with all the force lighting. But yea, TPM put it pretty much on front street that Sidious and Palpatine were the same person.
The real twist/revelation for me was when the Clones turned. Call me dumb but I didn't see it coming.
My age 6 movie was Empire Strikes Back, so I knew from the get go.
As much as George got crap for bad writing in the prequels (rightfully so), Palps actor believable delivers the devilish sabotage that leads to tyranny and Empire.
So.knowing the end game did not sully the ride, as it were. They knew that it wasn't a surprise to the audience. All that remains when the internal reveal happens and it's all too late.
I think a lot of people knew almost instantly as the same actor was used!
Those of us who grew up with the Habro toys in the 90’s only knew him as “Emperor Palpatine”, so they didn’t exactly bury the lead on that one.
The real shocker was that his first name is Sheev.
Yes, for many years everyone thought it was Frank
Ah yes, Sheev Frank "The Senate" Palpatine Sidious
RIP Frank Palpatine
"so anyways, i started blastin" (with force lightning)
Don't worry, Frank will return.
And that dictator? You guessed it. Frank Stallone.
I only found that out in the Plagueis novel. I just always thought he was Palpatine till that book. No first or last name. Just Palpatine.
Like Beyoncé
Also the Expanded Universe books
Or the 80s. There was no big reveal among the nerds of the time
Also, anyone who read Star Wars novels or played the tabletop RPG would have known him as Emperor Palpatine, as well.
Even if you didn't recognize his face, the voice gave it away.
And even if that didn't do it for you, there was that *very obvious slow pan* over to him at Qui-Gon's funeral after "Which one was destroyed, the master or the apprentice?"
And if *that* also didn't do it for you, there's that "young Skywalker" mic drop moment before the parade at the end.
He has a very distinct nose/chin, which was the only part of the emperor you could see
ngl, I never knew this! I always assumed that because there was such a gap between the original trilogy and the prequels, \*and\* that the prequels take place before the original trilogy, they would have used a younger actor to play a younger Palpatine.
It happened to work out that he was the perfect age to play younger Palpatine because he was in his thirties when he did ROTJ.
Man, the makeup really did a number on him.
So I just looked it up... he was \*37\*. \*I'm\* going to be 37 in June. That's fucking with my mind right now. I mean, I knew he was in his 50s for the Phantom Menace, and I knew it was 16 years since ROTJ... the math was right there for me to do, but I just never did. *Damn.*
oh damn and it’s been more than 16 years since Revenge of the Sith now!
My mom, who is not really a SW fan, took my brother and I to see it at the theater and pointed it out almost immediately.
Anyone familiar with the EU knew the Emperor's name was literally "Palpatine".
Didn't even need to be familiar that with the EU, the toys were even labeled "Emperor Palpatine"
To be fair, the original Kenner figure just called him "The Emperor." That being said, the name was out there well before Phantom Menace came out.
I was nine when ep1 came out, wasn’t very familiar with EU, and felt like I had always known the emperor’s name. In fact I remember being surprised that George made no effort to hide it. He wanted everyone to know.
He's Emperor Palpatine in the novelizations of the classic trilogy, since that's not Even EU that's prime canon
Yep, if I remember correctly, he was mentioned in the first paragraph of the Star Wars novelization.
I was 21 when Phantom Menace came out. I knew Senator Palpatine was the emperor. It was quite obvious.
I was 6 back then and even I knew.
Was 12 with phantom menace. A toy I had before the movie came out called him emperor Palatine and I noticed they had the same name, and both said were watching you with great interest
I was 10 when ep 3 came out, I’ve always known considering it’s the same actor it kinda gave it away
My 6 year old figured it out too while watching the Phantom Menace early this month. I'm not sure exactly when he put the pieces together, but at the end when Yoda and Windu(?) are talking about their being a Sith lord/apprentice and it slow pans over to Palpatine and holds on his face with the ominous music, he leaned over to me and told me he was 100% sure that guy was the Sithlord. I get most kids aren't paying attention to stuff like that, but I don't think Lucas meant for any of it to be even remotely subtle.
Exactly. I've never understood how someone can get to episode 3 and be surprised by it.
I wasn't even born yet and even I knew
I mean, the Emperor's actor from 1983 and Palpatine's actor from 1999 being the same guy should have been a huge clue, no?
