In The Phantom Menace, the future Emperor Palpatine is first introduced as his Sith alter ego: Darth Sidious. The name "Sidious" evokes the word "insidious," which describes something that does harm gradually, cumulatively, or subtly, over a long period of time. An insidious thing is not openly or blatantly evil; instead, it is hidden, treacherous, often connoting a trap or a snare. An insidious disease, for instance, is one that develops without obvious symptoms and only becomes apparent once it has already taken root in a person.
All of these are appropriate associations for Darth Sidious, who works in secret to gradually undermine the Republic. The Republic does not fall all at once because of Darth Sidious' machinations; instead, he lays the groundwork for its corruption over a period of many years and even decades. If the Senate is like a body – which is how Padmé Amidala refers to it in The Phantom Menace – Darth Sidious is like an insidious disease poisoning it. He is so subtle and treacherous – so insidious – that the Jedi cannot discover his true identity or effectively work against his plots.
It is fitting that Palpatine almost never uses the name or persona of Darth Sidious after the Republic falls and he becomes Emperor. Once he attains power as the head of the Galactic Empire, he can trade treachery for open tyranny. He no longer needs to be insidious.
EXPLORE FURTHER…
Characters: Palpatine
Films: Episode I: The Phantom Menace / Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
GO DEEPER INTO THE ARCHIVES…
Concepts: good and evil / names / treachery / tyranny
READ MORE ABOUT…
Follow The Jedi Archives on…