Star Wars: Ranking Every Major Death From Worst To Best

3. Emperor Palpatine

Rogue One Jyn Cassian deaths
Lucasfilm

The Death: Emperor Palpatine rules the Empire, but is finally defeated by apprentice Darth Vader who, having seen him torture son Luke Skywalker, snaps and throws his master down a huge chute inside the Death Star at the end of Return of the Jedi and George Lucas' original trilogy.

Ranking Explained: Emperor Palpatine is a truly captivating individual. His evil lures Darth Vader to the dark side, turns the galaxy into one led by imperial rule and rises from chancellor to emperor all at the same time, while his cackling voice and force ability makes him a formidable foe for the rebels.

His death marks the end of both his evil stranglehold on the galaxy and grip on Darth Vader. Vader throws him down a chute (seriously, they are all the range in Star Wars) after seeing him electrocute Luke and sees Anakin Skywalker return, all the while marking a turning point for the series with the Empire crumbling and the Republic rising from the ashes as well.

Palpatine’s death marked an end of the war. It was a truly shocking moment in the Star Wars story because nobody ever expected Vader to turn, especially in such brutal fashion. For all of Palpatine's claims about foreseeing things, he could not see Vader's true intentions.

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