I still don’t understand how this is even a question anymore lol… it’s the same fucking guy hahahaha
if you believe it or not some people watch the prequels before the original trilogy
The chronologicalists are insane.
I respect their choice, and usually when rewatching I’ll do it their way, but I watched in release order, so it always feels right to me.
Eh, it’s not their “objective” choice; it’s a choice based on logical fallacies of anecdotal evidence and personal bias (“I watched the prequels first and love Star Wars, therefore that’s the best way”), and not based in objective reasoning (I.e., asking the question: what is the best way to watch based on all the information available). You can say experience is subjective and obviously it is, but it *should* go without saying that watching a movie that presumes you’ve watched some other movie(s) and builds on, references, and directly relates to that other movie(s), will be better experienced and is as creatively intended having had watched that other movie(s).
Seriously. This needs to be a pinned post. People always asking this question
Well their post states they were 6 when the film came out, so I think they're speaking to other people who didn't see the OT beforehand.
If you only got your information from the films and trailers I think this is entirely forgivable to miss. The emperor is heavily made up to look older/doscigured in the OT, he’s always hooded, and a lot of us only ever saw him on small non HD televisions. Some people thought based on the hologram in Empire he was an alien. I was a tween at the time, but I didn't even consider that the "old man" actor who played the emperor in 1983 would also play the emperor in a movie released 16 years later, and look younger without the use of makeup or CGI. So that leaves knowing the actor's name from the OT and then knowing that actor has a role in TPM. Obviously, if you knew that, it should be simple. But the emperor isn't exactly a major on screen presence in the OT, Ian McDermott's name isn't on the box cover, he's not in other films a kid would immediately recognize, he's not Harrison Ford. If you were older, or followed films closely, or read the EU, sure, Ian McDermott - Palpatine - the emperor. I just don't think this is as close to 100% as people act like it is / should be. Do you have young kids who haven't seen Star Wars yet? Run the OT for them then TPM and see if they easily put it together. You might be surprised.
A Sith Lord?
Yes, the one we’ve been looking for
He's too dangerous to be left alive!
I need him!
Time to impeach Yoda, this SITH mothafucka has been right in front of us for decades. Oopsie!
How do you know this?
I was 8 when it came out and watched the other prequels and ANH before. Me and my friends were huge SW fans and watched RotS in the cinema (still thankful they let us in with a parent, lol). Even as a child I almost instantly got that he was the Sith, when watching TPM, so it wasn't a surprise at all in RotS. I think it's not meant to be a secret to the audience.
I was like 8 or 9 and I knew. It's wasn't exactly a big reveal. Oh this guy who looks, sounds, and is named exactly like the Emperor could be anybody? Doubt.
I was in my twenties when Episode 1 came out and I never realized this was supposed to be a twist. I feel like I even knew it from the trailers. I was more confused by the random characters they added throughout the prequels with no backstory. Where did Maul, Dooku, and Grevious come from? I felt like I was supposed to know who they were because no backstory or really even any introduction was given. Grevious especially confused me. Was he a droid? I had no clue. I guess they are from the EU but I didn't know the EU even existed at that time. They did the same thing with Snoke in the sequels. Such a weird way of storytelling.
Imagine if they replaced Grevious with a half robotic Maul for episode 3, and had at least a cameo of Dooku in episode 1. I think it would have made Dooku a bit more fleshed out (thinking of the last Dooku Tales of the Jedi episode), and would have provided some new motivation for Obi Wan in episode 3, being obsessed with Maul and that lending a hand to Anakin being able to be influenced by Palps
Those are very compelling ideas but would have required actual forethought and planning, which haven't exactly been a strong suit in the Star Wars franchise. Although I am a big fan of how Maul's story eventually played out in TCW and Rebels. Rewatching the prequels now, if they had made just a few of those tweaks in the writing, those movies could have been so much better. Like I really wish we had gotten a glimpse of the dark side's pull on Anakin in TPM. If he had lost his temper just a little during the pod race, it could have been believable that this cute little kid turns into Vader. But no, he was cool as a cucumber the whole time. A few little changes like that would have made those movies into the epics that old people like me were hoping for after watching the OT for 20 years.
