How Emperor Palpatine Hid His Yellow Sith Eyes From The Jedi

Summary Some dark siders can conceal their appearance with the Force, hiding physical signs of corruption like yellow eyes and aged features.

Palpatine's yellow Sith eyes may have been hidden through a dark side illusion, potentially masking his true form from the Jedi.

The dark side's power corrupts physically, but some Sith like Count Dooku and Lumiya do not visibly show signs of corruption; Palpatine may not have done at first.

Emperor Palpatine, like many Sith Lords, has yellow, luminous, eyes, which he somehow keeps hidden from the Jedi for most of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The dark side is not a natural aspect of the Force, but rather a malicious and highly addictive corruption of the Force’s natural state – often referred to as the “light side” or occasionally “good side” of the Force. Using the dark side is akin to a Faustian bargain, though it is possible – albeit extremely difficult – for one to free oneself from the dark side’s corruption.

Palpatine is arguably the most powerful Sith Lord of all time. As one of the last – and certainly the most powerful – Sith Lords in Darth Bane’s post-Ruusan dynasty, Palpatine enacted the Sith Order’s revenge on the Jedi and Republic a millennium after Bane reorganized the Sith following their near-destruction. Manipulating the Jedi, the Republic, the Separatists, and even his fellow Sith, Palpatine hid in plain sight, working closely with powerful Jedi Masters who never suspected who he really was. But, while Palpatine used his Force powers to conceal his presence, how did he hide his yellow eyes?

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Some Dark Siders Can Conceal Their Appearance With The Force

The dark side’s corrupting effects on one’s body are explored and partially explained in James Luceno’s novel Darth Plagueis. Plagueis notes that the dark side may make one appear to have aged rapidly, render their voice raspy, and, of course, turn their eyes yellow. According to Plagueis, a powerful Sith Lord might display any or all of these traits, or none at all, but it is nevertheless a worthy price to pay for the dark side’s power. Moreover, many Sith can hide their presence, making their dark side power and their corrupted appearance.

Palpatine would display all these traits by the end of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Two of his apprentices – Darth Maul and Darth Vader – would also have the infamous yellow Sith eyes, though the latter’s eyes would return to their natural state after he renounced the dark side in Return of the Jedi. Many Sith, from Palpatine’s apprentice Count Dooku to Lumiya (his successor in the Star Wars Legends continuity) did not display any physical signs of dark side corruption, despite being exceptionally powerful. This would seemingly be the case for Palpatine as well, at first.

Palpatine’s healthy and young cloned bodies would quickly become corrupted by his consciousness and resemble his Return of the Jedi appearance, as shown in Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy’s Dark Empire.

There are a handful of scenes in Star Wars: The Clone Wars that suggest otherwise, though; occasions where Palpatine is shown in an older form, and where he speaks in a harsher, rasping voice that reflects his darkness. Some dark side cults have been able to use the Force to change their physical appearance, and it is possible Palpatine knew this technique. If this is the case, he was concealing his true form the whole time.

Does This Mean Palpatine Was ALWAYS Using The Dark Side Around The Jedi?

Palpatine was constantly hiding his dark side presence from the Jedi but it is not clear if he was hiding his corrupted appearance from them as well. Palpatine’s yellow Sith eyes (along with the rest of his dark side-corrupted features) are on full display after Mace Windu reflects his lightning back at him, but the lightning might not have deformed him. A popular theory among viewers is that Palpatine already had the yellow Sith eyes and aged appearance throughout the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and concealed them behind a dark side illusion that the reflected lightning destroyed.