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If I remember correctly, in Episode V, someone directly called the Emperor "Emperor Palpatine". When Episode I came out, I hadn't seen any of the others for about two years, but then hearing Palpatine's name struck a chord in my memory, so I watched the movies again. And there was the mention of the name Palpatine, so I knew far before most people that he was the Emperor, and since Sidious and the Emperor shared many physical qualities it was common sense that they would be one and the same. And I was right.

If there's anyone out there who thinks that they can directly prove me wrong, I dare you.

"Palpatine" was never mentioned in the OT movies. Only in the scripts and novelizations.

Yeah, I saw it in my official SW handbook decades ago. SO WHEN I SAW TEH PHANTOM MENACE I WASN'T FOOLED!! HAHA!!

Originally posted by KingDubya
If I remember correctly, in Episode V, someone directly called the Emperor "Emperor Palpatine". When Episode I came out, I hadn't seen any of the others for about two years, but then hearing Palpatine's name struck a chord in my memory, so I watched the movies again. And there was the mention of the name Palpatine, so I knew far before most people that he was the Emperor, and since Sidious and the Emperor shared many physical qualities it was common sense that they would be one and the same. And I was right.

If there's anyone out there who thinks that they can directly prove me wrong, I dare you.

Really? I never knew that Darth Sidious and Emperor Palpatine were one in the same until Episode III revealed it to me. I guess that was a huge secret like Anakin becoming Darth Vader.

I pretty much figured it out in TPM because Sidious looked a lot like Palp to me also and the fact he was so interested in Anakin helped too.

I wasn't 100% sure that Palpatine in the EP I and II was going to turn out to be the emperor in EP III. I thought that Lucas was going to surprise us in EP III, revealing that Palpatine was not going to be emperor. For example, maybe the sith lord Darth Sidious killed Palpatine and just stole his identity in EP III

Yeah. Lucas struck me as the type to not let such a thing become that obvious . . . Kind've like "it's so obvious - it's gotta be a trick".

But, sure enough . . .

Originally posted by Sin Harvest
Really? I never knew that Darth Sidious and Emperor Palpatine were one in the same until Episode III revealed it to me. I guess that was a huge secret like Anakin becoming Darth Vader.

you ARE joking right?

I figured it out right at the end of TPM, after Mace said "But which one was destroyed? The master, or the apprentice?" And then the camera panned to Palpatine.

I remember people denying that Palpatine was Sidious due to the fact that Emperor Palpatine, whilst never referred to by name, was also never referred to as Sidious.

Good thing it's the same actor, then.

In a rush to sound clever and original, people tried to deny all sorts of obvious stuff, including some total gibberish about Palpatine and cloning that went on for some time.

Indeed it was very clear that they were the same person, but indeed, no, the name 'Palpatine' was not used in the OT films.

It was obvious, me and my mother (I don't know why we were discussing it xD) noticed it straight away. You could tell by the actors aswell.

For some reason before TPM came out I knew the Emperor's name was Palpatine so it wasn't a shock.

Action figures and books.

it was easy...when mace says "but which was destroyed, the master, or the apprentice?" in tpm, the cam moves straight to palps...that and in one of the books i've got some imp officer say "emperor palpatine!!"...2 and 2....

Originally posted by Captain REX
I remember people denying that Palpatine was Sidious due to the fact that Emperor Palpatine, whilst never referred to by name, was also never referred to as Sidious.

Good thing it's the same actor, then.


Oh my god, I was one of those people saying that Sidious wasn't the Emperor because they didn't share the same name!

In TPM when Queen Amidala said "Senator Palpatine!" as his hologram was disrupted, I thought, 'is that the emperor?!' But it was a long time since I had read the OT books. I thought it was used in the books but wasn't sure. I didn't go back and check because I had to go in spoiler free for the remainder of the PT!

Originally posted by Razielim
"Palpatine" was never mentioned in the OT movies. Only in the scripts and novelizations.
But I hadn't read a single book before I saw Ep. II and I knew that he had been referred to as "Emperor Palpatine" in at least one of the OT movies. I knew that one of the OT movies was my source. But I'm going to go through Ep. V again just to make sure...

Originally posted by KingDubya
But I'm going to go through Ep. V again just to make sure... You shant find it.

"Palpatine" was never spoken in the OT. Neither was "Sidious" or "Darth" as a title.

(shuffles papers) Where is that list of not-spoken OT words?

IF you said Sidious and Palpatine were the same before Episode III release you would get flamed and torched because everyone had all these reasons they wern't the same.

Originally posted by KingDubya
I knew that one of the OT movies was my source. But I'm going to go through Ep. V again just to make sure...
Seriously, the people on these boards live and breathe Star Wars... 'Palpatine' isn't mentioned in ANY OT film.

The fact that Palpatine/Sidious/The Emperor are the same people was never supposed to be a secret... From the back of my Episode I VHS box:

"Obi-Wan Kenobi, the wise old Jedi from the original series, is a determined young apprentice and Palpatine, well known as the evil Emperor, is an ambitious Senator in the Galactic Republic..."