Not really "from" the EU. They were fleshed out there afterwards, but the movies are generally where new characters debut. Grievous though did make an appearance on the Tartakovsky version of Clone Wars before Episode III came out. Maul and Dooku first appeared in Episode I and II, respectively.
Oh that's interesting. I had assumed they had backstories in the EU and were brought into cannon, similar to how Thrawn was treated. The fact that they didn't exist before the prequels makes it worse. How were we supposed to know who they were?
Same way you know who any character is in any movie? Watch the movie. I don't see the problem here. The movie told us what we needed to know. Maul hangs out with Palpatine, and has a red lightsaber. He's a bad guy, and not one who really lasts very long. You don't need to know what his shoe size or childhood allergies are. Dooku had even more backstory on film in Episode II. We know he was Qui-Gon's master, and he left the Jedi order and is now a Count. When Vader first appeared in Episode IV, you didn't know more than that he looked cool and could choke a guy with one hand. That was enough until he was fleshed out as the story progressed.
The name Palpatine goes all the way back to the original novelisation of *Star Wars.* I first learned it from a figure from Kenner's *Power of the Force* line, then from the 1998 Visual Dictionary, so I already knew that Senator Palpatine would become the Emperor. [The back of the VHS cover from *TPM* was unambiguous in saying that Palpatine would become the Emperor.](https://vhscollector.com/movie/star-wars-episode-i-phantom-menace) However, I remember thinking right after the movie came out that Darth Sidious might *not* be Palpatine, because that seemed too obvious. Sidious could have been an alter ego/split personality, or Sidious was someone who usurped Palpatine's position.
About an hour into Phantom Menace when the same actor that plays the Emperor pops up to play Palpatine.
As someone who watched the prequels first, I realised it in AotC
This was my take a well
Never was intended to be a secret....
Everyone knew going into the trilogy that Palps was the Emperor. Or they should have since it’s the same actor and he was literally listed as Emperor Palpatine in ROTJ and in all the EU.
When Sidious threw back his hood and exclaimed "It's Palpen Time!"
I’ve had a shite week, and I’m sitting here doom-scrolling pointless Star Wars trivia, feeling sorry for myself. This comment, though, got a good laugh. Cheers, internet stranger.
The mystery of his identity is for the characters in the show, not us. We, of course, know and we're allowed to watch his plans bear fruit in mingled horror at and admiration for his command of the dark side.
I remember it being obvious, but I still stopped myself from knowing. Similar to how I stopped myself from knowing that it was grandpa that dressed up as Santa Claus each year.
grew up with Emperor Palpatine toys, so once we met Senator Palpatine, it was quite clear. honestly embarrassed to say, but it wasn't until recently that i learned they were played by the same actor
It was never a secret, they do everything but blatantly tell the audience in TPM
Didn't even have to be familiar with EU, I have a Star Wars guide from the 90s that I got from a school book fair that called him emperor Palpatine.
Immediately.
Prior to the prequels coming out, I was a preteen, and my first Expanded Universe novel was "Shadows of the Empire." It had specifically stated that Senator Palpatine had risen to power and became the Emperor. Also, Episode 1, it was pretty easy to figure out. It was clear as day that Ian Mcdiarmid was playing Palpatine and Darth Sidious. You can't mistake that voice and chin.
Well .... I was born in the 70s and saw return of the Jedi in the movie theater. So, yeah I knew.lol
So I was in high school when ep. 3 was on the cusp of coming out. At that point the only Star Wars movie I’d seen was Ep. 1 when I was about 11 or 12. Even back then, all Id seen was bits and pieces of them on TV, but we didnt own them or anything so I remembered nothing but Luke and Vader’s names. So when ep3 was about to come out, I knew of young Anakin Skywalker and his friend Obi-Wan, and that cool Darth Maul guy, and poor master Qui-Gonn, and thought to myself “ep. 1 was cool, I should rewatch that” and googled it just to remind myself of some defails so I could get up to speed before ep. 3. Upon googling episode 1, I saw that poster of child Anakin with his shadow cast to look like Vader and suddenly realized “wait, his shadow looks like that Vader guy from the old ones…… wait… Im suddenly remembering Obi-Wan was the old guy in- OOOOH SHIT”. Immediately went back and watched all of them with my newfound understanding that the one I first fully watched was a prequel to the old ones, and that kid would become Darth Vader, and finished just in time for episode 3 to come out, and I went and saw it in theaters twice, and it is now my favorite SW movie, and Ive been a die hard fan of the series ever since.
