The "chosen one" didn't really bring balance to the force

Originally posted by Ushgarak
Not the EU's finest hour. It's not that I think the Dark Side should be dead and buried forever- it is, after all, the primary Star Wars antagonist- but you can only beat a dead horse so much, and this one also, as discussed, rather contradicts the spirit of the movies. It's just lazy storytelling for effect (because readers think the Sith are cool), a habit some sections of the EU suffer from (re: some of the superweapons the early EU came up with).

Time to put the Sith to rest, I think, unless you are makng a historical novel. There are other ways to explore the Dark Side.

As for time scaling- well yes, there's nothing to say that the FOrce will never be unbalanced again, but logic as to the point of the Prophecy, not to mention simple dramatic necessity, says that the whole of the Star Wars Saga should have some significant effect, not be just a blip.

Of course, GL has made understanding all of this harder by never explaining any of the fundamentals inside the films.

You don't think the death of Palpatine made a significant effect? There was never a sith as dangerous or as smart as he was. Chances are if Vader would not have never killed Palpatine the jedi order would have been lost forever.

But according to the EU, Vader didn't kill Palpatine.

He certainly removed him as a threat for a good... oh, ten years. Makes the prophecy look weak, though. Like Anakin gave his life to end the Sith for very little outcome.

I think DE was simply the death throes of a defeated, embittered man. Dangerous to be sure, but as far as the Force was concerned, he was done.

From what I understand, Dark Empire was originally supposed to take place shortly after Return of the Jedi. But then they got Zahn to write his trilogy, and he refused to acknowledge Dark Empire, so they were forced to place Dark Empire AFTER Zahn's trilogy, where it really doesn't make a whole lot of sense, insofar as that at the end of the Thrawn trilogy the New Republic was in possession of most of the galaxy, and suddenly in DE they're pushed back into the fringes of the Outer Rim.

It just doesn't make a lot of sense to me that Palpatine would do nothing while a lot of Imperial warships are destroyed and great minds like Thrawn are killed.

Wasn't he in limbo during that time?

He was recovering in a clone body since it was the first time he cheated death. Then he spent a lot of time rebuilding his military and infrastructure.

He was fully recovered during the Thrawn trilogy, per the Dark Empire Sourcebook.

The Thrawn trilogy spanned over a year? He was rebuilding his military.

Originally posted by Dr McBeefington
The Thrawn trilogy spanned over a year? He was rebuilding his military.

It's my understanding that he was rebuilding his military through the six year period from Endor to the beginning of Operation Shadow Hand. Byss has its own shipyards, and apparently Black Sword Command was given orders to retreat to the deep core from the Koornacht Cluster before it was captured by the Yevetha.

Anyway, what better way to rebuild his military than by contacting Thrawn, letting him know the situation, and pooling their resources?

That is explained within the DESB.

Originally posted by Gideon
That is explained within the DESB.

The DESB claims that Thrawn claimed himself Emperor.

"When his servant, Thrawn, made his claim, Palpatine could only watch in sadness. He had hoped Thrawn would know better."

That's simply a crap retcon to explain why Palpatine sat on his hands while Thrawn was active.

Thrawn did claim himself de facto Emperor. He also refers to the Emperor with great disrespect to Mara Jade during Dark Force Rising.

Originally posted by Gideon
Thrawn did claim himself de facto Emperor. He also refers to the Emperor with great disrespect to Mara Jade during Dark Force Rising.

I only remember Thrawn bashing Vader, not Palpy, but I haven't read the original trilogy in quite some time. Obviously Thrawn was de facto Emperor, but that's not something you claim, it was just a fact, because Palpy didn't inform Thrawn he was still alive. What was Thrawn supposed to do? Let the Empire disintegrate because Palpy, whom he thought was dead, would get mad if he tried to right it by taking a position of leadership?

Originally posted by Gideon
I think DE was simply the death throes of a defeated, embittered man. Dangerous to be sure, but as far as the Force was concerned, he was done.

Yeah, DE Sidious just seemed too desperate. He was mentally never the same.

I'd be a little cookoo too if I had to live in a rapidly aging clone body while my Empire has been crumbling around me.

Originally posted by Lord Lucien
I'd be a little cookoo too if I had to live in a rapidly aging clone body while my Empire has been crumbling around me.

All because of Vader's sacrafice.

I thought that the Galactic Empire was actually doing very well for itself during Dark Empire, but Palpatine's insanity led him to prioritize his "Dark Side Elite" ahead of the Empire.

He had the New Republic to the point where it was hiding on a space station, and before that, a planet deep in Hutt Space (which was destroyed). What does it say for the New Republic's territory that their leadership is forced to hide in Hutt space, when a year earlier, they held Coruscant? And this is before they knew Palpatine could destroy planets again with his Galaxy Gun (although the World Devastators were attacking Mon Calamari).

And despite all this leverage, at the end of Dark Empire, he brings his fleet to Da Soocha V, and offers the Alliance a peace treaty if they hand over Leia and her unborn child. And then when beaten by Luke in a duel, he uses his Force Storm ability to destroy the Rebel fleet, rather than just using the Imperial fleet to do so, which results in his own (temporary) demise.

I remember reading that, as of Thrawn and the DE, that the Empire was still the dominant power in the galaxy, only it was divided by internal strife and warlordism. Thrawn and Palpatine "simply" unified them.

Originally posted by Gideon
I think DE was simply the death throes of a defeated, embittered man. Dangerous to be sure, but as far as the Force was concerned, he was done.