The Emperor Reborn

[Lord Xizer]

Here is a question that has bugged me for some time.
Palpatine/Sidious coming back multiple times in clone bodies using Essence transfer. I have a few problems believing that it was the real original Palpatine:
1: In essence transfer requires physical touch(in the book Darth Bane he has to touch Zannah to connect them) Palpatine was at Endor, his spirit supposedly took over one of his hands in another system, then was taken to Byss to enter his clone.
2: His behavior, the clones act like absolute idiots. They rave, they come up with plans of no secrecy or seeming purpose. Compared to his original scheming patience and genius this seems starkly out of character.
3: That he waited 6 years without doing ANYTHING while HIS Empire collapsed around him.
4:His lack of Sith traditions(he wielded no Sith lightsaber, he ignored all Sith teachings of wisdom)
So let me ask you this, WAS it really Palpatine driven ever more mad by the insanity of the abyss between existence when he changed bodies? Or was it a series of clones who believed they WERE Palpatine but were insane and lacked his cunning and patience?

[Zeron]

1. As his hand a force-sensitive, Palpatine only needed to travel to him in order to possess him. He didn't do the spirit transference until he reached Byss.

2. Palpatine never learned of Ysalamiri like Thrawn, so his clones were addled by their own force powers and not entirely sane. He was also being sabotaged by Carnor Jax.

3. He was at Byss in the deep core, he was very out of touch. When he learned of Thrawn he was..well still crazy so he decided he was a threat and worked against him.

4. He used Force Storm, and lightsabers. I don't know what else you mean. He was a Sith, he followed the Sith traditions only so long as they benefited him.

[jimbobhickman]

I had wondered about that also, I personally think it is the whole sabotage/clone instability that accounts for it. It fits with some of the best cannon ever devised for Star Wars (Heir to the Empire)

[Lord Xizer]

Yes I suppose that would account for the seemingly increasing madness...it's just when I read Dark Empire(I can't bring myself to read it too much, the art style is mediocre, the story jumps about like a schizophrenic with epilepsy, and the dialogue is very over dramatic with little substance to the original character's personalities, which are just y opinions but when compared to say Crimson Empire, Shadows of the Empire, X-Wing series and Heir to the Empire comics the Dark Empire series just fails to impress.) I can't connect the raving lunatic that CLAIMS to BE Palpatine with the cunning, methodical and coldly calculating evil genius from all other aspects of Star Wars both films and EU material.

[Lord_jacob]

i think he might have lost some of himself during his time in the abyss and when taking over new bodies. he might have absorbed some of the host and left some of him, explaining for his madness. He could have also not been fully re-cooperated at the time, and losing an Empire to a bunch of Teenagers and raving politicians could have affected him

[Lord Xizer]

i think he might have lost some of himself during his time in the abyss and when taking over new bodies. he might have absorbed some of the host and left some of him, explaining for his madness. He could have also not been fully re-cooperated at the time, and losing an Empire to a bunch of Teenagers and raving politicians could have affected him

These are all very likely. He never did take failure well. I know he caused the imperial mutiny for three reasons, 1: Devastate any potential rivals, 2: Ensure that the survivors would be the strongest and most cunning of the bunch, 3: punish them all for failing to crush the NR, going rogue, and daring to try and elect a NEW Emperor.
I think that believing himself Immortal vastly inflated his sense of invulnerability so he just shrugged off losses of massive scale troops and ships thinking he'd still win in the end. Then his desperation to avoid death drove him over the final edge.

[Settra]

I'm gonna have to agree, he lost his marbles. Being that drunk with power then wandering the abyss....regaining his power would have..interesting effects on his psyche. Though I am curious...if it took him that long to get to a clone body...how could he (attempt to) jump into Anakin's body so quickly. Hm. I guess proximity could have something to do with it.

[Lord Xizer]

I'm gonna have to agree, he lost his marbles. Being that drunk with power then wandering the abyss....regaining his power would have..interesting effects on his psyche. Though I am curious...if it took him that long to get to a clone body...how could he (attempt to) jump into Anakin's body so quickly. Hm. I guess proximity could have something to do with it.

Indeed. It is proximity(most of the time he died he was WAAAY away from a useable body), compatibility( if the bodies host rejects to powerfully the invading spirit can be destroyed) and concentration(without absolute focus the jump can tear the spirit into shreds) all are factors.

[Settra]

Indeed. It is proximity(most of the time he died he was WAAAY away from a useable body), compatibility( if the bodies host rejects to powerfully the invading spirit can be destroyed) and concentration(without absolute focus the jump can tear the spirit into shreds) all are factors.

Hm. Indeed, makes sense. Though I didn't mind him being finally...absorbed I suppose, by Brand. He got to be too much (as you said, too many crazy ramblings). Though the super weapons got more and more interesting. Except the Sun Crusher, I am not a fan of that whatsoever.

[Znieh]

2: His behavior, the clones act like absolute idiots. They rave, they come up with plans of no secrecy or seeming purpose. Compared to his original scheming patience and genius this seems starkly out of character.

Only his clones acted like idiots? I would say he acted like a pretty big idiot at Endor, if he hadn't been so worried about playing games and acting like he was a god the Empire would of won, of course I shudder to think of that.

(I can't bring myself to read it too much, the art style is mediocre, the story jumps about like a schizophrenic with epilepsy, and the dialogue is very over dramatic with little substance to the original character's personalities, which are just y opinions but when compared to say Crimson Empire, Shadows of the Empire, X-Wing series and Heir to the Empire comics the Dark Empire series just fails to impress.)

But it introduced so many new ships, such pretty ships. 

[Lord Xizer]

Only his clones acted like idiots? I would say he acted like a pretty big idiot at Endor, if he hadn't been so worried about playing games and acting like he was a god the Empire would of won, of course I shudder to think of that.

He was quite clever at Endor. It was a flawless trap that would have snared a new apprentice, destroyed the Rebel fleet and then the twin attack on Mon Calamari and Chandrilla would have crushed the last of their support systems. 
The Ewoks were the hydrospanner in the works of this plan.


But it introduced so many new ships, such pretty ships. 

Very few of them were pretty(except the gorgeous Eclipse)

[Settra]

Very few of them were pretty(except the gorgeous Eclipse)

That is exactly what I was thinking! The Galaxy Gun was...interesting and the World Devastators never interested me much

[Lord Xizer]

That is exactly what I was thinking! The Galaxy Gun was...interesting and the World Devastators never interested me much

The Galaxy Gun was probably my favorite Super Weapon and certainly the most effective one. The World Devastators, while ugly were fascinating from a tactical standpoint in that they fed off enemy material. They destroyed the enemy and could build more of themselves with what they absorbed. They were probably the most efficient superweapons ever created by the Empire.