Warning! This article contains spoilers for Ahsoka episode 7.
Summary
- George Lucas originally intended for Palpatine's Sith identity to remain a secret, protecting his political power and avoiding suspicion.
- Despite Palpatine's attempts at secrecy, there is a galaxy-wide suspicion about his Sith identity, as shown in Star Wars Rebels and Ahsoka.
- The Rise of Skywalker abandoned Lucas' vision by openly revealing Palpatine's Sith identity, contradicting his original plan and creating a new story yet to be told.
George Lucas' original vision for Emperor Palpatine has been retconned by Star Wars, in a fairly subtle and surprising way. The Jedi had believed the Sith to be extinct for a thousand years, unaware that they lurked in the shadows. Darth Sidious was the culmination of all the Sith hopes and plans, successfully transforming the Republic into the Empire and destroying the Jedi through the Clone Wars and Order 66. As chancellor of the Old Republic, Palpatine stood side by side with even Master Yoda, somehow avoiding suspicion.
Palpatine considered himself the ultimate Sith Lord, not least because he was able to maneuver himself into a place of political power. He correctly realized the Jedi were vulnerable in this political arena, and skillfully arranged the overthrow of the Republic and the extermination of the Jedi. But his true genius, according to George Lucas himself, lay in the decisions he made after the foundation of the Empire – a decision that has been curiously undone by modern Star Wars.
Your browser does not support the video tag. Lucas Originally Intended Palpatine's True Identity To Be A Secret 
Viewers can be forgiven for assuming Palpatine only kept his Sith identity a secret during the prequel era, but they are mistaken; Lucas always meant for Palpatine's identity as a Sith to remain a secret, because anything else would have put his entire act at risk. Palpatine continued to purposely mislead the Empire's populace to blame his advisers for the Empire's corruption, while he adopting the persona of a kindly man who was simply out of his depth. With the blame successfully set upon his advisors, Palpatine then became free of any suspicion, and the strings he was pulling behind the scenes were never seen.
