Lit Do you like the young Palpatine in Darth Plagueis?

Well, de gustibus et coloribus non disputandum.

 

In a twisted way, Palpatine really did think he was doing what was best for the galaxy. Unfortunately, his idea of utopia was one in which every living being was nothing more than a mindless drone serving as a psychic extension of his omnipotent will. After all, who wouldn't love living in a galaxy where it's all Palpatine, all the time?

 

Re-reading Darth Plagueis for the 3rd time now. I love this book so much. I don't thing young Palpatine could have been written any better in this book.

 

yeah i like the book very much, and i thought Palpatine was portrayed well. Yes he did have every political ability and was able to look like the peaceful politician, and fooled many people with his, i don't want the power, but i will take it for the good of the republic crap. But inside he was a monster though and through. Truly a psycho.

 

This is one reason why I love the Clone War duology Gambit. Though the usual characters in the books are predictable, Palpatine is so deliciously evil. Just check out the scenes where he wants Padme and Bail to vote on some new security measure they were against, by taking them from bombing scene to bombing scene and Palpatine's thoughts. Bail is "that dolt" and Padme is his favorite tool, whom he has some small bit of affection for.

 

That's not in the Gambit duology itself though- but in their immediate predecessor by the same author: The Clone Wars: Wild Space.

 

But there is no contradiction there, since Palpatine and the universe were one and the same. Or would be one day, if his ultimate plans would have come true.

 

Well I just checked and Palpatine is 23 in that, so it's 59 BBY, when he and that banker were busy making plans. He was struggling to come up with a way to unite the galaxy under him, when someone pointed out that "You should consider a career in politics" and the rest is history.

 

The ending (while he was killing his master) made it seem like that he was playing Plagueis for a fool since the day they met.

 

The novel's one major flaw in my opinion.

 

You don't believe he was? Or you think it was a flaw to say it?

 

I like to imagine Palpatine was majorly insulted when Plagueis essentially tried to buy his loyalty with that coin. I mean imagine if some old creepster came to your school and tried to buy you with a fancy coin. Let alone Palps was a rich brat anyway. He was probably plotting Plagueis's demise from the getgo.

 

I agree. I think Palpatine was playing him from the start. He let Plagueis see what he wanted him to see.

 

I do think its interesting that, as far as we know, he was training Palpatine to be an equal.

 

In the novel he claims he isn't looking for an apprentice, but an equal.

 

I wonder if Palpatine wasn't just Plagueis' Dooku?

 

I think that's part of the irony of the Palpatine/Plagueis relationship and Plagueis as a whole. He does indeed seek an equal: someone powerful and intelligent enough to conduct business and further the Grand Plan while Plagueis can engage in more esoteric pursuits.

But at the end of the day, the sort of "partner" and "equal" he wants is one who, in case of a disagreement or conflict, does what he's told.

Which isn't a partner at all.

 

I would tend to agree with you, but he doesn't say this. He thinks it. I don't think he is lying to himself.

 

No I don't think he was at all.