We’ve all seen it—Jedi after Jedi walking into Chancellor Palpatine’s office like it’s just another day at the Senate. From Attack of the Clones to Revenge of the Sith, his chambers were a regular meeting spot for the galaxy’s most powerful Force users. But here’s what always struck me: none of them seemed to notice the eerie presence of the artifacts lining the walls and shelves.
Ancient relics. Mysterious statues. Symbols deeply rooted in Sith history—hiding in plain sight. You’d think someone would’ve picked up on the dark energy radiating from them.
And yet… only one Jedi ever truly sensed something was wrong. One Jedi who felt the shadow wrapped around those items. He even questioned Palpatine directly, asking where those artifacts had come from.
Can you guess who it was?
(Hint: It wasn’t Master Yoda.)
The Moment Mace Windu Realized Palpatine’s Office Held Sith Artifacts
To be clear, Mace Windu noticing the Sith artifacts inside Palpatine’s office isn’t something officially recognized in canon—it comes from the Legends novel Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno. In the book, we do get an interesting moment where Windu seems to sense something is off about Palpatine’s collection.
When Master Yoda and Mace Windu enter the Chancellor’s office, Windu immediately takes note of the unsettling nature of Palpatine’s possessions. The book describes his reaction:
“Mace Windu couldn’t recall a visit to the Supreme Chancellor’s chambers in the Senate Office Building when his attention hadn’t been drawn to Palpatine’s curious and somehow unsettling collection of quasi-religious statuary.”
That curiosity leads Windu to question Palpatine about how exactly a Republic Chancellor came into possession of so many ancient artifacts. Palpatine, of course, has a ready explanation, claiming they were either bought at auctions or given to him as gifts. The book details his response:
“On one occasion, picking up on Mace’s interest, Palpatine had offered lengthy and enthusiastic accounts of when and how he had come by some of the pieces. Acquired at an auction on Commenor; procured after many years and at great expense from a Corellian dealer in antiquities; salvaged from an ancient temple discovered on a moon of the gas giant Yavin; a gift from the Theed Council of Naboo; another gift from that world’s Gungans…”
At this moment, Windu doesn’t outright accuse Palpatine of anything, but it’s clear he finds the collection unusual. And looking back, we know why—Palpatine was hiding Sith relics in plain sight, right under the Jedi’s noses.
Every Mysterious Artifact Inside Palpatine’s Office
With the movie now over 20 years old, I’m sure Mace Windu wasn’t the only one who picked up on the Sith artifacts in Palpatine’s office. At this point, we as Star Wars fans have also spotted them and pieced things together.
Sith Spirit Urns
Two towering black urns stand on either side of a doorway in Palpatine’s office, noticeable in Revenge of the Sith during his conversations with Anakin and later when the Jedi attempt to arrest him. These imposing structures, known as Sith spirit urns, are believed to hold significance in Sith history, though their exact origins remain unknown. Their dark, intricate design hints at their connection to ancient Sith traditions, subtly reinforcing Palpatine’s true nature hidden in plain sight.
Four Sages of Dwartii
If we take a closer look at Palpatine’s office in Revenge of the Sith, we’ll notice the towering statues that stand ominously in the background. These bronzium figures aren’t just decorative pieces—they represent the Four Sages of Dwartii: Sistros, Braata, Faya, and Yanjon. These ancient philosophers played a significant role in shaping early galactic law, but their presence in Palpatine’s chambers suggests they held a deeper meaning beyond politics.
In Star Wars Legends, the Four Sages were known for enforcing harsh, self-serving laws and manipulating the Republic for their own benefit—something that aligns closely with Sith ideology.
The Great Hyperspace War Relief in Palpatine’s Office
If we look closely during Anakin’s confrontation with Palpatine in his office, there’s a massive relief sculpture displayed in the background. This isn’t just an ordinary piece of decor—it actually holds deep significance to Sith history. The relief portrays the Great Hyperspace War, a massive conflict that took place thousands of years before the events of the films, where the Sith Empire waged war against the Galactic Republic.
This battle was one of the earliest large-scale Sith invasions, and at one point, Sith forces even reached Coruscant itself. Though the Republic ultimately emerged victorious, the war marked a key moment in the ongoing struggle between the light and dark sides of the Force. Palpatine, being the Sith mastermind he is, likely kept this sculpture in his office as a reminder of the past and as a symbol of his own impending triumph over the Jedi and the Republic—not through brute force, but through calculated deception and political power.
The Sith Chalice from Malachor
Here’s another dark little detail I didn’t notice at first—Palpatine kept a Sith chalice sitting right there in his office. It shows up in the background during a few scenes in Revenge of the Sith, and once you know what it is, it’s kind of insane that no one questioned it.
The chalice isn’t just decoration—it’s an incense burner used by ancient Sith Lords for rituals and meditation. And where did Palpatine get it? From Malachor. Yeah, that Malachor. The same planet we learned about in Star Wars Rebels, where a massive Jedi-Sith battle once took place and a dark side weapon turned everyone to stone.
We know the Jedi went out of their way to bury all knowledge of Malachor. As Kanan said, Jedi younglings would whisper creepy stories about it, but it was completely off-limits. The Jedi tried to forget it ever existed—but the Sith never did. And Palpatine? He straight-up brought a piece of that nightmare into his office, right under the Jedi Council’s nose.
Just another example of how bold he really was. He didn’t just hide in the shadows—he put his Sith identity on full display, and no one even realized it.