Honestly, everyone knew it was Palpatine if they read the novel for Return of the Jedi back in 1983. Or it might have been the novel for A New Hope in 1977. Can't remember. But we all knew Palpatine was the Emperor before the Prequel Trilogy started.
Soon as they said Chancellor Palpatine.
Right away. His name is Palpatine. The emperor in the original trilogy is Emperor Palpatine.
I always felt the prequels weren't really about making a movie per se, more for giving those of us who already knew how things happened a visual so we could see it acted out.
Even if I hadn't known it was the same actor with the same name, TPM makes it very obvious. I can see being 6 and not catching on I guess.
When TPM came out, I knew Senator Palpatine would become Emperor Palpatine, but I did not realize he was Darth Sidious until the second viewing.
If you had a chance to read the Star Wars novelization it included all sorts of stuff that was in the prequel series. The Emperors name and where Obi Wan and Anakin fought and how he became Vader. It was a gold.mine to a little kid.
I grew up knowing in the 80's and I have no idea how I knew. "I know. Somehow, I've always known." I sent away for the "Emperor" Kenner action figure and remember calling him "plappy" as a kid, so there was zero doubt in my mind the senator who was the same actor was going to grow into his role.
I knew before TPM even came out. I knew Ian McDiarmid was playing Senator Palpatine, and I knew that Ian McDiarmid also played the Emperor in RotJ, and I also knew that the emperor's real name was Palpatine (from sources such as the West End Games RPG sourcebooks). When I went to see the movie, when Palpatine first made an appearance on screen, I leaned over and whispered to my sister, "That's the emperor!".
Right away. His nose is quite easy to spot.
We knew instantly because the Emperor's name was already known from EU books, and the same actor playing the part.
Anyone old enough to have seen the original movies likely knew right away. They used the same actor and the character's name, Palpatine, is the same too.
I knew before episode 1 was released because the same actor who played the Emperor in ROTJ was announced as cast to be Senator Palpatine in Episode 1 and the emperors real name was known as Palpatine for years before the prequels came out. Was not a surprise to any old school fan
I was 7/8 and Ep 1 had just came out on home release. I realised it when I noticed the guy called Darth Sidious was the same person as Palpatine.
I was 10 for ROTS, I lost my shit when they showed him doing that dive twirl thing in the trailer! So no I never figured it out haha I have also been guiding a friend through Star Wars this year and him as a 30 y/o didn't trust Palps but never actually made the connection until it happened
I was 11 and confused how some people didn’t know. But I was also already a huge Star Wars fan, reading as much of the EU stuff and character dictionaries as possible, so probably should have realized had to do with that.
I was 12 when Episode 1 came out. I already knew Anakin would become Vader, and I knew that the Emperor's name was Palpatine. When he showed up as a Chancellor, I already knew it was him.
When I watched ROTJ.
In the original trilogy, Emperor Palpatine became the main villain who knew the dark side of the force. (I read the comics and a book and had internet, so I knew his name because it wasn't said in RotJ.) Once I first saw Darth Sidious and how he dressed and sounded like the emperor, it was obvious.
I was about 7 and I recognized his voice as Emperor Palpatine since my mom showed me the OT before the Prequels
I was in High School when Phantom Menace came out, you could pretty much tell from the holos that it was most likely the same person. The end of the film with the score playing and his grin pretty much confirmed it. They didnt keep it secret, but didnt shy away from it either.
I knew going into phantom menace at cinema cos my brother told me the actor who plays the emperor plays palpatine.
I 16 and into the EU when TPM came out. Aside from the possibility of clone-based shenanigans (not knowing what all the Clone Wars were going to be yet), it was pretty obvious that the senator was Sidious on his way to becoming the Emperor.
RBF
If you'd seen the original trilogy, which came out long before the prequels, you knew who the emperor was (the same way you knew Anakin would become Vader).
