Why Palpatine had Guards when He Was so Powerful Himself [Canon] - Star Wars Explained

Content in video is expressed using PG-13 rated movies and Teen + rated comics, TV shows, video games, and books; and is not intended for children. Why Emperor Palpatine had Imperial Royal Guards with him at all times when he himself was one of the most powerful Sith Lords in history.

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Licensed under Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 Unported License

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Video Written and Edited By: Andre L

Video Narrated By: Aaron B

[arnoldschwartz]

If case Kenobi ever challenged the emperor he would have some of his guards form a pyramid with him on top. A mobile high ground if you will

[TheGrenadier]

Why? Imagine an imperial procession or a huge palace without badass looking Guards.

[richardlew]

I bet the royal guards were thinking, "You mean I went through all this training for nothing?"

[jamesricker]

Short answer, Palpatine was a very busy man he did not have time to personally foil every assassination attempt on him

[deathislife]

Appear weak when you are strong, and appear strong when you are weak.

[remainprofane]

“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak. If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him.” Sun Tzu said that.

[kingsolomon]

Cuz he was to lazy to *Dew it* himself

[BaronSterling]

Man, this whole "pretending to be a victim to conceal your insidious lust for power" thing seems to be really popular these days.

[nicktarabetz]

I like the idea that no matter how powerful you are, everyone has to sleep some time...

[Justmyhandle]

While he may not have had anywhere near this much character depth when he debuted in the OT, prior to the EU content that would expand upon him, there's no denying that Palpatine is not only one of the most well-rounded, intimately detailed villains in all of fiction by this point but arguably one of the most cunning and methodical. He's also a smartly written character in general, with few weaknesses.

Outside his own overconfidence, that is. Moreover, his presentation gave us a frightening figure to more than back up his position as the big bad master of darkness despite getting less than a quarter of the total screen-time Vader had, always keeping mostly to the shadows with his cards hidden. Ian McDiarmid's voice alone sent chills down many a child's spine, it was a match made in heaven.

Perhaps what speaks to his popularity above all is how he played an entire galaxy: Years of climbing the political ladder, orchestrating a war while pulling the strings on all sides, exploiting the Jedi's complacency & arrogance in the Republic era to turn their chosen one + the very people they fought to protect against them. To flesh out such a convoluted but critically acclaimed scheme is no small feat.

⚡ *#ExecuteOrder66* 💀

[livingjoke]

I mean imagine Palps is sleeping or something. At least the guards can alert him by yelling or loudly fighting to warn him. It is not about extra strength but more like an alarm.

[BChaos]

It's same deceptive mentality behind why as Emperor he also carried a cane - Pretending to be weak, not because he needed it.

[darthkek]

Pomp, status, ceremony, appearance. The Empire - like earthly Empires - function not only due to their actual military prowess but by the appearance of that power. By the projection of it. Him being surrounded by a unique praetorian guard gives his status a mystique that would be lacking if he was a "loner hermit crab" lurking isolated on a empty deck somewhere.

[darylsdesigns]

I wonder how the citizens reacted to the Inquisitorius

[Jedi_Knigga]

Palpatine probably wanted to protect himself, but his guards were like “Not yet.”

[nandiplays]

This is what the sith do deception is their weapon.

[Soildus]

Play the role of the victim to gain power...mmmm sounds familiar.

[TheStephenShow]

But even in actual combat, the guards could serve as wingmen, helping Palpatine maintain situational awareness and taking care of little guys that could have struck him in a weak point. Thus, Palpatine would still have use for guards anyway.

[ahmetrefikeryilmaz]

I can imagine how much he'd enjoy fighting a mob of rebel assasins. He'd even be like "guards, leave me, there will be an attempt on my life eh eh eh eh eh".

[Mr.Ford]

"Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak."