Unwrapping the Star Wars LEGO Advent Calendar: Day 20

In the immortal words of the Galaxy’s Best Emperor aka the Galaxy’s Only Emperor: “Zippity zappidty zappidty.” Who can forget that classic line, delivered flawlessly by Sheev Palpatine himself (Trevor Devall) in the 2020 film, The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special? He uttered these words a few times, usually just before blasting any number of characters with a bit of Force lightning. (And the title Galaxy’s Best Emperor? Written on the Life Day mug purchased by Darth Vader on Batuu and gifted to—and then subsequently thrown across the Death Star throne room by—the very same Emperor Palpatine.)

And now, as we come to day 20 of the 2023 Star Wars LEGO Advent Calendar, you too can do a bit of zippidty zappidty zappidty with the Christmas sweater clad Emperor Palpatine minifigure. Sheev’s got his very best Death Star-themed holiday attire, ready for the Sithmas office party. He’s got a red mug—the dark side, am I right?—and a literal fist full of lightning. Plus, you can spin his head around to take advantage of two different expressions: dead-eyed and angry; and, dead-eyed and fully operationally furious.

I don’t think I’m alone in saying one of the main reasons these Star Wars LEGO Advent Calendars are so fun is because of the unique holiday-themed minifigures contained in each year’s collection. We’ve seen Emperor Palpatine show up a lot, not just in the Skywalker Saga, but across Star Wars LEGO films and shorts. He’s always evil, but in LEGO form he’s got a little bit more sass and spunk, which makes him not only villainous but also hilarious. This year’s YouTube short, “Twas the Night Before Life Day | Celebrate the Season,” proves the point. Plus, we get to see Darth Vader sporting the same style Death Star holiday sweater as our Palpatine minifigure.