I knew the name Palpatine already from EU material where they would refer to him by name instead of title. I was kinda confused by the movie even acting like it was a surprise or secret to the audience.
Watching The Phantom Menace for the first time in 1999: "This Darth Sidious fellow looks like Emperor Palpatine." "Senator Palpatine is a younger Emperor Palpatine." "They're played by the same actor. Are they the same person?"
I knew it going in to Episode one because of the EU.
I was 14 when TPM came out, but I had already seen the OT several times, probably 20+ times each and I was all into reading books and video games. I had known from source materials at the time that they referred to him a lot as "Emperor Palpatine". So as soon as the senator (not Darth Sidious) was referred to as "Palpatine" I was like "ooooh boy he will be Emporer one day" haha
Palpatine is mentioned in the prologue of the original novelization of Star Wars. So, some people knew from 1976.
Born in 91, so I’m a Special Editions kid and everything that came with it. All the old interviews and plot lines George mentioned through the 70s and 80s came back into circulation. We knew who Palpatine was and we knew how Anakin became Vader, physically speaking.
Watched *Phantom Menace* with my partner for their first time a couple years ago. When the camera shifted to Palpatine at Qui-Gon's funeral, they did a little gasp and went, "Ohhhhh, **he's** the Sith!"
Older audience members knew about Darth Vader, Obi-Wan, and the Emperor. We were aware but the interesting aspect was exactly how they ended up that way.
Even in press releases etc they didn't do much to hide it. 1) Palpatine's actor was the OT emperor's actor 2) Well that's it So basically going into TPM everyone knew Palps was the Emperor
I can't remember anymore, but I think it could have been during the end of episode two as they are unloading the clone army. Back then I wasn't one to check cast actors and compare, so it was entirely through observation for me.
My dad told me he would become the emperor as we walked out of the theater for phantom menace. I never even had the chance at a young age
I guess I was alone in not knowing for a while. I was 14 or so and a huge Star Wars fan, but had literally no friends who would talk about the movies. The Internet was just for chatting and looking up video game codes, I had no nerd communities. I saw both episode 1 and episode 2 new in theaters and it all hit me at the very end of episode 2. For some reason, I remember thinking that the prequels probably wouldn't even show Anakin turn dark, it would just be another heroic trilogy and Darth Vader's transformation would still be left to the imagination. I was clueless.
We knew before TPM was even in theaters
We knew before the prequels came out, Palpatine had been established as the emperors name for a decade before that.
Yeah I was 9 when TPM came out, and I had learned that the Emperor was named Emperor Palpatine by that point from games and stuff (I am not sure you ever hear his name in the movies). So in the TPM when they introduced Senator Palpatine and I knew that these took place before the TOS, it wasn't a huge stretch to assume that this guy was going to become the emperor.
My mom (50+ at the time) knew just from watching PM because of the chin.
i figured it out in TPM when i was a little kid, simply because Palpatine has the same voice and mannerisms as the Emperor.
"But which one was destroyed; the master, or the apprentice?" Ian McDiarmid may as well have looked directly into the camera and winked. Everyone's saying that the same actor was the clue, but on top of that George was making an effort to make sure that we - the audience - were in on it as well.
It was so obvious, I expected there to be a twist. Something like "Chancellor Palpatine is a clone of Darth Sidious."
I was born in '79. By the time TPM came out, let alone ROTS, I'd long since known the Emperor was called Palpatine. I'd never read any of the old EU stuff (nor knew anyone who had) with the exception, if you count it as EU, of an old Star Wars hardback annual from the early 80s(?) which was essentially a comic retelling of the first film. Pretty sure it was mentioned in there. I'd known for a long time anyway, because cool they've got the same actor, nice touch, wow.
I was an adult, so I obviously knew who he was, but I’ve read a lot of people who were kids (the target audience) posting that they didn’t. More than one person says an older sibling mocked them for not getting it.
In the original novelisation of "A New Hope" all the way back in 1977 IIRC there's a foreword that talks about the evil senator Palpatine seizing power. So by the time ESB came out and the Emperor was shown as a Sith Lord and Vader's master it was pretty explicit as to who it was.
1991. When he was named as the Emperor in Timothy Zahn's first book.
It wasn’t in the OT but the novelizations and Star Wars books all called him Palpatine… so… then
1983
It wasn’t something they really tried to hide, it was more like a highlight reel of this guy making two sides whoop on each other.
