Palpatine - cheating corporeal death and abilities outside a corporeal vessel
Revelations:-
Palpatine acquired the ability of Essence Transfer at some point:
Utilizing long lost magic and science of cloning, Palpatine created a steady supply of clones, into which he could throw his being and thus rule the galaxy forever.
Taken from Star Wars Handbook # 3 - Dark Empire
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After experiencing his original corporeal death, Palpatine shifted his essence into one of his clones on Byss:
It was into one of these clones, located on Palpatine's hidden retreat world, Byss, that Palpatine projected himself.
Taken from Star Wars Handbook # 3 - Dark Empire
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The journey towards the first clone was far from easy for Palpatine though:
Following the destruction of the Death Star, Palpatine's consciousness spent over a year drifting across space. On reaching Byss, he awakened and recuperated in the body of a clone, one of many kept in reserve.
Taken from Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide
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However, Palpatine's clones were not perfect and he was in search of a true vessel:
Palpatine's own clone bodies were getting further and further away from the original, and thus they were decaying faster and faster. The Emperor needed a new template, a new, powerful body to inhabit and consolidate his control over the galaxy.
Taken from Star Wars Handbook # 3 - Dark Empire
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Therefore, Palpatine had set his sights on Leia's newborn:
Because the clones can only contain his evil for limited time, Palpatine strives to take possession of a strong Jedi body. The unborn Solo child would be that vessel, and Luke Skywalker would aid Palpatine in getting it.
Taken from Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide
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Palpatine also knew that Luke's sister, Leia Organa Solo, would attempt to rescue her brother, and unwittingly hand over that which Palpatine truly desired.
Taken from Star Wars Handbook # 3 - Dark Empire
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Palpatine was largely helpless without access to a corporeal vessel and a Jedi infant would be an easy target for long-term possession:
Palpatine could only rule the galaxy while he yet lived, and his current clone, so far from the original, was decaying at an advanced state. He needed fresh genetic stock, strong in the Force, with which he would create a new, endless sources of clones. Of course there was no better candidates than the children of Luke Skywalker's sister, Leia Organa Solo
Taken from Star Wars Handbook # 3 - Dark Empire
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Palpatine also lost much of his supply of clones to sabotaging efforts of Luke Skywalker and Camor Jax and had only one clone left as a consequence:
Before the decrepit Palpatine could use his sorcery to switch into one of his new clones, a grim Luke Skywalker marched into the laboratory chamber and smashed tank after tank. But Palpatine succeeded in transferring his consciousness into one of the last remaining clones, a strong and agile fifteen year old. Filled with dark side power, the reborn Emperor engaged Skywalker in a ferocious lightsaber duel and forced the Jedi Knight into submission.
Taken from Star Wars: The New Essential Chronology
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Resisting the Dark Side one last time, Luke was able to destroy almost all of the Emperor's clones-in-waiting before he succumbed to Palpatine's strength.
Taken from Star Wars Handbook # 3 - Dark Empire
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Though Palpatine seemed to be winning the war of his conquest, his final cloned body has begun to fail him, aging at a rapid rate and eaten from the inside by a sabotage of Camor Jax. He tried to clone other bodies so that he could resurrect himself again, but Jax's manipulations had tainted even the genetic source material. Palpatine's scientists and physicians could offer no solution.
Taken from Star Wars: The New Essential Chronology
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Palpatine could not resist the pull of the netherworld (or void) forever, therefore possessing a corporeal vessel was becoming a necessity for him because his current (and last) cloned body was in decline:
The Emperor continued his galaxy gun attacks but it was becoming more and more obvious that his cloned body would not live much longer. Without a new body he would be resigned to utter madness beyond death.
Taken from Star Wars Handbook # 3 - Dark Empire
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In desperation, Palpatine initially sought advice from the Sith spirits on Korriban about how to halt the decay of his current (cloned) flesh but their collective response was a vision of an Jedi infant:
Palpatine traveled to Korriban, the hidden world-crypt of the Sith Lords and Palpatine's private place of power. Here among the vaults containing the mortal remains of thousands of Sith lords, Palpatine would ask for the Sith spirit's help in halting the decay of his flesh. Instead the spirits fed him a vision of the infant Anakin Solo. Palpatine would have to transfer his spirit into the child.
Taken from Star Wars Handbook # 3 - Dark Empire
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Palpatine was running out of options now and proceeded to acquire infant Anakin Solo in Onderon. Palpatine attempted to subdue Leia Organa Solo first but she was stronger now and repulsed his attack successfully; this setback backfired on Palpatine and he was significant weakened as a consequence:
Journeying to Onderon where Leia Organa Solo had taken sanctuary among the beastriders, Palpatine disguised as a pilgrim and crept inside to confront the mother and child. But Leia had grown strong in the Force under the tutelage of her brother and repulsed Palpatine's attack, weakening his body considerably.
Taken from Star Wars Handbook # 3 - Dark Empire
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Even in a significantly compromised condition, Palpatine still had some offense left in him, killing two padawans in his way:
But Palaptine's resolve was powerful enough to fight back, and as Luke Skywalker's Jedi trainees filed in to protect Anakin, Palpatine cut them down. In a final bid Palpatine reached out to grasp Anakin, but was shot down by Anakin's father Han.
Taken from Star Wars Handbook # 3 - Dark Empire
--- and mortally wounded two more:
Rayf Yasnna and Empatoyajous Brand were both mortally wounded in the confrontation.
