Palpatine was NOT deformed

[Jack Bauer]

Palpatine's face was not "melted off" or "disfigured" in his battle with Mace Windu. Rather the deflected Sith lightning merely destroyed the Palpatine disguise and revealed his TRUE face...the horrific looking Darth Sidious...Dark Lord of the Sith. *

This is proven by the fact Sidious gains "Sith eyes" (much like Anakin's yellow eyes on Mustafar), the lack of any burns on his face, and the fact that his hair remained intact and unburned. Also, the fact that Mace Windu (and Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi) were not physically deformed when they were hit by more powerful doses of lightning proves that Sith lightning doesn't disfigure people. Rather it can destroy a physical disguise or mask, by burning through it with sheer dark power.

P.S. Sorry guys, I just HAD to unload all of that. There's been a lot of debate over the subject and I needed to prove that once and for all.

*The Episode III Visual Dictionary also confirms this on their page detailing Darth Sidious.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

Um, yeah, that's been the conclusion by several people here already, such as Iluminatus Primus and myself.

[Jack Bauer]

Some on this board have the same views that I hold. I was just stating it one more time...to my heart's content.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

Shout it from the rooftops, sister.

[THEHOOLIGANJEDI]

Keep preaching.

I agree and assumed as such.

[Cykeisme]

So did he look that way before he took on the guise of Senator Palpatine?

Or was he being twisted inside, but maintaining his healthy appearance sort of like Dorian Gray?

[Spanky The Dolphin]

Hey, 66, you weren't suggesting that it was an actual, physical disquise, were you?

Because IP's and my theory is that Palpatine was using the Force to disquise himself, something similar or related to the Doppleganger skill, which wore away gradually as he was injured.

More proof in my opinion that Stover was being a moron at times when he wrote the novelisation.

[Noble Ire]

Hey, 66, you weren't suggesting that it was an actual, physical disquise, were you?

Because IP's and my theory is that Palpatine was using the Force to disquise himself, something similar or related to the Doppleganger skill, which wore away gradually as he was injured.

More proof in my opinion that Stover was being a moron at times when he wrote the novelisation.

How so? As I recall, thats pretty much what he said, that a disguise melted away, and he wasnt too bothered by it.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

Stover blathered on about the twisting and deformation of skin and bone, implying that it was actual damage rather than being the fading of a Force-origin disquise.

[Straha]

I think a middle ground is more accurate, some of it was the face of sidious coming out, and the other part of it was him actually being physically deformed. And as for those of you who say he was always deformed whenever we see "Darth Sidious" I retort with this:

[Noble Ire]

Stover blathered on about the twisting and deformation of skin and bone, implying that it was actual damage rather than being the fading of a Force-origin disquise.

Oh yeah, I remember that. Hmm, whatever, I still liked the book, although I am definately in the "doppleganger" camp.

[Illuminatus Primus]

Simple: at that time his use of the dark side lacked both the intensity and duration necessary to cause the damage that becomes later visible. During the Clone Wars, the Clone Wars cartoon makes Sidious' deformation clear even in hologram.

[Jack Bauer]

I agree with the "doppelganger" theory. But we'll just have to wait for the DVD commentary i guess.

[Sharpshooter]

I've always been saying that Palpatine was likely using the force to try and make himself look pleasent, as opposed to the wretch we're al too familier with - once the Jedi had tried their arrest and he'd been revealed for what he was, he had the perfect excuse to drop the act and devote that tiny orner of his mind used for such an ability to other things.

I think there was a discussion a while back about whether or not this would work with visual recorders/players, though the result of which I can't remember...

[Jack Bauer]

I've always been saying that Palpatine was likely using the force to try and make himself look pleasent, as opposed to the wretch we're al too familier with - once the Jedi had tried their arrest and he'd been revealed for what he was, he had the perfect excuse to drop the act and devote that tiny orner of his mind used for such an ability to other things.

I think there was a discussion a while back about whether or not this would work with visual recorders/players, though the result of which I can't remember...

I agree...his disfigured looks now work as perfect propaganda against the Jedi and their "assassination attempt".

