The first emperor in ‘Star Wars’ was a woman, but she was replaced in later versions

In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, the Emperor doesn’t appear on screen. Darth Vader and other characters mention him, but his first actual scene doesn’t come until The Empire Strikes Back, when the master receives his apprentice in audience. In the current editions, his face is that of Ian McDiarmid, the actor who plays Darth Sidious in the prequels, Return of the Jedi, and animated series like Rebels and The Bad Batch. However, his was not the first face... it was a woman’s!

While later editions replaced the original version, the first performer to portray Palpatine was Marjorie Eaton, who was 79 years old at the time — she passed away a few years later at the age of 86. The voice, however, belonged to a different actor. And no, not Ian McDiarmid either — it was Clive Revill. This actor, incidentally, passed away earlier this year, just shy of his 95th birthday.

The Emperor played a key role in Episode VI

Eager to turn Luke Skywalker to the dark side, Darth Sidious tasks Vader with bringing him before him. His true intention is to replace his apprentice with someone more powerful, just as he had done with Maul and Dooku during the years leading up to his rise as Emperor.

The Sith’s plan to reclaim power is told in the Star Wars prequels. Palpatine, a senator from Naboo and later Supreme Chancellor, manages to manipulate the Senate to seize power permanently and destroy his main enemy, the Jedi Order.

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