Star Wars fans: What's the difference between Palpatine and Darth Sidious?

[bluestateguy]

They are both played by the same character (Ian McDiarmid), but Sidious looks exactly like Emperor Palpatine in Return of the Jedi.

Are they the same person? Somehow, that just seems too simple. I bet there is a twist somewhere.

In Attack of the Clones, we learn that Count Dooku is the apprentice to Sidious, but what of Palpatine's relationship to him? So far, Palpatine only comes across as a slightly ambitious, scheming politician. He does not come across as the truly evil character we see in Sidious, or in the Emperor in Return of the Jedi.

Somehow I think we will learn more about this relationship in Episode III.

[Ladyhawk]

1. Yes, they're the same person. n/t

[Beware the Beast Man]

2. They are the same.

He's using Dooku (and the Trade Federation) to his advantage so he can wield absolute power. The Clone Wars are MIHOP, if you like. :)

[Nevernose]

3. Yes, exact same person

Lucas said so in an interview earlier this year, too. I wish I could provide you with a link, but this particular speculation has been over for a while.

God, my inner fanboy just can't wait until Memorial Day!

[derby378]

5. I knew this as early as THE PHANTOM MENACE

[alphafemale]

18. So Did I. And got Trounced when I pointed it out.

Was told I was imagining things.

[Cannikin]

4. Its his 'Sith name'. Like Darth Vader will be Anakin's.

[Goathead]

6. On another movie note.

Anybody ever tell you that your pic looks like Frances/Psycho from the Bill Murray movie Stripes?

[Bombtrack]

7. How does he morph though? Is that just a dark jedi power like lightning

bolts?

I really am not expecting this movie to be any better than the last 2 suckfests. Even though everyone else seems to think so.

[bluestateguy]

8. This is the most important movie

It links the first trilogy with the second. If it sucks, it will screw everything up. I thought Phantom Menace was excellent on the costumes and special effects, but formulaic and cliche on the plotline. Attack of the Clones was a better movie, but not as good as the original three.

[Borgnine]

12. I actually thought Phanton Menace was better than Clones.

For all its mistakes, at least a large portion of it was filmed on location and seemed more real. Attack of the Clones was like a cartoon and somehow the dialogue and acting was even worse, the storyline more contrived, and there were things thrown in to obviously please the fanboys like the Fetts.

I'm much more optimistic about Episode III though, maybe for the simple fact that Lucas isn't shying away from the violence and trying to sugarcoat what will be the darkest movie. That, and I want to believe one more time.

[DerekG]

17. I prefer The Phantom Menace as well

There's a purity to the film I really enjoy; the Tantooine scenes are rather earthy and relaxed. And despite the slew of stolid performances, I thought Liam Neeson was quite good, giving us at least one character who resonated. Episode II was bereft of such an anchor, and suffers as a result.

On the bright side, Revenge of the Sith is gonna give us one hell of a jolt in the guise of Palpatine.

[ashmanonar]

22. heh...

i was talking with some buddies of mine, fellow nerds: and we decided that doing the first three as animated would have made them BETTER.

:D

[Beware the Beast Man]

10. Yes. The dark side physically alters you.

Can you tell I'm a Star Wars geek? :freak:

[Nevernose]

14. Maybe I don't understand the question: Sidious is wearing a hat

Palpatine isn't (or the hood of a cloak, to be more precise). The voice is even the same, though Sidious sounds more evil than Palpatine. So what's the morphing thing, exactly, because I don't think we're on the same page?

[Bombtrack]

15. Um, Sideous is vampiric looking. Super pale-white, seemingly hairless,

I think his teeth might be different.

Senator Palpatine (in the first 2 prequels anyway)just looks like a well groomed politician who gets plenty of sunlight

Does he keep like SNL makeup people on standby or something?

[Hatalles]

19. The lightning exposes his true face...

The Illustrated Screenplay is already online. I had posted a handful of lines here that were clear jabs at BushCo -- even the most die-hard SW Freeper fans can't ignore it.

The script isn't that well written but then again, none of the films from the original trilogy were that well written. From some of the clips I've seen, this looks to be better than the rest of the prequels though not as good as the originals.

[AntiCoup2K4]

9. Palpatine has another name as well.....

[brainshrub]

11. Wow! They both vote Republican!

The similarities are stunning.

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

21. scary

not much more else to say than that

[Abelman]

13. Mebbe...

Palpatine as a Senator is a clone! Because there's clones everywhere and they're attacking!

[Bombtrack]

16. Another stupid thing about the prequels is Boba Fett/Clone Troopers

this whole thing has just been SOOOO STUPID.

I remember someone telling me about some book they read long before the prequels (they both read it and told me about it before them) and Boba Fett's origin in them, the Star Wars novels, was very cool and interesting.

Making his father like the father of all Storm Troopers was just idiotic. Forever you were thinking there were just soldiers underneath all those masks but then they make them clones? Or are stormtroopers not going to come from the Clone troopers?

Basically Boba Fett should have just been a frigging bounty hunter with an interesting story. He didn't have to be the offspring of the guy who completely changed the history of the universe in every way.

[derby378]

20. Personally, I think the clone troopers work well in the story

Not every Storm Trooper in A New Hope through Return of the Jedi is a descendant of Django Fett. However, if you're an ambitious Senator who moonlights as a Sith Lord, and if you want to take over a galaxy-wide Republic, it helps to have a ready-made "seed army" that's ready to do your bidding. That's where Fett's DNA samples come into play, and helps explain the special relationship between Darth Vader and Django's son, Boba. The Galactic Empire owes more to Boba Fett than meets the eye.

But a Galactic Empire, once established, still needs new recruits to help keep its army strong - and there are plenty of dissidents strewn across the Old Republic who are just itching for a chance to pick up a laser rifle and play a part in bringing "order" to the galaxy...

[Bombtrack]

24. Why does the Empire have to owe so much to Boba Fett?

That seems to be the crux of your argument about Fett being the offpring of the guy who created through cloning of himself the Stormtrooper "base".

One would think that Boba just being the best bounty hunter in the galaxy would be enough for Vader and the Emperor to treat him cordially.

Anyway I just thought of something that if they do not think of for this next movie I'll be very upset with. Boba Fett (lil' Boba) should desintegrate Mace Windu. It's a no-brainer that he's gonna try and avenge his dad's decapiation. But if he desintegrates him it will be the reason behind Vader's "No desintegrations" line in "Empire".

[Arkana]

23. Sidious IS Palpatine

and from reading the novelized "Revenge of the Sith," you learn a lot more about Sidious/Palpatine's past.