Emperor Palpatine rigorously hid the actual fact he was a Sith Lord, however there have been some Star Wars heroes and villains who knew the reality. Darth Sidious was all the time a schemer, preferring to function within the shadows slightly than stand within the highlight. When he lastly grew to become Emperor in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, he noticed no must abandon the secrecy that had served him so effectively for yrs. The Empire he dominated was characterised by deceit and distrust, with solely the higher echelons realizing the reality about their chief.
The primary Star Wars novelization suggests the Emperor managed to deceive all the galaxy into believing he was a kindly and beneficiant man. The evils of the Empire had been blamed on Palpatine’s advisers and army leaders, with the general public believing the Emperor himself was unaware of what was happening. It was the grandest deceit of all, perpetuated over the course of many years, though he had clearly deserted it by the point of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Listed below are all Palpatine’s pals, allies, and enemies who knew the Emperor was a Sith Lord.
Darth Vader
As Palpatine’s apprentice, Darth Vader was effectively conscious of his Grasp’s true id; the revelation that Palpatine was Sidious was instrumental in Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the darkish facet in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Darth Vader grew to become the general public face of the darkish facet cult, recognized to the galaxy because the Darkish Lord of the Sith however in actuality subservient to his Grasp. Few knew sufficient of the Sith to know there shouldn’t be one Sith however two, and any who did in all probability assumed one among Vader’s Inquisitors was really a Sith Apprentice.
Darth Maul
Though Darth Maul was thought of a Sith Apprentice, Palpatine all the time considered him as little greater than a device. As such, till Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 it was troublesome to say simply how a lot Maul knew – together with whether or not he knew Darth Sidious’ true id. These questions had been answered throughout the Siege of Mandalore, when Maul teased Ahsoka Tano with simply sufficient data to recommend he knew all about Order 66 and Darth Sidious’ plans for Anakin Skywalker. Into the Darkish Occasions, Maul deliberate to make use of this data as leverage to undermine and destroy Palpatine.
Mas Amedda
A Chagrian politician who served within the Senate from the time of Chancellor Valorum onwards, Mas Amedda was one among Palpatine’s closest political allies. He proved himself helpful throughout Palpatine’s rise to energy, serving to him navigate the treacherous waters of galactic politics and witnessing the Sith Lord’s ascension to Emperor. He remained implacably loyal to Palpatine over the subsequent few many years, however curiously, he was not approached by the Emperor’s droids with the intention to take part in Operation Cinder after Palpatine’s loss of life in Return of the Jedi.
Sly Moore
Sly Moore served as Palpatine’s Chief of Workers throughout his time as Chancellor. Not solely was Sly Moore conscious of Darth Sidious’ true nature, she herself was really a Drive-sensitive, efficiently concealing her personal darkish facet powers from the Jedi. The Umbaran girl’s previous continues to be one thing of a thriller, however she remained unflinchingly loyal to the Emperor all through his reign, and she or he was nonetheless a power-player in Palpatine’s authorities till shortly earlier than Return of the Jedi. She seems to have vanished after the destruction of the Second Loss of life Star, maybe heading to Exegol.
Grand Moff Tarkin
One of many Empire’s foremost army minds, James Luceno’s novel Tarkin confirms the Grand Moff grew to become shut sufficient to determine his grasp, the Emperor, was really a Darkish Lord of the Sith; he likewise deduced that Darth Vader was Anakin Skywalker. However Tarkin had no actual curiosity within the secrets and techniques of the Sith, nor was he in any respect involved in difficult the Emperor’s reign. He proved himself a loyal ally, together with his so-called “Tarkin Doctrine” – of utilizing worry to deliver the galaxy to heel – becoming in properly with the Sith philosophy. Tarkin died on the First Loss of life Star.
Grand Admiral Thrawn
The Chiss strategist Grand Admiral Thrawn was the one alien to achieve such a excessive army rank within the Imperial Navy, primarily as a result of his information of the Unknown Areas was helpful to the Emperor. Timothy Zahn’s novels have strongly instructed Thrawn – like Tarkin – swiftly deduced Palpatine’s true id as a Darkish Lord of the Sith. Missing any actual curiosity within the methods of the Jedi and the Sith, Thrawn seen all this as some kind of mental curiosity and disregarded it with the intention to proceed doing his obligation in service to the Emperor.
Gallius Rax
Gallius Rax was a Sith cultist who was launched in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy. He seems to have numbered among the many Emperor’s closest advisers, even anticipating his resurrection after the Battle of Endor. Nonetheless, for all Rax held Palpatine in excessive esteem, he didn’t absolutely perceive the methods of the darkish facet; he was conscious the Emperor sensed a darkish presence within the Unknown Areas, almost definitely the traditional Sith world of Exegol, however he was unable to know why solely Palpatine may detect it. He really thought the Emperor had gone mad.
