PT Could Palpatine see into the future?

Are there any quotes or instances during the films, preferably the prequel trilogy, in which it was indicated that Palpatine could see into the future (quotes would be preferred)? Thanks.

 

There probably aren't any in the PT because at that time Palpatine is either trying to look like a normal politician or he's giving orders to the Separatists. But in ROTJ there are a couple instances of precognition on Palpatine's part:

 

Don't forget Vader from ESB:

Luke, you can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this. It is your destiny! Join me, and together, we can rule the galaxy as father and son!

 

My impression is that he is very skillful at interpreting Force Visions and he seems to have a greater success rate than any Jedi at this. Parts of the story make no sense if that isn't part of the equation. On the other hand, he's also a man who understands "human" nature and he uses his observations to manipulate everyone around him. He is also patient and can wait for the almost inevitable results of his machinations to play out. Palpatine actually embodies all the tenets of the Tao/Buddhism etc. but he uses them for evil, selfish purposes. Some have described him as a Machiavellian character, reflecting the philosophy espoused in The Prince. But yes, I think GL intended the audience to understand that he can see into the future and also that he is shrewd in selecting which visions to believe in. I'd also state that during his rise to power the Force was out of balance, favoring the Dark Side, which gave him an advantage over the Jedi and he Republic.

 

Maybe this thread should be moved to saga?

 

I think his force precognition was better than that of the Jedi due to the imbalance in the force ( which had shifted to the dark side) hence Windu's comment that the Jedi ability to use the force was diminished. That said I do not think he got a minute by minute playbook more general ideas of what would happen based on his and others actions, allowing him to influence events by canny manipulation.

 

I believe Palpatine's ability to see into the future may have been a bit stronger than the Jedi (I don't think the imbalance of the Force had nothing to do with this). If the Force was in a state of imbalance, both the Jedi and the Sith would have been affected; and Palpatine's ability would have been just as limited as the Jedi. But even if Palpatine was gifted as a seer, even he had his limitations. After all, if he really was that gifted in foreseeing the future, he would have realized that his scheme regarding Anakin and Padme in AOTC would end in disaster for him. He also failed to sense the Rebels' victory of the Endor battle or the ultimate threat that Vader would pose for him. He was not infallible.

 

The Force was in a State of imbalance at least as far back as AOTC...

In the beginning of the movie, Palpatine asks Yoda if he thinks it will come to war, it being the state of the Republic with the threats of the separatists. Yoda replies, "The Dark Side clouds everything, impossible to see, the future is."

So there in the first 5 minutes of the film we see that the Dark Side is now strong enough to cloud even Yoda's ability to see the future.

Further into the movie:

Again, it shows that the Force is in a state of imbalance and the Jedi are suffering. The fact that Palpatine can sit across the Jedi in the same room and not be detected shows that the Dark Side has become stronger.

 

I disagree. I believe the imbalance went back a long time. Before the events of TPM.

That doesn't mean squat to me. I'm sorry, but it doesn't. The idea that the presence of evil meant that the Force was in a state of imbalance does not make sense to me. Good and evil will always exist side by side. Neither the Jedi or the Sith seemed willing to accept this.

 

I think the idea is that the Jedi can normally sense danger, hostility, etc - like Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan do on the Trade Federation battleship.

 

No, not necessarily, and definately not in this case. This isn't a good/evil or ying/yang kind of balance, it's like nature. The dark side disrupts the natural flow of the force. If it's growing in strength, the force gets out of balance. You can check all sort of comments from Lucas about this matter.
The Jedi let the force guide them, the Sith twist it to their bidding. As such, the Jedi merely follow the natural state of the force, while the Sith harm it. That is the reason why the force created a chosen one, to get things back to normal. The darkside being around isn't the problem, it's when the darkside grows too powerful that the force falls out of balance.

The imbalance makes it harder and harder for the Jedi to see clearly, while it gets easier for the Sith, as it is the dark side that grows stronger. It very much is the imbalance.

Actually, even if it were a good/evil kind of balance, which it isn't, this would still be true. If one side grows too strong - in this case the dark side - the other is weakened. It wouldn't make any sense if such an imbalance would cause both to be affected negatively, as in that case, the balance would still be intact.

 

That is why I said at least as far back as AOTC. I was being conservative so as to avoid a debate on that topic.

No, you misread or misunderstood. I said nothing of the sort. I said the fact that Palpaitne can sit across from the Jedi without being detected shows that the Dark Side has grown so strong and the Force is so out of Balance, that the Jedi's ability to use the Force is diminished just as Yoda says. We have seen in Star Wars that those who use the Force can "detect" people and danger through the Force. In TPM, Obi Wan detects danger (not about the mission, something illusive) when in the Trade Federation ship. Qui Gon senses an usual amount of Fear over something as trivial as a Trade Dispute. In TPM, Qui Gon and Obi Wan detect Anakin on Tatooine, even though they aren't even close to meeting him. Sidious detects Vader is in trouble, Vader detects Obi Wan in ANH. Luke senses he is being watched (by Yoda).

So in AOTC, when there is a Sith Lord sitting directly across from the Jedi in Palpatine's office. A Sith Lord that is strong in the Dark Side, none of those 6 Jedi in the Office detect him or at least detect the disturbance he is suppose to cause in the Force. Why can't they? Because the Force is out of Balance, and it has made the Dark Side stronger, and the Light Side weaker. The Dark Side clouds everything...

What you believe actually causes the imbalance is a topic for another thread, but, the Force is out of balance, Yoda admits that the Jedi are weaker because of the imbalance. And the Dark Side has become stronger and is clouding everything.