[Straha]

Why I am I getting the feeling of a new Trekdestroyer?

Simple: at that time his use of the dark side lacked both the intensity and duration necessary to cause the damage that becomes later visible. During the Clone Wars, the Clone Wars cartoon makes Sidious' deformation clear even in hologram.

He'd been a Sith most of his life, he'd trained an apprentice for at least twenty years to a point where he could take on a Jedi Knight who had the powers of many masters, he'd been plotting as a Sith lord already and was about to put into practice the creation of the Clone Army while being appointed Chancellor and surrounded by Jedi... and he lacked intensity and practice?

I've been looking for pictures from Attack of the Clones and have yet to find one of Darth Sidious, though I admit I'm not doing a very exhaustive search, and have yet to find anything with him under the hood with a disfigured face.

This is not to say that the "Doppleganger" theory is wrong, just incomplete and only a partial explanation for the scarring we see on his face which was caused by one of the most powerful Jedi Masters forcing Palpatine's attack back on him forcing him both to drop the mask and making him recieve damage from the lightning. Heck, even the book used as proof for the two faces says in a caption that his face is "Lightning Scarred" and the Novel, which is not explictly contradicted by either the picture book OR the Movie, agrees.

[Robert Walper]

I think a middle ground is more accurate, some of it was the face of sidious coming out, and the other part of it was him actually being physically deformed. And as for those of you who say he was always deformed whenever we see "Darth Sidious" I retort with this:

*snip*

Everyone can shout "It's just his disguise!!" until they're blue in the face. I'm completely convinced he was deformed by the lightening (as the above image posted by Straha proves), and it was not his intention to be so.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

That is completely inconsistant with what we've seen Force Lightning do, you dolt.

[Straha]

That is completely inconsistant with what we've seen Force Lightning do, you dolt.

We've never seen Force Lightning used at 'unlimited power' by a Sith Master focused on a lightsaber, and then projected back at him by a Jedi Master who is roughly at an equal power level (if not greater). Previously we've seen Luke blasted intermitently with the Emperor intending to torture him, not to kill, blasts directed at Yoda by the Emperor with the intent to taunt and humiliate him, and fighting between Dooku and Yoda, where Dooku was completley over-powered and out classed.

Nothing else has been seen with as great power and duration as what we saw here, and the book picture posted before AND the novelezation back me up on this. Accept it and be happy.

[Grandmaster Jogurt]

Vader's face didn't melt and he got blasted at higher intensity than Palpatine was, if skeletal incadescense is any indicator.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

It's not consistant.

Nor was it even presented like it was an injury. There's no additional smoke, there's no illumination of his skeletal structure, and Palpatine wasn't crying out in pain. Shit, there's actually less smoke then when he used it on Luke or when Dooku fried Anakin.

It was his disquise eroding away. To have it be an injury is inconsistant and realistically ludicrous.

[Straha]

Vader's face didn't melt and he got blasted at higher intensity than Palpatine was, if skeletal incadescense is any indicator.

We have no way of guessing how much damage was done to his face because we see about ten seconds of it in the Shuttle Bay. What we do know is that the aforequoted book (is it the ICS?) AND the novelezation both make it clear that he is deformed in part due to the Sith Lightning. Why do people seem so hell-bent on trying to keep Palpatine as an invincible figure when Revenge of the Sith proves, if anything, that he is not invincible and is quite vulnerable as his actions when Yoda confronts him prove?

[Spanky The Dolphin]

It has nothing to do with a notion of invincibility.

Fuck, at least understand what your opponants' positions are...

[18-Till-I-Die]

I'm of the mindset he was at least partially disfigured by the force lightning, and it wasnt his intention either (i.e he didnt 'throw' the fight with Windu). Just my 2 cents.

[Jack Bauer]

We're not saying that Palpatine is some invincible and unbeatable god. On the contrary, ROTS portrays him as a human being, albeit a very evil and cunning one.

While I agree that some "disfigurement" took place, it happened to the face we know as Chancellor Palpatine. So in a sense, the mask of Palpatine was deformed and "burned" away to reveal the true face of Darth Sidious.