Today is May 4th also called Star Wars Day. I'd like to give some tribute to one of the most-developed villains in movie history - Darth Sidious aka Emperor Palpatine. Some people back then debated if Palpatine was Sidious. However, it's plain obvious by the chin or by the voice that Palpatine IS Darth Sidious. Palpatine's conversation with the Trade Federation hinted that its members knew they were hired by a senator. The boldness of the Trade Federation may be a result of them knowing that Darth Sidious was really Palpatine. I even think Grevious took extra caution so as not to harm Palpatine during the "kidnapping". Palpatine's unusual bravado in The Clone Wars was too obviously a staged kidnapping.
Before the novel Darth Plagueis was released (which I think was a bad plot twist or not) - Palpatine was definitely that hidden malignant presence. In fact, Count Dooku even mentioned to Obi-Wan Kenobi that the Senate was already under the control of the Dark Lord of the Sith. Count Dooku had no intention to be Palpatine's lackey for too long. Nobody could sense Palpatine's Dark Side energy because the guy was so good at hiding it. It's revealed that the Jedi Temple was built on top of a former Sith shrine. It's possible that knowledge was exploited by Palpatine so he could carry out his vile schemes to make sure his For the Evulz plans worked.
The Phantom Menace video game adaptations made Darth Maul the final opponent. Palpatine had more screen time as the "benevolent" politician and grandfatherly figure he wants to be seen us. Palpatine only spoke to the Trade Federation members and the other Separatists under the cloak. However, I believe Darth Maul knew Palpatine was Sidious. Maul was at Palpatine's residence. Apparently, most of the signals where Palpatine communicated with the Trade Federation were from his apartment. Palpatine even bragged about making things legal or that he had control over things. Palpatine's famous "I will make it legal!" line would easily give off his identity as a politician.
The Trade Federation's tenacity had to be with this - they knew they had an under-the-table connection with a POLITICIAN. The possible chances are that the Trade Federation paid Palpatine money under the table - possibly explaining how Palpatine got that much power. Palpatine never spoke in a different voice even while he wore his Sith robes. Didn't someone even try to trace his voice? I guess Palpatine had alternate communication devices that made him difficult to trace. Then again, Palpatine could always use the Dark Side of the Force to cloak even the littlest transactions with the Trade Federation.
Palpatine's BTS events in Episode 1 allowed him to become the Supreme Chancellor - a step closer for him to become the EMPEROR. Episode 2 had Palpatine (as Chancellor) manipulate BOTH SIDES. The Trade Federation became bolder because the Supreme Chancellor was secretly on their side. Palpatine created the crisis that required him to have emergency powers, used his cunning to give him ABSOLUTE POWER, and had contingency planning all before his overconfidence destroyed him in Return of the Jedi and the Dark Empire Trilogy.
Palpatine would make sure that traces of his evil were hidden as much as possible. That's why he had the Trade Federation destroyed at Mustafar. That's why Palpatine had no qualms about losing Dooku and Grevious. As a mastermind villain - Palpatine schemed BTS then got overconfident along the way. Palpatine was getting more and more blinded by his past successes that he was eventually destroyed in Return of the Jedi. In the Dark Empire Trilogy - it shows Palpatine's inability to learn from his mistakes to the point he was eventually defeated by what could be his own family.
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