Palpatine is the true hero of the saga.

Think about it: Palpatine set up a chain of events in TPM that ultimately led to his downfall, the balance of the Force, and the restoration of peace in the galaxy. Here is his 12 step plan to having his whole scheme backfire and get himself killed:

1. Makes a deal with the Trade Federation and blockades Naboo.


2. Has the Nemoidians try to capture the Queen so she can sign a treaty.


3. Eventually the Nemoidians have to fire at her ship, in turn damaging the ship.


4. The leaky hyperdrive leads them to Tatooine, and what do you know, the Chosen One is there.


5. Becomes Chancellor


6. Makes Anakin feel good about himself over the years.


7. Works both sides of the Clone War.


8. Turns the Chosen One to the dark side and takes him as his apprentice, leaving a perfect oppurtunity for Vader to fulfill the prophecy by killing him.


9. Wants Luke to be turned.


10. Wants Luke to kill him, in which Luke doesn't.


11. Attacks Luke, stirring up emotion in Vader, causing him to turn back to the light side.


12. Anakin kills him, fulfilling the prophecy and returning balance to the Force.

So technically, Palpatine is the true hero in the story. One thing led to another and his whole plan backfired after almost 40 years, then the Empire was in ruins (though not completely defeated yet) and the prophecy had been fulfilled and balance was restored to the Force.

 

Indeed you are correct. By that reasoning, Yoda is evil then.

 

I have long since believed that the Galactic Civil war was merely the Force's way of cleansing the government. As it is in the times of TPM, many are under oppression because the government turns a blind eye or is being paid off. Palpatine changes that. He removes the old government and puts a tyranical one in its place. This is not any better, but when this government is in turn removed and replaced with one of a good people. The ones who suffered and fought for their idilic dream. These people will put in a good government, one that will help everybody who needs it.

 

If it wasn't for Palpatine, the Saga wouldn't have happened, so in that respect, he is at least the catalyst, if not the actual hero.

IMO, he rates as the anti-hero (the guy we love to hate), while Vader almost makes it to the position of tragic hero, and Luke fills the actual hero's shoes quite nicely.

The line between anti-hero and hero is often blurred (ex: Hannibal Lecter, Heathcliff etc). Palpy does contribute, albeit accidentally, to his own downfall and the eventual balance of the Force, but not purposely so - therefore not a hero.

I don't think the people of the galaxy will be thanking him for his part in balancing the Force anytime soon

 

I like the way you put that. The "anti-hero" does make more sense in this case.

I do think it's funny that every decision he made took him one step closer to his own destruction.

Could that even be part of the prophecy, that the "anti-hero" would eventually destroy himself?

 

When you think about it, Palpatine was really a imbecile. His political career as well as his insane scheme to take over the galaxy came back to get him. Palpatine truly had bad karma, didn't he?

 

there is no true hero is sw man...there is so many, the tragic anakin, the favorite luke...cmon 'true'

 

He just can't be a hero, he's a classical anti-hero brilliantly played by McDiarmid. Lee with his Duku is cheap.

 

Palps is a hero just like Hitler was to the Nazis. Palps is just trying to bring order to a disordely time. Vader too wants to bring about order.


Hard to see the dark side is

Palps also wants personal power, just like Hitler

 

I started loving SW because of Palpatine.

That says it all!

 

Palps is a hero just like Hitler was to the Nazis.

Good point. Yes, Palpatine is the true hero, if you see from the Empire's point of view.

 

Yes, Palpatine is the true hero, if you see from the Empire's point of view.

That is a good point The thing is, most people don't look at Star Wars from the Empire's point of view.

If Palpatine had sacrificed himself at the end in order to brink back balance to the Force, and had redeemed (slightly, anyway) himself by it, then he would be a hero - to the story, if not the other characters.

As is, he exists as the epitome of evil, even worse than Vader. He's irredeemable, and his qualities are not those of the Hero. He's got charisma in bucketloads and intelligence in spades, but he has no conscience, no sense of right and wrong, truth or lies. He's not kept awake at nights in agonies over the murder of an entire world, which a hero would be.

