Join me in a short trip down the dark path.... I promise we won't stay long... only long enough to satisfy our evil curiosity...

5. Patience. No human could have that sort of patience in the world we live in today. Think of the YEARS he spent waiting for just the right moment to reveal himself. He trained Darth Maul from birth, twenty years at least. And another ten years after that, he waited. It hardly matters whether or not he knew of Anakin's existence before Qui-Gon discovered him, because either way he had to wait for him to grow up and learn the ways of the Force. He had to wait for just the right times to manipulate things to his liking.

4. Mental discipline. He hid his Force sensitivity from the Jedi, even from Master Yoda. How tempting it must have been to just once say, "You think you're so hot, try THIS" and zap a little Force lightning across the room just shut up the Jedi Council.

3. Guile. Guile is defined by Merriam-Webster as "deceitful cunning." I would add to that being calm and cool at all times while being deceitfully cunning. No one could ever say he lost his cool or gave himself away at any time while he was manipulating the fate of the galaxy...

2. Taste. His taste in clothing and office décor was, well... a little overdone. But it was PERFECT for a dictator-in-waiting.... His wardrobe and his surroundings DEMANDED respect in a subtle, elusive way. He comported himself with dignity and automatically expected to be treated with dignity. He acted the part of statesman and gentleman.

1. EVILNESS! While I expressed some disappointment over the lack of true evil in Anakin Skywalker, there was no lack of this characteristic in Palpatine. He was "bad to the bone" and the glimpses we catch of that dark side are tantalizing, especially if one has seen the OT first and KNOW he's bad and just hiding it. How many times have you wanted to shout "He's lying!" or "He's manipulating you!" or something similar at your TV screen? The close up of him being somber and serious at Qui-Gon's memorial was brilliant and gave me the chills. Which was destroyed, the master or the apprentice? Well, the Jedi didn't know, but WE did.


I remember after seeing the Emperor's face for the first time in ROTJ, one friend saying "What WAS he?" He was so hideous and disgusting. To see him as a fine looking, middle aged man in TPM made him all the more intriguing. How and when would the truth come out? What would be that final step that makes him "Emperor?"

Young Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi says at the beginning of the movie, "I have a bad feeling about this!" and "It's something elsewhere, elusive." Perhaps Qui-Gon should have paid more attention instead of correcting him, telling him to concentrate on the here and now. But the elusive evilness he sensed was out there.

Palpatine is one of the reasons I'm glad I'm old enough to have seen the OT first. Watching him develop from seemingly honest and dedicated Senator in to Emperor was a treat in itself!

We now return you to the light side of the Force.....