When we think of Emperor Palpatine, we picture the cackling Sith Master pulling strings from the shadows, manipulating everyone until the galaxy crumbles right into his hands. But what if I told you his most sinister tricks weren’t even in the movies we saw?
In Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine’s manipulation of Anakin is already terrifying — but the deleted material shows him being even more ruthless. In these cut scenes, he doesn’t just turn Anakin against the Jedi Council. He goes after the two people Anakin trusts most: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala. Watching how Palpatine plants those seeds of doubt makes his eventual fall to the dark side feel even more inevitable.
1. Palpatine Plays the Father Figure
One of the most insidious deleted scenes comes from an extended version of Palpatine asking Anakin to be his personal representative on the Jedi Council. In the film we only see the Chancellor’s casual line, “I hope you trust me, Anakin.” But originally, there was much more.
Palpatine opens by sounding almost fatherly, reminding Anakin that he’s known him since boyhood, praising his victories in hopeless battles, even saying outright that he saved his life. It’s the kind of validation the Jedi Council never gave Anakin, and Palpatine knows exactly how to weaponize it.
Then comes the twist of the knife: Palpatine tells him the Jedi keep him off the Council not because of age, but because they fear him. They see his potential, he says, and they know his power will grow beyond their control. It’s a brilliant manipulation — by mixing flattery with truth, Palpatine makes himself the only person who seems to believe in Anakin fully.
2. Planting Doubt About Obi-Wan
Another deleted scene, set just after Obi-Wan departs to hunt General Grievous, shows Palpatine striking again. This time, he uses Anakin’s frustration over being left behind to widen the wedge between him and his master.
The Chancellor calls Anakin aside, dismissing his Royal Guards so they can speak privately. He tells Anakin there are whispers in the Senate that Kenobi isn’t fit for the mission — that his judgment is clouded by a certain senator. Of course, he means Padmé, and the implication is clear: Obi-Wan is too close to her.
Anakin denies it, but Palpatine presses with the cruelest line: “Sometimes the closest are the ones who cannot see.” The script then describes Anakin becoming visibly troubled, and the very next sequence has him dreaming again of Padmé’s death — but this time with Obi-Wan at her side. The seed of jealousy is planted, and it’s all Palpatine’s doing.
3. Turning Padmé Into the Enemy
The last major cut material ties into the larger political subplot about Padmé and her fellow senators secretly forming what would become the Rebel Alliance. In the scene, Padmé and her delegation confront Palpatine directly, trying to slow his power grab. Anakin stands beside the Chancellor like a bodyguard, visually foreshadowing his future as Vader.
When the senators leave, Palpatine leans in once more. He warns Anakin not to trust them — especially Padmé. “She’s hiding something. I can see it in her eyes.” Anakin resists, saying he feels no betrayal in her, but Palpatine doubles down, making him question his own instincts.
By the time Anakin reaches Mustafar, these lies have stacked one on top of the other. Palpatine has convinced him that Obi-Wan is plotting behind his back, and that even Padmé might be keeping secrets. Nick Gillard, stunt coordinator for the prequels, once explained it this way: the duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan was written like a husband and wife’s fight, with jealousy and betrayal boiling under the surface. And it was Palpatine who orchestrated every single beat.