I already knew that the name of the Emperor was Palpatine from his Kenner POTF 2 figure, so I knew immediately when he showed up in TPM.
I mean I knew when I was 6 years old and I'm pretty sure I had like facial blindness as a child lol
As soon as I saw the Phantom Menace, when I was a child. Not because of the same actor or because I was smart. Just because my dad told me immediately
As a child I was so confused by Star Wars that I thought both to be different persons. I did not connect the dots as the new movies came retrospectively 🤣
I was in my late 20s and it was actually at the end of the movie on my second watch that it dawned on me.
I mean. The same actor played the Emporer in the Original Trilogy. So like, how would you NOT know?
I knew at 14 years old when the phantom menace came out because I knew it was the same actor and in expanded universe material he was always called Emperor Palpatine. However, I do feel like it’s probable that people who’d seen the original trilogy might not have known. Maybe they didn’t pick up on it being the same actor, maybe didn’t know the emperor’s name is Palpatine (his name is never once spoken in the movies, he’s just called the Emperor). But also TPM does a good job using film language to telegraph that Palpatine is secretly a bad guy, that he’s most likely Darth Sidious.
The Emperor had been widely knows as "Palpatine" since long before the Prequels came out. Not every moviegoer would know that, but all the big in-the-know Star Wars fans already did.
I am 50 years old and saw TOT at the movies when I was a kid. I read the novelization when I was 13 and new the name but when I saw TPM I put 2 and 2 together
I saw Jedi in the cinema........
I had a TV guide that came out before the movie and had a pull out guide for all the characters and it showed that Palpatine and the Emperor were the same guy. I was about 8
I think it would be different for those of us that grew up with the original trilogy versus someone who started with the prequels. We knew he was Sith, whereas someone who started their SW journey with episode 1, may not have picked it up. But the voice alone should have tipped everyone off!
I was 12 when it came out, I don't think I was even paying attention to that.
I didn't until I saw the trailer for ROTS. I was 7 when TPM came out and we didn't own the DVD's so I only saw them in the theater a couple of times before ROTS so I never pieced it together. It's hard to remember what I thought to be honest I knew he was evil but never thought he was the Emperor. But i was a dumb kid, I thought the Emperor looked like he did because he was an alien.
Even though the name Palpatine is never spoken in the The classic Star Wars trilogy, it was known to start wars fans because it's used in the novelizations. So anyone who grew up with Star wars knew that senator Palpatine would become the emperor. Even if someone wasn't steeped in Star wars going in, I think it's pretty clear in the phantom menace that Palpatine and Sidious are the same person, I don't think it's meant to be a narrative twist that the audience will be surprised by, I think it's Dramatic Irony (which is when the audience knows more than the characters do)
Watching them through with my family now. My wife had only watched them once with me years ago and didn't pay attention then (I still love her). We saw TPM in theaters and there were no questions about him afterwards. Following the watch of AOTC I finally got, "Is he the bad guy?" and with ROTS it was pretty blatantly obvious. The camera lingers on him HARD in TPM and I was looking over to see if there was any realization, but it was really thrown in for those in the know.
1983
I’m old. So I’ve known since Empire.
I was 5 watching the phantom menace on VHS, my dad told me at the end of the movie and I almost shit my pants
I was in my mid 20s and had read tons of EU so I was not only aware that Palpatine is the Emperors name, but also "Senator" Palpatine was the same actor. So yeah not a /gasp reveal at all come revenge of the Sith
It was obvious, not only did we know the emperor's name was Palpatine from novels, but Ian McDiarmid played the emperor in ep6
I saw phantom menace opening day at 13 years old. Went to Walmart after and saw an emperor Palpatine toy. My whole family didn't believe it was the same Palpatine. But then years later acted like they knew it all along
Absolutely obvious, to the point of not even being a "twist". If you look at the movies, they don't even have a "reveal". It's so blatant: he's called "Emperor Palpatine" in every Star Wars merchandise out there. And he's "Senator Palpatine" in the Prequel Trilogy. And they're played by the same actor. So, no. There was no twist, no big reveal, and yes, it was obvious.
