There are few villains more iconic than Emperor Palpatine. Across all three Star Wars trilogies (not to mention spin-off media and video games) he's an omnipresent threat; cackling, manipulative ...

For example, something that bothers a lot of new fans is: why the hell didn't the Jedi catch Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) sooner? He was always right next to them! Couldn't they have used the Force ...

Ian McDiarmid almost didn't play Palpatine due to another actor's casting. McDiarmid's portrayal of Palpatine spans all Star Wars trilogies, solidifying his irreplaceable legacy. Lucas considered ...