Ochi of Bestoon
The Sith murderer Ochi of Bestoon was first talked about in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, recognized because the agent of Palpatine who killed Rey’s mother and father. He is since been woven into the Star Wars timeline, launched within the present Darth Vader run as an agent of the Emperor who was assigned to focus on Vader himself for his failure in The Empire Strikes Again. Ochi appears to know way more of the Emperor’s secrets and techniques than even Darth Vader, with dialogue hinting he was conscious of Palpatine’s makes an attempt to overcome loss of life and the cultists who had been primarily based on Exegol.
Grasp Yoda
Grasp Yoda discovered the painful reality about Palpatine in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and he even engaged the Darkish Lord of the Sith in a determined duel within the Senate chambers. Yoda subsequently retreated to the planet Dagobah to meditate upon the methods of the Drive and proceed his apprenticeship to the Drive Ghost of Qui-Gon Jinn. He was effectively conscious he was not the one who would put the galaxy to rights.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Like Grasp Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered Palpatine’s true id in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. The place Yoda went after Palpatine, Obi-Wan focused Darth Vader himself. He subsequently retreated to the desert planet Tatooine to look at over the toddler Luke Skywalker, and he got here to consider Luke was the true Chosen One who was destined to destroy the Sith. Obi-Wan appears to have largely stored his head down throughout the time of the Empire, cautious of drawing an excessive amount of consideration to himself for worry of exposing Luke to hazard, and he died within the first Star Wars movie.
It is troublesome to say whether or not or not any of the Insurgent leaders knew Palpatine was a Sith Lord
It is troublesome to say whether or not or not any of the Insurgent leaders knew Palpatine was a Sith Lord. Though Bail Organa heard Yoda and Obi-Wan speaking after their fateful battles with Darth Sidious and Darth Vader, he was by no means really instructed. He could effectively have put the items collectively, nonetheless.
Ahsoka Tano
Anakin Skywalker’s outdated apprentice Ahsoka Tano was one of many few to determine Palpatine was a Sith Lord. E.Ok. Johnston’s novel Ahsoka is basically set shortly after the occasions of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and it sees Ahsoka hunted by one of many Imperial Inquisitors.
”
The shadow was virtually actually one of many darkish facet’s creatures. Ahsoka had no thought what kind of factor it could be, however no matter it was couldn’t be that highly effective, as a result of it hadn’t been in a position to observe down Hedala. That dominated out Palpatine himself, not that the Emperor may simply present up on a planet with out inflicting quite a lot of alarm.
“
Ezra Bridger
That fateful encounter within the World Between the Worlds virtually actually noticed Ezra Bridger work out the Emperor was a Darkish Lord of the Sith. Ezra was no stranger to the methods of the Sith, having discovered from a Sith Holocron and mistakenly entertained a bond with Darth Maul, and he would undoubtedly have acknowledged Sith lightning. The curious query is whether or not he ever selected to inform any of his pals; Ezra could effectively have merely assumed all people increased up within the chain of Insurgent command knew this, and so stored it to himself.
Eneb Ray
One Insurgent spy did, nonetheless, uncover Palpatine’s Sith powers. The Emperor tricked an agent named Eneb Ray into mustering all of the Insurgent spies on Coruscant to make an assassination try that performed into his fingers. Eneb Ray managed to flee the entice and launch an assault upon Palpatine himself, just for the Emperor to dam the blaster bolts and mission a lethal volley of Drive lightning. Though Eneb Ray survived, he deserted the Insurgent Alliance as a result of he believed their techniques had been too weak, and sought revenge upon Palpatine and the Empire. Evidently, he did not final lengthy.
Qi’ra
Han Solo’s former love curiosity, Qi’ra grew to become concerned with the legal empire of Darth Maul referred to as Crimson Daybreak. As seen on the finish of Solo: A Star Wars Story, Qi’ra apprenticed herself to Darth Maul. He taught her an excellent deal, together with the secrets and techniques of the Sith, and she or he devoted herself to persevering with her grasp’s work. Qi’ra taught lots of Crimson Daybreak’s higher echelons the key of Palpatine’s true id, main them in an try to overthrow the Sith. Key members of Crimson Daybreak included:
- An skilled in Sith and Jedi lore referred to as the Archivist
- A Nightsister murderer named Deathstick
- Qi’ra’s closest advisers, Trinia and Margo
- The bounty hunter Chanath Cha
The Knights of Ren
Launched within the Star Wars sequel trilogy, the Knights of Ren are feared throughout the Outer Rim. Brokers of the darkish facet, they lack the sort of energy you’d anticipate from the Sith, however solely got here to the Emperor’s consideration when Qi’ra recruited them to attempt to undermine his reign. It is unclear whether or not the Knights of Ren already knew Palpatine was a Sith or whether or not they had been instructed this by Qi’ra, however they nonetheless initially labored towards Palpatine, earlier than bowing to his rule.