 The Senate overwhelmingly applauds this decision and lauds Palpatine's apparent resolve, bravery, and selflessness.Though Palpatine's Sith identity remains a secret to all but a handful of individuals, his apprentice, the Sith Lord Darth Vader maintains a more public presence, acting as a personification of the Empire's power.By the time of "Episode IV – A New Hope", the Empire has transformed into an authoritarian regime, opposed by the Alliance to Restore the Republic.