Gold Ounce 2018 Star Wars - Emperor Palpatine, Coin from Niue - detailed information

Niue, a sovereign state in free association with New Zealand, uses two official legal tender currencies. The New Zealand Dollar is the circulation currency for daily transactions, while the government also authorises legal tender coins in the Niue Dollar currency for collector's purposes.

A number of mints issue a large variety of commemorative and collector coins under the authority of Niue. These coins are dedicated to historical or general popular culture themes not related to Niue itself. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes - such as a quarter ounce of gold (abbreviated as 1/4 oz Au, where "Au" comes from the Latin word for gold, Aurum).

This coin is part of the Star Wars Classics series by the New Zealand Mint, and features Emperor Palpatine. This dramatic coin shows the Emperor as his alter ego Darth Sidious aboard the Empire’s battle station in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

Sheev Palpatin, initially credited as The Emperor in the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back, is also known by his Sith title Darth Sidious. The character appears in each trilogy in the nine-film Skywalker saga, in which he is portrayed by Ian McDiarmid and serves as the overarching villain. In the original trilogy, Palpatine is depicted as emperor of the Galactic Empire and the master of Darth Vader. In the prequel trilogy, he is portrayed as a charismatic politician and Sith Lord who transforms the Galactic Republic into the Empire, and turns Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker to the dark side of the Force. In The Rise of Skywalker (2019), the final film in the sequel trilogy, Palpatine is revealed to be the mastermind behind the First Order and its former leader, Snoke, as well as the grandfather of Rey.

Since the release of Return of the Jedi (1983), Palpatine has become a widely recognized symbol of evil in popular culture, and since the prequel films, also one of sinister deception and the subversion of democracy. Aside from the films, Palpatine appears in various canon and non-canon Star Wars media.