Darth Vader is the more memorable villain of George Lucas's space opera epic Star Wars , but the Emperor — Vader's ostensible boss — is the more evil one. As the high-ranking Senator Palpatine of the Republic, he conceals his actual identity as a Dark Lord of the Sith (think cowls and demonic faces) until the moment presents itself to supplant the benign Republic with his own imperium. Like a Dick Cheney with lightning bolts, he engineers an unnecessary war that moves his agenda along. All the while, he has corrupted the once noble and idealistic Anakin Skywalker into a lieutenant bent and broken by the pull of the dark side. Darth Vader is born.