Senator Palpatine - EI - Basic

A political and tactical mastermind, Senator Palpatine represents the people of Naboo in the Galactic Senate and engineers his own election as Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.

To finally get to see what Emperor Palpatine looked like before he especially relevant (from his appearance in Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi) was quite a treat in 1999. Just two years prior collectors were thrilled with a nice version of him in The Power Of The Force “2” line. He didn’t come with a whole lot of articulation, but he looks pretty darn nice and captured much of the spirit of the character. By the time the first Prequel trilogy film was released, we already had the very first “political” version of the character. Without getting into the political drama (because frankly, it was part of the plot that just wasn’t needed for Star Wars), Senator Palpatine was one of the first Episode I figures available in the line. He wasn’t “evil” as we knew him to be evil at that point, so he had handsome features and regal clothing. Although he looked like a different character in The Phantom Menace, there was no denying that this was Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious before all hell broke loose. You could tell by the voice and by the way his mouth moved. It was unmistakable!

So how does the Senator Palpatine action figure fare? Quite frankly, it may be one of the most boring figures Hasbro has ever produced. However, we think it is also a brilliant effort. The likeness is stunning. And we bet most collectors would admit that this figure looks just like actor Ian McDiarmid. If you look closely, you’ll be amazed by the detail in the face: from the line in his wrinkles to the expression in his eyes. Even his hairline couldn’t be any more perfect than the way Hasbro got it the first time. His ornate outfit is perhaps even more impressive. We have to admit he looks too kingly for our tastes, but this is the look George Lucas wanted to capture for the earliest Star Wars stories. But if you can get past the style, there is an incredible amount of texture and coloring that has been worked into his clothing. His outer coat is done with such exactness and precision that you almost think for a minute that it’s clothing. The brilliant colors used to give them life are just as impressive as the sculpts.

As you know, all Episode I action figures come with a CommTech chip. But it’s especially relevant for Senator Palpatine. He is the only figure in the entire Episode I line that physically interacts with his CommTech chip. And by that, we don’t mean any of the chip’s talking features. Senator Palpatine comes with a hovering senate cam. To make this work in the action figure line, Hasbro had to tool a clear plastic “invisible” stand to make it look like the droid is flying around Senator Palpatine’s head. The effect works well in our opinion, but the point here is that the plastic stand plugs into the CommTech chip securely to hold up the Senate droid cam which allows it to stay in place unassisted. Besides, it looks awesome. With all that said, Senator Palpatine may not be half as cool as Emperor Palpatine, but we still appreciate that he was on the forefront of Hasbro’s mind to be one of the first figures in the Episode I line. He has been executed brilliantly and looks great as a background character (which he was in The Phantom Menace), and there isn’t much more we’d expect from this action figure.