Star Wars Makes Palpatine's True Beliefs Even More Sinister with Major Difference Between Empire & Sith

Summary The Empire's core values conflict with those of the Sith, showing Palpatine is not your typical Sith Lord.

Palpatine commands an unfeeling bureaucracy, which is in stark contrast to the more passionate and aggressive methods of a Sith-ruled Empire.

The Emperor seems more akin to a detached Imperial than a Sith Lord, which is somehow far more terrifying, as it's vastly more effective.

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Star Wars #46! Emperor Palpatine has a reputation in Star Wars as being one of the most dangerous Sith Lords in history. He single-handedly took down the Jedi Order, he ushered in a new era for the Sith for the first time in a thousand years, and he ruled the galaxy for decades with his Galactic Empire. Everything about Palpatine screams ‘ultimate Sith Lord’, though it seems Star Wars just undermined that point by revealing that Palpatine’s true beliefs may be even more sinister than those that align with the Sith.

In Star Wars #46 by Charles Soule and Madibek Musabekov, the Rebel Alliance is searching for Mon Mothma, who was kidnapped and held for ransom by a team of mercenaries known as the Scarabi. This happened during the Trial of Lando Calrissian, though given that one of the judges overseeing the trial was kidnapped, that had to be put on hold. In fact, the Rebellion sought Lando’s help in retrieving Mon Mothma, which the former scoundrel actually managed to pull off.

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Lando and the other Rebels (including Chewie) successfully rescue Mon Mothma, but not before she had the chance to speak with the Scarabi leader named Hachi. Hachi was interested in why Mon Mothma became a Rebel, at which point, Mon Mothma explained the cold, unfeeling fascism of the Empire through personal testimony, metaphor examples, and future scenarios. It’s actually one of the best exchanges in recent Star Wars history that highlights exactly how bad the Empire really is, but more than that, it reveals how unlike the Sith the Empire really is as well.

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The Core Values of the Empire Conflict with Those of the Sith in Star Wars

Mon Mothma describes the Empire as an unfeeling, uncaring body of government that will use and abuse its citizens any way it sees fit, because it simply doesn’t care. While some of that aligns with the values of the Sith, the main takeaway from what Mon Mothma was saying was that the Empire is ‘unfeeling’ - and that is very different from the Sith.

The Sith get their power from tapping into their raw and most extreme emotions. Fear, anger, and hatred are what drives a Sith Lord, and while emotionless cruelty can coexist with extreme emotions fueling one’s power for a time, these two motivations are fundamentally at odds. A cold, calculating dictatorship with seemingly endless levels of bureaucracy shouldn’t be the way of a Sith, but rather an Empire of perpetual tests of strength and power fueled by wrath and violence.

The fact that the fundamentals of the Empire differ from those of the Sith speaks to the indefinable sense that Palpatine just doesn’t feel like a Sith. Palpatine seems to be all logic and reason, with no room for emotions. This is very different from someone like Darth Vader, who is powered by unadulterated rage and self-loathing. In fact, Palpatine is far more connected to the Empire’s cold, emotionless cruelty than the Sith model of power through rage and hate, and while that may seem like the better of the two options, it's infinitely more terrifying, for the sole reason that it's far more effective.

Is a Sith Like Darth Vader Even Capable of Running the Empire?

Star Wars: Darth Vader #42-present by Greg Pak and Adam Gorham

Emperor Palpatine runs the Empire utterly detached and without emotion, which goes against the Sith’s long-established methods of attaining power through intense negative emotions. This idea makes Palpatine effectively the opposite of Darth Vader, who is almost exclusively driven by his passion. So, that raises the question: is a Sith like Darth Vader even capable of running the Empire? Interestingly enough, Star Wars’ current canon is asking that very question.

Beginning in Star Wars: Darth Vader #42 (a story that’s still ongoing), a hidden cell of Imperials dedicated to usurping Palpatine’s position as Emperor known as the Schism Imperial has risen to prominence, and they’ve elected Darth Vader as their leader. The Schism Imperial wants to replace Palpatine with Vader, as they recognize Vader is the only person alive strong enough to remove the Emperor from power. While the Schism claims to have no affiliation with the Rebel Alliance, completing their mission could effectively do the Rebels’ job for them.

If Darth Vader ruled in Papatine’s stead, he would not have the capacity to be as emotionless as his master - something the Emperor reminds Vader of constantly. Darth Vader’s rule would be more akin to the Sith of old, as he seems more like a Sith playing the role of an Imperial, as opposed to Palpatine, who seems more like an Imperial with the power of a Sith. In other words, if Darth Vader did usurp Palpatine, it’s possible the Empire would crumble under his rule without Rebellion interference. In fact, something similar has already happened in Star Wars canon.

Kylo Ren’s Methods of Ruling the First Order Confirms Palpatine is a Unique Sith

Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker

While not technically a Sith, Kylo Ren was unwittingly trained by Palpatine in the ways of the dark side just as Darth Vader was, meaning he falls well within that category. Though nothing is greater evidence of Kylo Ren’s Sith tendencies than the fact that he taps into his raw emotions of anger and hatred to fuel his power - and those emotions govern his leadership.

Kylo Ren becomes the Supreme Leader of the First Order at the end of The Last Jedi, and by the time fans see how he's been running the First Order in The Rise of Skywalker, it’s clear that the structure of this ‘new Empire’ is crumbling. From attacking his subordinates with the Force for almost no reason, to the betrayal of the once-loyal Admiral Hux, Kylo Ren’s ‘Empire’ is far weaker when it’s at the mercy of the unregulated emotions of a ‘Sith’, as he’s making choices based on passionate hate that aren’t in the First Order’s best interest.

Given the evidence present in nearly every Darth Vader solo story, it stands to reason the Empire would be in a similar state of disarray with Vader at the helm as the First Order was with Kylo Ren as its Supreme Leader.

The comparisons to the likes of Darth Vader and Kylo Ren only serve to highlight how different Palpatine is compared to other ‘Sith’ in Star Wars canon, especially in a position of leadership. Indeed, Palpatine has always been a different kind of Sith, but the fact that he rules his Empire with cold cruelty - as explained by Mon Mothma - as opposed to wrathful passion brings the stark differences between the Empire and the Sith to the forefront of Star Wars fans’ collective attention.

Though more importantly, these differences between the Empire and the Sith implies Emperor Palpatine’s true beliefs are even more sinister than Star Wars fans originally thought, as the cold cruelty of the Empire systematically stripping citizens of their freedom across the galaxy is more terrifying than the rage-filled hatred of the Sith, as it's vastly more effective.

Star Wars #46 by Marvel Comics is available now.