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This is one of a couple of Palpatine action figures which gives us Palpatine both before and after his self-inflicted disfigurement during the throne room duel in The Revenge of the Sith. On this figure there is a lever at the back which enables you to switch between faces. Hold the lever down and you get Palpatine's undamaged face whilst his arms raise and he shoots out his lightening bolts at Mace Windu. Then release the lever and Palpatine's disfugured face is revealed for the scene in which Anakin pledges alleigence to him

Find Darth Sidious (Palpatine - with Glowing Force Lightning) action figure on eBay

There is also a battery compartment at the base of the figure for the battery which powers the glowing force effect.

Palpatine comes with a removable right hand so that you can swap out the hand attached to his lightsaber and use the force lightening. Unfortunately I am missing the spare hand that comes with him.

The switching heads via a lever is an interesting option on this Darth Sidious (Palpatine) action figure. Other switches are more usually made using extra heads (C-3PO as battle droid), or with a mask (Zam Wesell). Unfortunately you can't permanently reverse the heads, or at least you can't on my action figure. Once you release the lever Palpatine’s head returns immediately to the disfigured face. If ever there was a self-inflicted injury this is it.

This Palpatine has attachable force lightening but since he isn't flexible enough to bend at the waist you can’t have him prostrate on the floor whilst he zaps Mace Windu with it. Since the Sidious action figure represents a transition between Palpatine and Sidious this is unfortunate as it would have been much better to be able to bend his legs to position him for the final confrontation in the throne room window with Windu.

Since Mace Windu's fate is to be cast out of the window by Palpatine's force lightning I have to wonder whether this was in the back of Lucas's mind when the character was named (Windu/window).

The form of Windu's death does have a certain resonance. Being thrown out of a window (or defenestrated) was an old form of political protest in Europe, and thus somewhat in keeping with the change in political power which Windu's denfenstration and failed coup represents. It is also of note that the Defenestration of Prague in 1618 was one of the causes of the Thirty Years' War and Palpatine's dispatching of Windu likewise starts a chain of events which precipitates a more of less thirty year conflict between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance ultimately ending with the destruction of the second Death Star. This could be pure coincidence or Lucas could have been plumbing the depths of European history for inspirarion when he came up with the manner of Windu's death and the scenario for Palpatine's rise to power.

All Star Wars action figures, vehicles, collectibles and Star Wars toys shown on this website are the 3.75 inch scale and from my own private Star Wars collection unless otherwise stated. Where possible original vintage accessories have been used but in some instances I have placed Kenner Star Wars figures with either reproduction weapons and accessories or for Hasbro figures close approximations have been used. This is mostly the case for modern Star Wars lightsabers where the correct item can be very difficult to identify on some ocassions. Vintage Star Wars action figures are shown with their original weapon or accessory when I have them. When a vintage Kenner action figure is shown with an accessory which is not original I have tried to point this out where possible.

All of the Star Wars action figures shown were purchased second hand, usually incomplete, and in bulk. They have been reunited with their original weapons and accessories where we could get hold of them.

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