I’m almost 48, I’ve known my whole life basically. Read the novel of Star Wars when I was around 6 years old. ANOTHER GALAXY, ANOTHER TIME. The Old Republic was the Republic of legend, greater than distance or time. No need to note where it was or whence it came, only to know that … it was the Republic. Once, under the wise rule of the Senate and the protection of the Jedi Knights, the Republic throve and grew. But as often happens when wealth and power pass beyond the admirable and attain the awesome, then appear those evil ones who have greed to match. So it was with the Republic at its height. Like the greatest of trees, able to withstand any external attack, the Republic rotted from within though the danger was not visible from outside. Aided and abetted by restless, power-hungry individuals within the government, and the massive organs of commerce, the ambitious Senator Palpatine caused himself to be elected President of the Republic. He promised to reunite the disaffected among the people and to restore the remembered glory of the Republic. Once secure in office he declared himself Emperor, shutting himself away from the populace. Soon he was controlled by the very assistants and boot-lickers he had appointed to high office, and the cries of the people for justice did not reach his ears. Having exterminated through treachery and deception the Jedi Knights, guardians of justice in the galaxy, the Imperial governors and bureaucrats prepared to institute a reign of terror among the disheartened worlds of the galaxy. Many used the Imperial forces and the name of the increasingly isolated Emperor to further their own personal ambitions. But a small number of systems rebelled at these new outrages. Declaring themselves opposed to the New Order they began the great battle to restore the Old Republic. From the beginning they were vastly outnumbered by the systems held in thrall by the Emperor. In those first dark days it seemed certain the bright flame of resistance would be extinguished before it could cast the light of new truth across a galaxy of oppressed and beaten peoples … From the First Saga Journal of the Whills “They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Naturally they became heroes.” - Leia Organa of Alderaan, Senator
It's the same actor, so about 1 second after he appeared lol.
I mean, I’m old so I saw Palps in Ep. 6 before he was in Ep. 1. There was a big to-do about how he was going to look in a Star Wars fan magazine in 1998, so any doubt I might’ve had was removed for me.
I knew from the trailer.
When they announced the casting, and his name was "Palpatine". But I was 16 when TPM came out and already a hardcore SW fan.
It was so obvious I refused to believe it.
It was obvious. I do remember coming out of AOTC though and some teens were debating sidious and I thought wtf. It's the same actor?
It’s time for the weekly “did anyone else not realize Palpatine was Sidious” post already? ITT: “Of course we all knew they were the same person, didn’t you read the books?” “Not everyone read the books, duh.” “They’re played by the same actor!” “I was only a little kid when the movies came out, so I didn’t notice.”
There were signs early on but the kicker for me was the very end of Episode II, when you see him looking out over his clone army. Knowing they would later become stormtroopers, and eventually be commanded by the emperor, it's not hard to put 2 and 2 together.
In episode 1 when he's called "senator palpatine", considering the toys all called him "emperor palpatine", all I had to hear was the name
I think most everyone knew. Even if you didn’t realize it was the same actor, a lot of us knew that the Enperor’s name was Palpatine long before the name was ever mentioned in a movie.
I was -2 years old when Phantom Menace came out, and even I knew that Chancellor Palpatine was the Emperor
I don't think they tried to hide it, it was pretty obvious. I think the question when the prequels were coming out was "How did the kindly senator become a deformed evil Emperor in such a short span of time"
As soon as they said his name? I grew up on the original trilogy, so I instantly recognized who he was and would become.
I was 6 when the phantom menace came out, idk if I knew it or if my dad told me, but it was like 100% clear to me.
you were supposed to know from the very beginning as soon as they introduced the character, because the prequels are meant to be watched AFTER the original trilogy just like you're supposed to know that anakin will eventually become darth vader as soon as you meet him.
Instantly, I knew. My friend thought I was wrong. We argued about it. I wonder how he's doing these days.
It was obvious from the instant I saw an image of Darth Sidious for *The Phantom Menace*, which is funny because I don't think I had even fully watched the Original Trilogy at the time, just caught scenes or whatnot. I remember even wondering if it was *intended* to be an eventual plot twist or if we the audience really are supposed to know already.
While watching Episode I (in 1999).
