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In the wake of The Phantom Menace many fans have their own theories concerning the true identity of the mysterious Sith Lord Darth Sidious: most say he is Senator Palpatine, but others are not so sure. The following theory is presented to provide an alternate explanation to this shadowy figure's character: "'Kenobi resumed his pacing. "Vader used the training I gave him and the force within him for evil, to help the later corrupt Emperors. With the Jedi knights disbanded, disorganized, or dead, there were few to oppose Vader. Today they are all but extinct.'" -EPISODE IV Star Wars: A New Hope From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker by George Lucas Notice the phrase "the later corrupt Emperors". More than one. Has this concept been entirely abandoned by Lucas? Or could it be a reference to Senator Palpatine and Darth Sidious as separate entities?
The Emperor is never called 'Palpatine' in the films. This begs the question: Does Sidious seduce and destroy Senator Palpatine, becoming the Galactic Emperor? Does he use the dark side and Sith magic to conceal his true physical appearance when he appears publicly? there are three basic possible scenarios:
Poor Palpatine. He was not concerned with needing an apprentice, but Sidious would be (Sith tradition). If Palpatine were Sidious (in TPM) it would alert the audience quickly that Palpatine is a bad guy. Palpatine must seem to basically be a good guy in the first film and through a large part of the second film. A phantom menace cannot be an obvious threat... Senator Palpatine of Naboo had a dark secret -he was obsessed with the Jedi. He studied them, their techniques, their history, and everything he could about the Force. He either applied to and was subsequently rejected by the Jedi Academy, or due to an inferiority complex never actually applied. The study of Jedi history led Palpatine to discover the Jedi's ancient enemy, the Sith. Palpatine had substantial personal wealth and independently journeyed to the Sith homeworld (possibly called Korriban) searching for artifacts. This is where Palpatine met Darth Sidious. Senator Palpatine of Naboo has been dabbling in the Dark Side of the Force for years.
Once a promising Jedi trainee, he left the order for reasons of his own. Palpatine made
secret contact with the Sith, a race thought long-dead but actually alive and under the
rule of a sect of Dark Jedi known as Dark Lords of the Sith. There are never more than two
Dark Lords at any given time (master and apprentice), and the current two are master Darth
Sidious and apprentice Darth Maul (Darth being a contraction of Dark Lord of the Sith).
The evil characters in the prequel trilogy are all about control -everyone is using
everyone else for their own ends. Palpatine allows Sidious knowledge about Naboo's
defenses, movements of Jedi from Coruscant, and insight into the Queen's
personality and whereabouts. In return Sidious
feeds the Senator bits and pieces of Darkside knowledge, and provides Sith support for
some of Palpatine's more ambitious plans. Palpatine wants to stage the invasion of Naboo
to destabilize the Republic senate and to destabilize his own planet's government as well.
Sidious agrees to support this plan, as Palpatine assures him that Naboo will eventually
become a staging area and base for the Sith. With the Queen out of the way, there is no
real procession of leadership, and with the planet invaded by the Federation, Palpatine
can engineer a victory over the Neimoidians and the Federation (the real dupes). |
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