New Darth Bane book.

What I would have done? I would have left Palpatine exactly as he was. I am not arguing against the representation of his character. He was an archetype, Lucas celebrating the ultimate source of evil, the devil et cetera et cetera. But once you've seen that villain once, you have seen them all.

Precisely. Star Wars is full of archetypes, and this has been stated endlessly since the movies were first created. It's famous for putting ancient archetypes into the perspective of the general public. So, why are you complaining about the villains?

"Without contraries, their can be no progress".

To laud his character up as a moral warning (of what exactly? the dangers dark swimwear?) is almost an injustice to Palpatine in the first place. But if Star Wars was a psychological document, you'd see certainly have to see where Palpatine came from, to understand what he became.

One of the themes of the entire saga is what the dark side can do to a person. How it can take principled aristocrats like Dooku and turn them into world-conquering lunatics, how it can take a well meaning young boy who lived to help people and turn him into a murdering, agonizing shell of a man, and - worst of all - how it can turn people into someone like Palpatine.

Originally posted by Gideon
[B]Precisely. Star Wars is full of archetypes, and this has been stated endlessly since the movies were first created. It's famous for putting ancient archetypes into the perspective of the general public. So, why are you complaining about the villains?

These archetypes are slowly, through every Darth Bane that comes along, becoming stereotypes; characters who exist soley to exploit to their type, rather than embellish it. Palpatine is fine for what he is, but in my opinion, these characters offer nothing new and their very type has been exhausted. Time for some new ideas EU writers!

One of the themes of the entire saga is what the dark side can do to a person. How it can take principled aristocrats like Dooku and turn them into world-conquering lunatics, how it can take a well meaning young boy who lived to help people and turn him into a murdering, agonizing shell of a man, and - worst of all - how it can turn people into someone like Palpatine.

Anakin is a better example of the effects, however unfocused the execution seemed. However, these are not real people. Notice the emphasis placed upon the Force, upon the heirachy it creates and how it completely disregards the nature of the normal man. Star Wars is great for an escapist mythos, but it is not a psycholigical essay on human nature.

These archetypes are slowly, through every Darth Bane that comes along, becoming stereotypes; characters who exist soley to exploit to their type, rather than embellish it. Palpatine is fine for what he is, but in my opinion, these characters offer nothing new and their very type has been exhausted.

Have you read PoD? Bane isn't an archetype like Palpatine. He shows far much more emotion and is portrayed in much more humane ways than Sidious ever has even hinted at. Hell, he even has a love interest. As far as characterization is concerned, Bane is excellent. If anything, he's more or less like Vader.

Time for some new ideas EU writers!

Rofl. PoD and Bane are some of the EU's most original creations. If you want unoriginality, go see LotF and the Legacy comics.

Anakin is a better example of the effects, however unfocused the execution seemed. However, these are not real people. Notice the emphasis placed upon the Force, upon the heirachy it creates and how it completely disregards the nature of the normal man. Star Wars is great for an escapist mythos, but it is not a psycholigical essay on human nature.

No one ever said Star Wars was a psychological essay on human nature. But human nature plays an important role in the grand scheme of things.

Originally posted by Gideon
[B]Have you read PoD? Bane isn't an archetype like Palpatine. He shows far much more emotion and is portrayed in much more humane ways than Sidious ever has even hinted at. Hell, he even has a love interest. As far as characterization is concerned, Bane is excellent. If anything, he's more or less like Vader.

With all due respect Gideon mate, your reading comprehension skills are slacking of late. No, I have not read PoD, no, I never will and I do not know Bane, but I do know Star Wars (The films. Well, the two decent ones). He seems nothing new from what you have described him as.

Rofl. PoD and Bane are some of the EU's most original creations. If you want unoriginality, go see LotF and the Legacy comics.

"Some of the EU's most original creations" does not spread far in the grand, or even mediocre scheme of things. Even saying "some of Star Wars' most original creations" stretches about as far as a particuarly mellow tortoise would on a hot day across Central Park.

No one ever said Star Wars was a psychological essay on human nature. But human nature plays an important role in the grand scheme of things.

One Shakespearean flaw does not constitute human nature.

...Consider Palpatine a lesson on human nature. What humanity can truly become.

Palpatine a lesson in human nature? There is nothing human about Palpatine and thankfully there isn't, or it would undermine his effectiveness. As I said, it's all subjective Gideon, but to consider the melodrama of wizards with pretenatural powers as anything more than a clear cut battle between good and evil is simply fabicrating truth.