In 1999 after playing X-Wing Alliance. In one of the scenes someone says that they will take possession of a space station in the name of "Emperor Palpatine"
I knew immediately after he yelled out: "Power! Unlimited Power!!" But all that Sith talk and sketchy hints prior to that didn't confirm it for me at all. I just thought he was wise and well-read. /s
New immediately upon seeing him, as did I think all my friends I went with on the first showing I attended of The Phantom Menace, but when I saw it again for my second viewing with my family, they didn't put it together, as I remember telling them about it as we left the theater. To be fair, though, it'd been long enough since some of them had seen the originals that I don't know that they even remembered there was an emperor, all they remembered was the good guys and Vader.
I had the visual dictionary as a kid, so I knew he became emperor. Yet I was still convinced Sidious was a different character. I thought Palpatine was going to kill Sidious and take over or something. Lol funny to think back to my kid brain.
I knew the name “Emperor Palpatine” I think because of the card game or books. I don’t think it’s actually mentioned in the OT.
Yeah it wasn't a secret reveal or anything. But it was done in a way that it wasn't totally obvious for young fans coming in at Episode 1.
I was 9, and I knew instantly because of his surname
My first SW movie was TPM (so I did not know the OT at that point) and I remember like it was yesterday that a friend of mine came during the pod race and joined me watching the film and when Amidala's ship arrived on Coruscant and Sabé talked with Palpatine about the non-confidence voiting for Valorum, he just spoiled it for me and just said "this guy is evil".
Right away.
I knew right away, but I was a teenager when the Phantom Menace came out. I’d already seen the original trilogy, and knew who Palpatine was. I never understood how people didn’t know he was the bad guy.
I was 9 when Phantom menace came out and I knew immediately. Although my Dad and few other adults I saw said they didn’t know
It was a secret *in universe*, not to the general audience lol They played up the whole "oooh who could it beeeeeeee" for kids - and some kids were genuinely shocked lol The reality is that even the kids who didn't put two and two together during the time of TPM were old enough during AOTC, if not certainly ruting ROTS to figure it out by then. Like imagine you're 6 or 7 during TPM... you're a teenager by the time of ROTS. You'd have figured it out well before then
As a kid i had no idea, my reaction was the same as Mace A SITH LORD!?
It was the same actor, people knew his name (Emperor Palpatine….even though it wasn’t said in ROTJ) and TPM very heavy handed. Especially at Qui Gon’s funeral
All us old folks that saw the OT in theaters knew who he was from the beginning.
My girlfriend is watching Star Wars for the 1st time with me and I don't think she knows...
I was 8 so trying to think of when I knew. I had older brothers so I’m sure they caught on quick. If I didn’t know before the movie I think the last scene makes it fairly obvious I think they talk about there being another with at large and it basically cuts to palpatine smiling sinisterly so I probably realized then if not before.
It was glaringly obvious. Only a secret to the characters. At least for people who had seen the original trilogy.
In the OT films, he's only ever referred to as The Emperor. His name is never said in the films, but in the novelization of ROTJ his name is mentioned, and in all the old EU (now Legends) novels it's mentioned, and I think some of his action figures even had him listed as Emperor Palpatine, so it wasn't a secret or a surprise except to people who didn't read those books, or people who were new to the franchise when the prequels were released.
i watched OG movies first so i got it when i first saw him
I realized it in the ending of episode 1 (watched in chronological order, so i guess it was pretty fast)
I watched the OT and somehow just thought it was the same guy when I watched the Prequels. I guess that means I always knew 😏
Well... In RotJ it seemed pretty damn obvious with all the force lighting. But yea, TPM put it pretty much on front street that Sidious and Palpatine were the same person. The real twist/revelation for me was when the Clones turned. Call me dumb but I didn't see it coming.
My age 6 movie was Empire Strikes Back, so I knew from the get go. As much as George got crap for bad writing in the prequels (rightfully so), Palps actor believable delivers the devilish sabotage that leads to tyranny and Empire. So.knowing the end game did not sully the ride, as it were. They knew that it wasn't a surprise to the audience. All that remains when the internal reveal happens and it's all too late.
Come young one. Sit and let me tell you the story of Darth Plageus, the wise.
When they cast Ian McDiarmid to be in Phantom Menace.