Update to the Domus Publica

[Publius]

The Domus Publica has seen some updates for the first time since October 2007. Most noteworthy is the restoration of part 1 of "Something Wicked This Way Comes: The Life and Times of Palpatine the Undying." This particular article has not been available on line for more than a year. Hopefully further updates will be arriving in the near future.

[Stark]

Huzzah! Something Wicked... is one of my favourites.

[Darth Hoth]

As a fairly new member of the board, I have not yet had the opportunity to express my great respect for you and gratitude for your works, Publius. I hope it is not inappropriate to do so in this thread.

What further improvements might we be seeing in the near future? I am particularly interested in The Test of Wills; is it possible that it will be restored?

[phongn]

I guess it's time to break out the typesetting engine again

[Alexian Cale]

Publius, if I might point one thing out to you:

...it seems that this ability is only effective in
short bursts, as his Force-enhanced speed, agility, and strength in his duel with the four Jedi Masters in his private office in the Senate Office Building in Revenge of the Sith did not demonstrate quite this level of speed.

According to Leeland Chee, the speeds demonstrated by Force users in the movies do not contradict or retcon those displayed in the EU. Though he appeared to be moving (in comparison) much slower, this might have been due to Lucas's decision to emphasize the combatants' faces and expressions, as the novelization refers to Palpatine as a "blur of speed". So, in all likelihood, he was moving at similar speeds.

I can't wait for the next chapters. Will there be more on Palpatine's mastery of the Force?

[Illuminatus Primus]

So in SoD terms, we're looking at an edited pastiche of regular time (facial expressions, communication, etc.) and slow-mo and editing for clarity (actual fighting)?

[Alexian Cale]

So in SoD terms, we're looking at an edited pastiche of regular time (facial expressions, communication, etc.) and slow-mo and editing for clarity (actual fighting)?

Essentially.

Of course, it's not that big of a stretch to conclude (though some people are just amazed by the idea). The Expanded Universe makes reference to duelists who are capable of moving faster than the eye can see, and even Clone Wars-era tie ins such as Shatterpoint demonstrate the speed of Force users; Mace Windu was able to land six punches to Kar Vastor's body (a very powerful Force user capable of immense perception) before he could blink. It's highly illogical to assume that the prequel trilogy and original trilogy Jedi and Sith are somehow just slower than the others. And, obviously, it wouldn't be much of a duel if we couldn't see the combatants. Since George Lucas has approved the publishing of sources aggrandizing Force users' speeds (the novelizations being one of them -- Stover once cited in an interview that everything that was in the novel was there because Lucas wanted it to be), the speeds shown in the movies are not at a disparity.

Chee confirmed it.

It would also explain why it seemed as though Masters Tinn and Kolar reacted so poorly to Palpatine; he was simply moving at speeds beyond their own ability to compensate for. This also explains why Fisto was able to react, but not keep up, with Sidious, even with Windu's assistance. Concluding, it's also why Windu went on the defensive, and as the novelization hints at, only by submerging himself in Vaapad was Windu able to counter Palpatine's ferocity and speed. Initially, he couldn't fight the Sith Lord on even terms. Vaapad equalled it out, and the shatterpoint charism tipped the fight in Windu's favor.

And, as an observational standpoint, it's also why -- if you compare Palpatine's fight with Yoda to his fight with Mace -- one will find that Sidious appears to move much faster with Yoda. In reality, he isn't really moving faster at all, but for the purposes of the movie, he can't move at speeds faster than the eye can see.

[TC Pilot]

Excellent start, though one minor nitpick: neither Naboo nor the Chommel Sector are in the Outer Rim. Rather, they're in the Mid Rim. Not exactly a critical difference, though it's a mistake already in the first sentence that may detract from the rest of an exhaustively detailed biography.

[Alexian Cale]

I'm curious how he manages to do it all. One thing that I will give unprecedented credit for Publius is, when he posts his opinion on something, most of the population generally find it conclusive, and the opposition normally submits, and he doesn't resort to insults, baits, or sarcasm.