Taken from Star Wars: The New Essential Chronology
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Palpatine eventually lost his final clone during the ongoing confrontation but his essence departed his body and attempted to possess the child in a last ditch effort to cheat death. Unfortunately for him, a mortally wounded Jedi named Empatojayos Brand intercepted his essence and doomed it into the void forever with his own death afterwards.
But as his spirit rose from his body and shot towards the defenseless child, the Jedi Empatojayos Brand, mortally wounded during the battle, intercepted it and took Palpatine within himself. As Brand died, he took Palpatine with him, and the once-great Emperor of a million worlds was no more.
Taken from Star Wars Handbook # 3 - Dark Empire
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As the Emperor fell towards death yet again, he attempted to send his spirit into the baby Anakin - but Empatojayos Brand intercepted the dark essence. Clasping himself to the light, Brand held the Emperor's presence within his body as they both succumbed to death.
With all of his clones destroyed, Emperor Palpatine was finally defeated.
Taken from Star Wars: The New Essential Chronology
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Before his soul could enter Anakin's body, Palpatine was intercepted by a newfound Jedi Empatojayos Brand. Cut off from host body, Palpatine's essence dissipated, to be consumed by madness that was the Dark Side. After so many decades of bloodshed, the Emperor was truly dead.
- Palpatine demonstrated the capability to cheat corporeal death by retaining his essence (Legends only).
- Palpatine could not avoid the pull of netherworld forever but he could sustain himself in this form for a year.
- Palpatine could traverse space in disembodied form but he was extremely slow to reach a desired destination in this manner.
- Palpatine demonstrated the ability to shift his essence into cloned bodies but he had limitations in regards to acquiring a living corporeal vessel.
- Palpatine was not able to affect the external environment in profound ways in disembodied form and lacked the strength to defeat a dying Jedi in this form.
Last edited by S_W_LeGenD on Apr 14th, 2016 at 07:11 AM
How did you manage to quote from The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia and miss this:
"Palpatine's body was destroyed. Separated from his clones, Palpatine was forced to survive in the maddening, bodiless existence of the void. Through sheer will he retained his identity, crossing the gulf of space to again take up residence in his clone body."
-- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
You also missed the part where it took every Jedi who had gone before to keep Palpatine down forever.
I covered it in my remarks though: "Palpatine demonstrated the capability to cheat corporeal death by retaining his essence (Legends only)."
This was Brand's belief. We don't witness any Jedi spirits manifesting on the scene and aiding Brand in defeating Palpatine.
However, giving it some benefit of doubt, it can be asserted that Jedi spirits prevented return of Palpatine from the netherworld ever again.
This cannot be overlooked:
The Emperor continued his galaxy gun attacks but it was becoming more and more obvious that his cloned body would not live much longer. Without a new body he would be resigned to utter madness beyond death.
No, the quote mentions specifically that through sheer will, Palpatine was able to "escape the maddening, bodiless existence of the void." That's impressive.
The ability to transcend death is not exclusive to Jedi: Emperor Palpatine and the ancient Sith Lords Marka Ragnos managed to preserve their psyches after their deaths, but it seems their spiritual forms were restricted by certain boundaries and limitations. Palpatine's spirit required cloned bodies to manifest his powers; Marka Ragnos's and Exar Kun's spirits were essentially trapped within Sith-engineered temples for thousands of years.
Taken from Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
My blog covers that information and it is free from bias and hyperboles for both characters. It is a strictly critical analysis. I am calling a spade a spade here.
Read the blog before passing silly remarks.
Last edited by S_W_LeGenD on Apr 14th, 2016 at 05:27 PM
1.) Vitiate's disembodied spirit also never directly showed the capability to attack someone outside of possession and similar practices.
2.) When the devouring of Ziost occurred, Vitiate wasn't exactly formless; he possessed the physical form of an entire population that may have participated in the act.
It does seem like the spending too much time without corporeal form may drive Palpatine to lose his mind, but as you pointed out he was able to survive for over a year without a host, so it's only speculatively relevant. I wonder if he was still being fed by Byss' population whilst disembodied.
There did seem to be some sort of explosion-y thingie when he revived, but if I'm honest I don't have any idea what actually happened or why in that particular case.
Valkorion, in disembodied form, attacked the Outlander twice (first time when he forcefully bind himself to the Outlander [Chapter 1] and second time to test the Outlander's abilities [Chapter 12]). Valkorion also left the Outlander after strengthening the latter's bond with the Force. But he might return at some point, we don't know.
You can say that but it is a feat that he performed without using a Voice.
Yes.
He was powerful enough to resist the pull for a long period of time but not forever.
Interesting point.
Will look into it.
Last edited by S_W_LeGenD on Apr 14th, 2016 at 05:38 PM
Yes, we do know that he'll return. Second, you can't exactly broke none of that wasn't just going on inside your head. It's like saying that vision of Vaylin in the cave actually TK'd the Outlander because everyone else can. Visions are visions.
Again, thats a possession-related ability. It's not much different from what Sidious did to Brand, no?
I thought it was agreed upon that the scene in question was only within the Outlander's mind.
Mhm.
Another observation: Just like Marka Ragnos and Exar Kun, Vitiate also chose to bind his vulnerable spirit to a temple after his voice was destroyed. From this I can infer two things. One is that, at least pre-Ziost, Valkorion is very similar to Sidious in his reluctant to remain unbound for long periods of time. Two, it's possible that like Exar Kun, Valkorion channeled his power through the temple to achieve some of his feats on Yavin IV.
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Apr 14th, 2016 06:58 AM
