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Lit Was Palpatine A Coward?

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Chewbacca89, Mar 18, 2013.

  1. Chewbacca89

    Chewbacca89 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 25, 2012
    After reading "Plagueis" I am beginning to wonder if Palpatine was a coward. Instead of engaging Plagueis in a duel, he gets him drunk and kills him. To me at least, this is pretty cowardly. There are other examples in this book and others of him taking the "safe" route. In ROTS he tried to run from Yoda instead of fighting him. So what are your thoughts? Am I off the mark here?
     
  2. CT-867-5309

    CT-867-5309 Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jan 5, 2011
    These things you mention are not cowardly, they're intelligent. Why go toe to toe with Plagueis when you can get the arrogant fool drunk and kill him easily? Why fight Yoda after cementing your Empire if you don't have to? When it became clear that he did have to fight Yoda, he did not back down, he fought until Yoda chose to run away.

    A coward would not have the courage to take over the galaxy and destroy the Jedi Order.

    But to each his own, "from a certain point of view" and all that.
     
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  3. Ghost

    Ghost Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Oct 13, 2003
    Palpatine has definitely always been a coward... a slave to his own paranoia and fears
     
  4. Darth_Pevra

    Darth_Pevra Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    May 21, 2008
    Palpatine has neither honor nor dignity. I don't think he's a coward in the conventional sense even if I understand how you would get that impression.

    @ SummerDreamer

    Good point. He is driven very much by his fear of inferiority and his paranoia. Vader is too, but to a lesser degree.
     
  5. stung4ever

    stung4ever Jedi Grand Master star 3

    Registered:
    May 17, 2002
    A coward? No.

    But he definitely subscribed to the theory that discretion is the better part of valor.
     
  6. Chewbacca89

    Chewbacca89 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 25, 2012
    But he was definitely paranoid, right?
     
  7. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    If everyone really is out to get you, is it still paranoia?
     
  8. Chewbacca89

    Chewbacca89 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 25, 2012
    Idk. I feel like his actions have two explanations. Either he was a coward or was extremely intelligent and avoided confrontations. Can it be both or just one or the other?
     
  9. CooperTFN

    CooperTFN TFN EU Staff Emeritus star 7 VIP

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 1999
    The better question is, is avoiding conflict inherently cowardly? I know what the Jedi answer would be, but Sith philosophy is less...absolute.
     
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  10. GrandAdmiralJello

    GrandAdmiralJello Comms Admin ❉ Moderator Communitatis Litterarumque star 10 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    "There are alternatives to fighting" - Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master and Apparent Coward.
     
  11. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Palpatine doesn't avoid conflict, he just makes damn sure the deck is stacked in his favour before it all kicks off.
     
  12. instantdeath

    instantdeath Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 22, 2010
    It's also worth noting that engaging in a no-holds barred duel with Plagueis on Coruscant would undoubtedly bring the Jedi order down on them. There's no way they wouldn't sense that.

    I hold the view that, like Plagueis, Sidious' power increased exponentially after killing his master. At that stage, victory wouldn't have been a sure thing. So while his move can be seen as dishonorable, it is smart, and in a way Plagueis got just what he asked for in letting his guard down like that.

    I'd say that Sidious is a coward, but only in the sense that all men like him are. He's not afraid to fight, and he doesn't fear any single person... but hold his head over an inferno, and you'll find out what kind of man he truly is. He's terrified of death. "All men with power are afraid to lose it" and so forth.
     
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  13. VadersLaMent

    VadersLaMent Chosen One star 10

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    Apr 3, 2002
    If Palpatine was a coward then so was Sun Tzu.
     
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  14. Aaronaman

    Aaronaman Jedi Knight star 4

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    Mar 12, 2013
    It could be viewed as cowardly but can also be seen as a very smart and astute move, if someone has a weakness exploit it.
     
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  15. Darth_Pevra

    Darth_Pevra Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    May 21, 2008
    One action of him that appears cowardly is when he ordered a second DS be built. I know, I know, trap for the Rebellion, but still... the first DS was a total failure so building a second doesn't seem like a rationally motivated decision.
     
  16. Starkeiller

    Starkeiller Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 5, 2004
    Building a superweapon to destroy planets is by definition quite the opposite of a rationally motivated decision. I'm sure Freud could help us with it, but he died -- too many cigars.
     
  17. Manisphere

    Manisphere Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 25, 2007
    Philosophically I'd say we could call all dark siders cowards. But I wouldn't want to pick a fight with one.
     
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  18. instantdeath

    instantdeath Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    Jul 22, 2010
    It's a tragedy that Freud's opinion on planet destroying super weapons was never documented. It undoubtedly had something to do with Palpatine's mother.
     
  19. Starkeiller

    Starkeiller Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Dec 5, 2004
    And something about penises, let's not forget the penises.
     
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  20. instantdeath

    instantdeath Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    Jul 22, 2010
    Palpatine's mom had a penis? Perhaps in confusion he turned to destroying planets and unlimited power.
     
  21. anakinfansince1983

    anakinfansince1983 Skywalker Saga/LFL/YJCC Manager star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2011
    It's going to be awhile before I get that visual out of my head, especially going along with the visual of her yelling "COSINGA!" as Palpatine killed her.
     
  22. FatSmel

    FatSmel Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 23, 2012
    This

    /thread
     
  23. stung4ever

    stung4ever Jedi Grand Master star 3

    Registered:
    May 17, 2002
    Well, put together, the Death Stars did look like... balls.
     
  24. Rawne

    Rawne Jedi Knight star 2

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    Jan 2, 2008
    He's not a coward. He's an Emperor.
     
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  25. Jedifirefly5

    Jedifirefly5 Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 5, 2012
    It's hard to attribute normal feelings to one such as he. He is a socoipath, a true psycho, with no ability to truly love or regret. He is also insanely narcissitic, selfish and greedy. The world is not enough is his motto, even though the world was freely given.