The cultural impact of Star Wars™ over the last half-century has been immeasurable, producing a myriad of sequels, prequels and spin-offs. A large part of that popularity can be attributed to the iconic characters that graced each film and, in terms of villains, no duo in the series is more memorable than Darth Vader™ and Emperor Palpatine™. Now, for the first time, these villainous stalwarts of the original trilogy will feature on official UK coinage as The Royal Mint explores the Dark Side for this latest commemorative release inspired by Star Wars.

The second of a four-coin collection dedicated to iconic duos from the original Star Wars trilogy, the Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine coin features the iconic images of both characters, in addition to a unique lenticular feature depicting the insignia of the Galactic Empire and an icon representing the Death Star. Following the release of the R2-D2™ and C-3PO™-inspired coin earlier this year, this coin continues our numismatic journey through the Star Wars universe with another faithful design that is truly out of this world!