Hidden meanings and messages in Palpatine lines throughout the Saga

Everything Palpatine says or does is deliberate and carefully calculated to effect a certain response from the words' recipients. He said or did nothing without the design of affecting individuals and making them respond in a certain manner. This is best seen in his seduction of Luke Skywalker on the DS II. He needled Luke into retrieving his lightsaber and attempting to strike down the Emperor.

His actions in Episodes I-III are the same. Everything is done with an ulterior motive and he literally gets the legally empowered authority to turn over power to him of its own free will and choice. That's some persuasive skills, if you ask me.

 

It reminds me of The Matrix. Palpatine gives the illusion of choice, when really it's all a matter of control. Ingenious.

BTW, NoONe, I'm stealing your icon.

 

Does anyone have any good examples of Anakin saying similar things to Palpatine?

For example -

Sidious:
"When my new apprentice arrives, he will take care of you."
...
Vader:
"The Seperatists have been taken care of, my Master.


I'm watching TPM right now, and I noticed something very innocent Anakin says is spookily similar to something Palpatine says to Padme in the same movie.

Anakin:
"Mom, you said the biggest problem in the universe is that nobody helps each other."

Palpatine:
"There is no interest in the common good."

Thoughts?

 

Oy! My icon!

Well, I guess you can use it.

The illusion of control was one of Palpatine's strongest weapons. For example, the Jedi believed that they controlled the Republic War effort while in reality Palpatine was able to manipulate the Republic and the Separatists. Truly an amazing feat to accomplish.

Jedi=PWNED.

 

Good catches!

In Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine fills Anakin's head with the idea that the Jedi are plotting to take over:

Palpatine:
"Anakin, I told you it would come to this! The Jedi are taking over!"

Anakin:
"I should have known the Jedi were plotting to take over!"

He also gives Anakin his mandate:

Palpatine:
"Go and bring peace to the Empire"

Anakin:
"I have brought peace, freedom, justice and security to my new Empire!"

(Interesting how "the Empire" becomes "my Empire" in Anakin's speech; his ego and lust for power have truly run away with him).

 

Excellent thoughts! I didn't notice that...or this thread for that matter. But you have a great point here.

 

Palpatine: "They don't trust you, Anakin."
Anakin: "Obi-Wan and the Council don't trust me."

Palpatine: "You must see through the fog of lies the Jedi have created around you."
Anakin: "I see through the lies of the Jedi!"

Palpatine: "Good is a point of view, Anakin."
Anakin: "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!"

Palpatine (to Padme): "Together, we will bring peace and prosperity to the Republic."
Anakin (to Padme): "... together you and I can rule the galaxy." --- no wonder she nearly fainted. lol.

 

From the ROTS novel -

"I am sending my new apprentice, Darth Vader to join you. I have your reward in his hands"

No comment necessary here.

 

I can't help but think of Palpatine's line in ROTJ:

"Everything that has transpired here has done so according to my design." (Not sure if that's completely correct, but close enough.)

It seems to hint that Palpatine indeed created Anakin, foresaw Anakin and Padme's relationship and exploited it, seduced Anakin, and is now trying to replace creaky old Vader with a newer model. Of course, it also enhances Luke's line about Palpatine's overconfidence being his weakness.

 

I'm watching ROTS as I fall asleep (well that was the plan) and I just noticed another great Ep1-Ep3 dialogue link with Anakin. Not exactly a Palpatine quote, but he's involved.

The Phantom Menace:

QUI-GON:
When you learn to quiet your mind, you'll hear them speaking to you.
ANAKIN:
I don't understand.
QUI-GON:
With time and traning, Ani, you will.

Revenge of the Sith:[/u]

SIDIOUS:
I'm depending on you.
ANAKIN:
For what? I don't understand.
QUI-GON:
To be the eyes, ears, and voice of the Republic.

...The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way....

 

Almost every single word Palpatine utters throughout the entire Saga is proselytation - a spiritual manipulation with the spoken word. In case anyone didnt notice, its his greatest strength. Its one of the more overlooked and controversial topics on SW. Good thread.

