The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. He became so powerful… the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did.
The most damning evidence that Sidious was scared of Yoda comes from the little green Jedi himself: “If so powerful you are…why leave?” The only real answer at this point is because Yoda does indeed intimidate Darth Sidious.
The ONLY 2 People Palpatine Feared - Star Wars Explained
Why did Yoda fail against Sidious?
Yoda struck the Podium too hard to control his landing, and he rolled off the main portion to the edge where he desperately attempted to climb back up. His hold on the smooth edge failing, Yoda lost his grip and fell several stories to the floor. Yoda chose to retreat as Sidious cackled in triumph above him.
In an early Revenge of the Sith draft, Palpatine confirmed that Darth Plagueis used the Midi-chlorians to start the cell division that created Anakin Skywalker.
That didn't stop fans speculating on whether Snoke was really Darth Plagueis or Anakin Skywalker's evil twin or something else entirely. It didn't turn out to be anything as grand when The Rise of Skywalker revealed that, actually, Emperor Palpatine was in charge all along.
These factors combined seemingly indicate that Star Wars' Darth Plagueis was more powerful than Palpatine, although the latter's ability to manipulate others gave him a significant edge over his Sith Master.
Summary. Palpatine's true source of power comes from his intense hatred for everyone in the galaxy, which only fuels his strength. Not only that, but the more people hate Palpatine, the stronger he becomes as well, making inspiring hatred a crucial part of increasing his strength.
A Sith Lord with the ability to cheat death and create life, Plagueis is the enigmatic mentor of Sheev Palpatine / Darth Sidious, who, in accordance to the Sith's Rule of Two, eventually betrays Plagueis by murdering him in his sleep, taking his place as Sith Master.
Thus, while Qui-Gon was less powerful than the likes of Yoda and Mace Windu, Palpatine feared him more. In the simplest terms, he was a wild card, and with the Sidious executing an intricate decades-long plan to seize power and destroy the Jedi, a wild card was something he just couldn't afford.
In truth, the Sith normally wielded enough powers to fight without a lightsaber, but every apprentice still learned to use one as part of his or her training. Sidious himself felt that he and his peers had outgrown the use of lightsabers, and only continued carrying them to mock the Jedi.
No, Darth Sidious did not respect Darth Vader. Not likely he feared him but saw his value as a puppet. IMO he respected Sidious's power… I don't think he respected him as a person due to the fact that Palpatine was a narcissistic liar…
Obi-Wan Kenobi soundly defeated Vader in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and is easily one of the most powerful Jedi Vader ever faced. Vader and Obi-Wan were similar in swordsmanship and Force-sensitivity, but Vader's hatred of Obi-Wan often caused him to fight irrationally.
The only Sith Lord who actually killed Vader, Darth Sidious kept his apprentice in line for over two decades. His true advantage was Force lightning, a power which would wreak havoc on the suit keeping him alive.
