It would be nice to see him use more powers like the mind control trick he used to get Amidala to propose the vote against Valorum. Maybe he's powerful enough to completely circumvent an individuals free-will. Maybe the Clones (if their are any) have been created to be mindless enough to be little more than his pawns and he's controlling them all? Or is that too ST Borg/Hive - I guess so...
He's a user, though. He probably could fight but his tactic always seems to be manipulating those around him and using their powers as his own. Doesn't 'insidious' mean a sort of ability to sneak behind or into something? Like Yoda, I think he should stay out of the fight scenes. No matter how skilled they are, it just doesn't suit them.
As for Maul's training....hmmmmm. Perhaps Maul trained himself, using droids etc.
I'm NOT sure I agree with Ushgarak on this one - I mean about Palpatine not using some power above persuasion to get Amidala to vote against Valorum. I think it's also possible that Anakin was manipulating events during the meal table scene in his home on Tatooine. For a Jedi on a mission, Qui-Gon didn't take a great deal of persuasion before getting over-interested in the potential of a young slave boy. But maybe Anakin was unaware - maybe Qui-Gon's reaction to him can be put down to a charisma in overdrive due to Midiclorians.
The way I viewed the film, however, was that just about everyone was subject to manipulation and influence by a power they either couldn't see or that was somehow removed from them.
I'm guessing that as Palpatine appeared as a flickery hologram to Amidala and (in the guise of Sideous) to the Neimoidians, he WAS the Phantom Menace of the title - a removed power influencing events and orchestrating a pincer attack on Naboo by controlling both sides of the conflict from a distance.
Then there's Boss Nass releasing the Jedi and Jar Jar at the beginning of the film under the influence of Gui-Gon's mind trick, the Trade Federation's denial of the attack on Naboo to the Senate, the 'chance cube' being rigged by Qui-Gon during the bet over Anakin's future with Watto, the deception over the Queen's true identity and the double-bluff that lures the federation forces from the throne room in Theed, even the Jedi's decision not to train Anakin because his future is hidden, deception, secrecy, plotting - the whole film is riddled with deception and Machiavellian undertakings. In fact, you could argue that pretty much nothing happens without someone, somewhere, being behind it unbeknownst to the people it effects.
Revealing in EpII that Palpatine and Anakin were both influencing events in EpI would fit with this, explain away some of the plot problems that people perceived with PM, and also illustrate that they are both extremely formidable powers in the Universe.
Or am I taking it all too far?
its not just the strong minded it doesn't work with, look at Watto, didn't work with him, "only money". how can an 11 year old boy who knows nothing of greed know a quite complex Jedi trick and with all of those Jedi on Corruscant how can Palpatine start using mind tricks when OB1 could sense something elusive all the way in Naboo.
Certainly that was a strong indication of his amazing instinct. Obviously, blocking lasrer bolts would be impossible even for the fatsest person. Only the near-future prediction of the Force can give you taht ability, and Luke's powerful talent was showing even without training, just as Anakin's had.
But that is a long way from employing powers such as the Mind Trick.
He couldn't have been on the Falcon that long, the order to terminate the princess is given and then the Falcon arrives. I've always had a problem with the way in which you saw Luke using a lightsabre in a basic way in ANH and then by the end of esb he was fighting Vader, but just like the time thing on the Falcon, how long was he with Yoda and what did Yoda teach him that we didn't see and what and who taught him between ep4 and ep5. i assume the ob1 ghost trick was a debut in esb.