We can usually find hidden details when we rewatch a Star Wars movie. In Return of the Jedi, the Emperor visits Vader to check on the construction progress for the Death Star II. We watch Palpatine’s shuttle arrive and his royal guards disembark from afar. Then, we get a close-up view of Vader kneeling and the Emperor walking down the ramp.
As Sidious comes down, we see a more diminutive person peeking out from behind him. From what we can tell, this person wears a grey shirt and a rather tall headpiece that wraps around the outside of his face. Just who is this mystery person behind the Emperor? It’s someone close to the Emperor but not that close.
Table of Contents
Who Is That Mystery Person Behind the Emperor?
A fan on this discussion jokes that the mystery person could be someone who “carries the Imperial Luggage.” More seriously, another fan suggests that it could be a person from the Imperial Ruling Council, especially the one on the left of the image on the Wookieepedia page. This seems like the most promising lead.
The person in question would thus be an Imperial Advisor appointed by Palpatine “to assist him in running the Empire.” Since Palpatine “only consulted with a dozen of them at a time” and just a handful served on the council, it could be that he is among the select few coming on the Emperor’s shuttle.
The scene from above does indicate that our person is walking behind the Emperor. And, when the camera pans back out, we briefly see the six advisors following behind Sidious and Vader. Investigating further, we can review these advisors to see which one it is.
One post from the above Reddit discussion indicates that it could be Sim Aloo. This advisor had a ruthless past where he used “tactics ranging from deceit to outright murder” to push aside farmsteads on his home planet before working his way up “the ranks of the ministry.”
Aloo would thus fit right in with the Emperor’s “inner circle” and could have accompanied him on his shuttle. Yet, this advisor seems too tall and has a headpiece that does not seem to match the scene.
Janus Greejatus is another possibility. He wears dark clothes, and his headpiece is shorter in height, but it has these folds that don’t correspond with the one lurking in the shadows behind the Emperor. The headwear and facial expression of Kren Blista-Vanee are also off.
Going through the advisor list seems to go nowhere, but if we add a little more information, we can actually figure it out.
The Person Behind Palpatine
By process of elimination, we can deduce who the person is behind Palpatine. The image of the five advisors on the Imperial Advisor Wookieepedia page originated from a 2003 photo that went with a Star Wars article, which included a list of the advisors’s names. If we assume the person on the left matches the one peeking out behind the Emperor, then that someone is Ars Dangor.
A previously “gifted politician,” Dangor became enwrapped in “fanatical loyalty” to the Emperor and was “forever content to serve his master.” Those attributes, or lack thereof, fit well with his lurking posture behind Sidious. He would have been a close advisor but also rather subservient.
The last remaining possibility, Sate Prestige, does not seem to fit the image. And, as “the right-hand man” to Palpatine, Prestige would have been closer to the ear of the Emperor. Likewise, this advisor appears to be more actively involved in imperial machinations, “from espionage to murder.”
The Person Behind the Emperor
By piecing together the Emperor’s entourage, we can figure out who the mystery person is behind Sidious. Ars Dangor seems to best match what we can see in the scene and the image that was provided of the advisors who went with Palpatine to the Death Star II.