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Originally posted by Nephthys
Is it Love and Fellowship?

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It is my beloved essay.

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Originally posted by Gideon's sexy essay
Though an overview of Darth Sidious would likely result in the conclusion that he was more of a schemer and manipulator than an actual fighter, a deeper analysis reveals that even if one were to disregard his nefarious intellect and prodigious command of the Force, the Dark Lord of the Sith is among the most dangerous combatants in the mythos.
(Note: This section will not discuss Palpatine’s command or knowledge of the Force, but strictly limit itself to an analysis of his mastery of lightsaber and melee combat.)
There is no known depiction of Palpatine’s martial skills, aside from his Force-enhanced speed, reflexes, and acrobatics. However, as the sole instructor of his three Sith apprentices, we can conclude with reasonable logic that he possessed many of the physical skills that they have demonstrated.
Darth Maul, Sidious’s first known apprentice, was—more so than even the terrifying Darth Vader—a physical specimen. According to the Complete Visual Dictionary, Darth Maul “is one of the most highly trained Sith in the history of the Order.” The same source indicates that Maul’s training pushed “his physical and Force-assisted abilities to the utmost.” The Ultimate Visual Guide mentions that “Zabraks”—Maul’s species—“are renowned for their mental discipline, and have a natural ability to withstand physical suffering,” but that “Sidious tested Maul’s endurance to the very limits during his training.” Maul was a master of Juyo, a lightsaber form that required its user to be “a high level master of multiple forms,” according to Fight Saber and the Essential Guide to the Force, indicating that Palpatine himself was one such master. The Emperor’s simulacrum depicted in the Telos Holocron would claim to have “trained [Maul] in esoteric martial arts,” accrediting Sidious a level of great skill in combat. In Episode I Journal: Darth Maul, Darth Sidious demonstrates the ability to “move faster than [Maul’s] eye could follow,” and wielded a lightsaber with such preternatural precision that he traced his apprentice’s body with its blade so closely that “one flinch, one involuntary twitch of a muscle” would have killed him.
Revenge of the Sith depicts the majority of events that require Palpatine to lift his Sith blade against an enemy in his long career. But those few occasions are enough to cement his level of skill firmly within the realm of prodigious. After the siege of Coruscant by Confederacy forces and the deaths of Count Dooku and General Grievous, then-Chancellor Palpatine was confronted in his private office by four Jedi Masters: Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin. They had been informed of Palpatine’s dark alter ego by a shaken Anakin Skywalker and intended to arrest him.
Contrary to the beliefs of some skeptics and most casual fans, Windu’s entourage consisted of three of the Jedi Order’s finest duelists. The Complete Visual Dictionary cites them all as “a trio of celebrated swordmasters,” and Windu himself refer the assembled team as “four of the best [Masters].” The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia mentions that “Kolar was a tough combatant, and diplomacy was not his strong suit,” and that “Tiin was known for his foresight and ability to see the future,” and proclaims Fisto “a mighty warrior.” Indeed, Star Wars: the Clone Wars television series depicts Kit Fisto overpowering Confederacy strategist and feared Jedi killer General Grievous in single combat, despite Grievous’s mastery of all seven forms of lightsaber combat and personal training by Count Dooku. Despite these accolades and the facts that the Masters were armed with knowledge of Palpatine’s Sith allegiance and they had the advantage of having ignited their lightsabers and assumed combat stances, Darth Sidious brandished his own lightsaber, hurtled over his desk, and butchered Masters Tiin and Kolar within three seconds. Soaring headlong into Fisto and Windu, he sparred with both Masters for a few more seconds before bisecting the former and “forcing the mighty Windu back,” according to the official databank. Windu’s mastery of Vaapad and the shatterpoint charism were enough to eventually yield an advantage over the Chancellor, and the duel ended with Windu disarming the Sith Lord as Anakin Skywalker rushed into the office.
It should also be noted that Palpatine’s lightsaber had been secluded in a statue within his office, laying in darkness for over a decade (Revenge of the Sith). This, combined with Palpatine’s increased responsibilities as Chancellor—and Count Dooku’s musings that Sidious didn’t need to bother with lightsaber tutelage (Labyrinth of Evil)—indicates that Palpatine was approximately 13 years out of practice when he squared off against the Jedi in 19 BBY.

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Originally posted by Gideon
In the interest of fairness, one cannot cite Palpatine's manipulations of the Rogue Shadow as concrete evidence of his abilities, given that the cutscene is non-canon.

On the other hand, objectively, since the cutscene represents a "what if" scenario had Marek opted to finish off Vader, one could argue that it is certainly within the realm of Palpatine's abilities.

That's a nice little tug-o-war that I'll let DS and Exodus handle, since legitimate points can be made for both.

Likewise, I have to mention three cases of the Emperor's use of lightning that didn't make it into my essay:

a.) In Betrayal, after a renegade stormtrooper shoots Palpatine's drink out of his hand, Palpatine turns and unleashes Force lightning upon his enemies -- managing enough control to avoid the Royal Guardsman -- and killing all fifty of them. Yes, Sidious has an enormous knowledge of lightning, but so does Bane. Bane kill 3 people at on time with one hand in the air and he barely used it.. He threw his lightsaber about 50 meters or longer, while shooting that lightning. I must givve you the mechanics of lightsaber throw: It is a very difficult thing to pull off, as it requuires the user to blend both force push and force pull, to make the saber spin then arc back to the user. Bane did that while casting lightning that left nothing but ashes i think to 3 people in battle armor, but there may have been corpses i cant remember.

b.) In Resurrection, Palpatine obliterates three Sith acolytes with Force lightning. This is of particular note because the force of his attack left nothing but a charred skeleton. And such energy came from one hand. It should also be noted that Sith alchemy is an art reserved only for the most powerful practitioners of the dark side, according to the Dark Side Sourcebook. So the acolytes were pretty hardcore.

c.) In Dark Empire, despite being on the verge of death, Palpatine singlehandedly overpowers Leia Organa Solo with lightning and mortally wounds two Jedi with a single burst each.

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Originally posted by Nephthys
Oh yeah. Chalk up one thing Banes better than Sidious in then. Lightsaber throw- the real mans force lightning.

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Hell, he's even something of a ladies man

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Ysanne Isard > Githany.