Does Emperor Palpatine have a lightsaber? He does, and as Darth Sidious it's a red one. He just doesn't use it much, because he'd rather win without lifting a finger.
When he draws it
The famous moments are in Revenge of the Sith. Palpatine pulls out his lightsaber to face Mace Windu in his office, and later he duels Yoda in the Senate chamber. He's also seen with one in The Clone Wars, where he deals with Maul and Savage Opress on Mandalore. If Maul's weapons interest you, we wrote up every lightsaber Darth Maul wielded, and the other side of the Windu fight is in Mace Windu's lightsaber.
What it looks like
The blade's red, which is the Sith signature (see what every lightsaber color means for why). The hilt is compact and understated, with no crossguard and no curve. That suits a man who spends most of his time in a senator's robes. For a look at how other hilt shapes compare, there's our guide to lightsaber hilt types.
Why so little saber?
Because he doesn't need it. Palpatine's far more comfortable with Force lightning and political scheming than a long duel, and for years he kept his Sith identity hidden, which a visible lightsaber would have given away. If you've read the Snoke story, you know he's good at pulling strings from the background.
How the Emperor's hilt compares
Our Emperor lightsaber has a 7.9 inch hilt, which makes it noticeably more compact than the other Sith sabers we carry. The Darksaber Neopixel is 12.6 inches, the Kylo Ren is 13.8 inches, and the saberstaff-style Darth Maul Neopixel is 21.3 inches. If you like a small hilt that doesn't dominate a shelf, that's the appeal.
It's $499, and the listing says it includes a display stand, a blade plug and a Covertec belt wheel, though the first two aren't included with the Baselit version. It's inspired by the character rather than officially licensed. There's more in the Sith lightsabers collection, and the best lightsaber for dueling is worth a read if you plan to swing it.
