Darkstorm Zero
Master of all Decepticons
This thread went to shit very quickly...
Quan, I agree that the Force Lightning is what caused Palpatine to look like a shrivelled up prune. I however disagree that it was because the Lightning was focused on his head. it was not. The lightning Windu was redirecting was going all over the place. Also, the 3rd round of lightning directed at Luke from Palpatine was specifically aimed at his head as well.
I should mention that Dark Side Force Lightning does not work in the same way as an electrical jolt does. The Lightning does not do it's damage through burning. It's a dark side force technique. It drains the force and life from what it strikes, which is why Palpatine looked like a drained leper, and not a piece of burned charcoal.