In associated with Force usage, and as a calculating master of dark magic, Palpatine strongly fit that category. But even though he was armed with two finely crafted laser swords, the scheming Sith Lord almost never made use of them.
Sheev Palpatine preferred to keep to the shadows, acting as a puppet master throughout all three trilogies. In this capacity, he independently engineered the near-total extermination of the Jedi Order and established a powerful, albeit brief, Galactic Empire. It is only in the final installment of the prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith, that he is shown to be a skilled combatant as well. In what seems at first to be a continuity error, the film even hints at the fact that he has two lightsabers when, after having his weapon thrown from a window in a duel with Mace Windu, he draws another in a duel with Yoda.
Prior to the events of Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine was in possession of two nearly-identical gilded lightsabers. Previously-canon sources have suggested that the second was initially constructed as a backup, although he clearly knew how to use them both in tandem (a technique known as Jar'Kai), as indicated by his clash with Darth Maul and Savage Opress on Mandalore in his training under Darth Plagueis. While the Sith's was a much more volatile culture than the Jedi's, and less prone to organized institutions, it was still very ancient by the time of the Clone Wars, with its own traditions and expectations, constructing a lightsaber during apprenticeship among them. But Sidious was not enthused by this particular practice.
As shown by the caliber of his opponents, Darth Sidious' prowess with a lightsaber was on par with his mastery of the dark side of the Force, but he was nonetheless loath to rely on that form of martial combat. Although his sabers had been carefully wrought of high-quality materials, their fine ornamentation made them seem almost decorative and frivolous. This was intentional and reflective of his general disdain for lightsabers; he believed that, unlike the Jedi, he was powerful enough not to require them, instead preferring a subtler approach to conflict, except when driven beyond all alternative to using them, as he was in Revenge of the Sith and a single episode of The Clone Wars.
Although A New Hope was hardly the first instance of laser swords in science fiction, the lightsaber has become emblematic of Star Wars, and all of the movies in the series have featured at least one, even those lacking much of a focus on Force-wielding characters, like Solo. Rather than weakening the threat that he represents, Darth Sidious' lack of reliance on these potent martial weapons only emphasizes his strength in the dark side of the Force, making him an altogether more sinister, eldritch antagonist.