 

What exactly is proselytation? could you give us an example of this please

 

Palpatine and his take on tragedies:

"Supreme Chancellor, delegates of the Senate, a tragedy has occurred that has started right here with the taxation of trade routes..."
"Now they will elect a new chancellor - a strong chancellor. One who will not let our tragedy continue."
"Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis, the wise?"

Each time he talks about "tragedies", he's the one who's actually responsible for them having occurred, isn't he?

 

Ever since I've known you, you've been struggling for a life greater than that of an ordinary Jedi. A life of significance, of conscience. - Palpatine to Anakin, ROTS

Oh, how I love the way he says this!

It looks and sounds like Palpatine is either mocking Anakin or is going to hurl when he uses the word "conscience". He either finds the idea that Anakin ever strived for conscience absurd or can't bear the very notion of conscience itself. I doubt I'll ever decide which of the two it is.

 

I think he does... Or at least indirectly responsible. Especially the Valorum business is interesting. Do you think that Sideous had anything to do with that? He dictated mostly everything else... it seems to much of a coincidence... the timing would be perfect if not

 

According to Cloak of Deception, he was to a great part responsible for it. I know it's EU - but as to the movies, look at him when he mentions "The chancellor has little real power. He is mired by baseless accusations of corruption." I'm certain he had a hand in it.

 

Well, it will only be speculation. But it would fit great to the greater scheme he planned...

 

I'd vote for the latter. Anakin had searched for a life of conscience - "I dreamt I'd come back and free all slaves".

Ian's incredible -. Scenes like that or the ones with Padme in TPM; even if his face doesn't give anything away, in his eyes so often you can actually read the thoughts of Palpatine.

 

proselyte - n. [[ < Gr proselytos, a stranger ]] a. " one who has been converted from one religion, sect, etc. to another. " - vt., vi. -lyt'ed, lyt'ing, lyt'at'ion b. " to try to make a convert of. "


So literally everything Palpatine says to Anakin and Luke.

 

I've got one that'll blow your mind here. This is Palpatine's piece d'resistance; his master lie and masterpiece. It's as elegant as the balletic dancers he's watching as he tells it. And like any great lie, especially those coming from Palpatine's sinewy lips, it has greater meanings and repercussions further down the line. In fact, like a spider caught in its own web (as visually connoted by the window behind Sidious in Return of the Jedi moments before his death), Palpatine will eventually be undone by his own master weave. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...

The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis: The Wise

We know Shakespeare's tragedies by the names of the tragic figures - Othello, Macbeth, Hamlet etc - but these are merely truncuated titles. The full title of Othello, for example, is "The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice". There seems to be an oblique reference to this in Revenge of the Sith: McDiarmid, himself a Shakespearean thespian, asks Anakin as Palpatine if he's familiar with "The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis: The Wise" and goes on to recite it. Notice the uncanny similarity to the title of Othello? Anakin IS Plagueis and his apprentice combined. Anakin falls for the attractiveness of the tale but eventually goes on to do everything Palpatine says: As Plagueis, he creates life (Luke and Leia) and uses his wisdom to keep the ones he cares about from dying (Luke and Leia again), and as his apprentice, he kills his lord and master in his sleep (Sidious is mentally asleep; he doesn't sense Vader's turn!) and triumphs over Sidious through the substitution of his vain pursuit of physical immortality with the true achievement of spiritual immortality. The opera scene and ensuing tale is precisely so clever because it's a story within a story ABOUT the story it's within: it shapes the story it is within by driving events forward (it is the reason for Anakin's turn) but also by sowing the seeds of its narrator's own downfall and foretelling the nature of Anakin's return to the light. Huzzah!

 

Gotcha. That's very true. It is more subtle in the prequels, but it would be hard to find something Palpatine says without a motive like this behind it.

 

"He could save others from death, but not himself"

Hmmm. Anakin saved his children (and the galaxy for that matter) although dying, saves himself. He shows up as a Force Ghost, that Anakin before he turned.

 

Good point!

I guess that's where it goes from tragedy to romance.

 

I always thought that the light side was clouding his vision and for the first time it showed Palpatine as "not all-knowing"