Palpatine is the public face of Darth Sidious, the heart of the Sith, from the time before the Empire, and until slightly after. His Sith apprentices include: Darth Maul, Darth Tyranus and Darth Vader in addition to multiple Dark Jedi apprentices such as Mara Jade. He is a true master of the Dark Side of the Force and is considered to be the most powerful Sith Lord that ever lived.