In the TPM DVD commentary, Lucas says: "I introduce Darth Sidious via hologram because that's how he was originally introduced in The Empire Strikes Back."

um.. he was introduced as the emperor in ESB, Lucas obviously didn't want a surprise for Palpatine in the PT. I thought there might of in EP III, but to much stuff put me off that thinkning

Palps/Sidious was so obvious (read: TOO obvious) from the beginning of EP1 that I hoped there would be some twist to it later on.

Sadly, the story arc was aimed at 5 year olds, so no twist for me.

My nieces & nephews had an idea they were one-in-the-same before ROTS, kids talk about movies just like adults. My gf who saw eps I, II and III without seeing 4-6 did not know, and I kept her spoiler free, (AFAIK)!

I din't know that papatine was the emperor when I saw episode I. I only started to notice the resemblence upon seeing episode 2 on dvd. I honestly discovered that palpatine is the emeperor by myself. Back then i was so proud of myself and thought I was the only one who knew that secret. I will never forget the wonderfull feeling when I discovered that palpatine is the emperor, it was like solving a murder mystery.

That has value.

I think the point is not that the plot twist, such as it was, was aimed at five year olds. But it was not aimed at die hard fans who know absolutely everything abvout Star Wars and wanted another ESB style twist that was never going to happen.

Such people were never going to be surprised.

Originally posted by JediRobin23
um.. he was introduced as the emperor in ESB, Lucas obviously didn't want a surprise for Palpatine in the PT. I thought there might of in EP III, but to much stuff put me off that thinkning

You miss the point. In the TPM commentary, he says that he introduced "Darth Sidious" in ESB. Meaning Palpatine is Sidious. He inadvertantly let that slip when TPM came out.

If Lucas said sidious then whats the big deal. We knew Sidious is going to be the emperor. If Lucas said he introduced Palpatine, then its a different story, You missed the point

It was not inadvertent... it was never supposed to be a secret. There's a close up of Palpatine right after Mace's "master and apprentice" speech... if you couldn't figure it out from that you're pretty ****ing dense. Plus, they're played by the same actor and it says Palpatine becomes the Emperor on the back of the box...

Originally posted by DeVi| D0do
It was not inadvertent... it was never supposed to be a secret. There's a close up of Palpatine right after Mace's "master and apprentice" speech... if you couldn't figure it out from that you're pretty ****ing dense. Plus, they're played by the same actor and it says Palpatine becomes the Emperor on the back of the box...

You are missing the point too. Go back and read. I never said that it was supposed to be a secret. I said that Lucas himself confirmed his real identity when TPM was released.

Understand?

Okay, fine... but you said "He inadvertantly let that slip...", which would imply that it was an accidental mistake... which it wasn't... because it wasn't a secret... but whatever...

Lucas could have filmed Sidious' revelation as a huge plot twist, with crescendo music, and dramatic closeups . . . but he didn't. Anakin could have had a tortured look on his face, ala' Luke, but Lucas didn't go that way.

It makes me think it wasn't as huge a revelation as if he had made the films sequentially.

Go watch the RotS Special Features DVD. On the Web Documentary, "Becoming Sidious", Ian McDiarmid says that he is Darth Sidious - but that isn't a fact that Lucas confirmed nor denied.

I'm saying he confirmed it on TPM's commentary. So I'm not ****ing stupid, now, am I?

It wasn't a plot twist directed to five year olds. It was just Lucas showing the jedi discovering the secret of Palpatine. He's just telling a story. Nothing directed to kids to surprise them..

Originally posted by Escape81
Go watch the RotS Special Features DVD. On the Web Documentary, "Becoming Sidious", Ian McDiarmid says that he is Darth Sidious - but that isn't a fact that Lucas confirmed nor denied.

I'm saying he confirmed it on TPM's commentary. So I'm not ****ing stupid, now, am I?
inadvertent - adj. accidental : without intention (especially resulting from heedless action);

It was not inadvertent is all I'm saying... it was intentional.

Lucas confirmed Sidious as being the emperor, not Palpatine.
BTW, Lucas only says things intentionally, not accidentally.

I was kinda hoping for a big plot twist, but its ok. I'm still satisfied with Ep III, although it would have been cool...

Your avatar scares me..

Well...of course it was pretty obvious.

I mean...It was kinda hard to miss.

Specialy at the end of TPM when Yoda and Mace are discussing the sith and the camera shot is turned over to palpy...who could miss that?

i wasn't really suprised by anakin becoming darth vader or palpatine being the sith lord. most star wars fans knew from the first they saw episode 1. anyone who had seen the original trilogy knew how it was all going to end but it was just interesting to see how anakin turned the dark side and stuff starwars

Yep, they are the finest prequels ever made.

Originally posted by KingDubya
If I remember correctly, in Episode V, someone directly called the Emperor "Emperor Palpatine". When Episode I came out, I hadn't seen any of the others for about two years, but then hearing Palpatine's name struck a chord in my memory, so I watched the movies again. And there was the mention of the name Palpatine, so I knew far before most people that he was the Emperor, and since Sidious and the Emperor shared many physical qualities it was common sense that they would be one and the same. And I was right.

If there's anyone out there who thinks that they can directly prove me wrong, I dare you. that and, on the movie itself it says that palpatine is sidious.