He's the perfect anti-hero, the great villain. He's smart, scary, dangerous and twisted. He's also overconfident enough to cause his own downfall - like most villains. SW wouldn't be the story it is without him - his schemes are integral to the plot, and he's wickedly fun to watch, yet we cheer when he meets a nasty end - and that is the mark of the anti-hero.

 

I think we're getting into Obi-Wan's patented "certain point of view" here

 

The Emperor brought order to where there was anarchy. The Emperor brought justice to where there was no justice. The Empire was a much more efficent government when compared to both the Old and New Republics. It's main problem was that it was anti-alien, anti-women and run by a dictator who would do anything to retain power.

I would rather live under Palpatine than I would under the New Republic/Old Republic. At least then I could have some semblance of order in my life, though I'd have fewer liberties.

 

The Emperor brought order to where there was anarchy.

I suspect Stormtroopers on every street corner might bring a little order to civilisation, but I think the anarchy we've seen in the prequels was for the most part specifically engineered by the Emperor himself, for the purpose of furthering his own power.

The Emperor brought justice to where there was no justice.

I don't recall seeing much evidence of the Emperor's sense of justice, or the overall 'just' nature of the Imperial government. Alderaan wasn't justice.

The Empire was a much more efficent government when compared to both the Old and New Republics.

Perhaps it's beauracracy (sp?) was more efficient, but it seems overall to be no more efficient in matters of military importance or weeding out corruption than either of the Republics.

It's main problem was that it was anti-alien, anti-women and run by a dictator who would do anything to retain power.

Those are pretty major problems I'm inclined to believe that Palpatine was not really interested in government. It was the excersise of power, pure and simple, that drove him. Toying with lives and manipulating others, not governing a galaxy, was what he was really about. To the people he brainwashed, he probably was a hero. But in terms of the story, he was not.

 

The Emperor isn't the hero to me anyway he's the antagonist and the catalyst.

 

what are you talking about ousley he is the antagonist not the protagonist

 

"Good point. Yes, Palpatine is the true hero, if you see from the Empire's point of view. "

A case for the Empire: Everything you know about Star Wars is wrong.

 

That is true, to most imperial citizens he is the one who ended the clone war and adding to that fact that many people believe the rebels were building the second death star. Palpatine sure looked good to them for a time.

 

I don't see how he is the hero. If he had sent those actions up knowing that he would bring about the downfall of the Sith and of the balance of the Force, then he would be a hero. But he did it out of greed only. Being a hero isn't doing things that turn out good, but doing things that would cause good for everyone, except you.

 

I agree that he is the hero. But I see it differently. He is the hero because he helped a decaying goverment and turned in to the Empire. Which was a vast improvment from the corrupt republic. ROTJ is a true tragedy the greatest man to ever live in the galaxy was destroyed by the evil Jedi.

 

While I am a huge Palpatine fan, I in no way see him as the hero of the saga as Lucas has presented it. While he is a personal "hero" or favorite of mine, it is Lucas' story, a story in which he has presented Palpatine/Sidious as the antithesis of the hero and Anakin as a hero redeemed from his own leanings and movements into becoming his own antithesis.

 

Calling Palp a hero is the same thing as calling Osama a hero... and lemme tell you something Osama ain't no hero! Palp was a butcher who only wanted power and destruction (most hero's don't go around and blow up a planet, the same as flying a plane into buildings killin INNOCENT people that included MY UNCLE!). Its an insult to actual heros everywhere to call palps a hero from a certain point of view, and an insult to even consider calling Hitler a hero to the nazis (did you know MOST people in Germany were AGAINST Hitler, they were just too scared to say anything against the government). Palps is no hero, Hitler was no hero, and FOR DAMN SURE Osama ain't no hero. Luke is a hero, the people who faught hitler are heros, and my uncle who died 9/11 is a hero. Don't insult what a hero means!!

 

I have to agree with many previous posters that Palpatine is an awesome, great character in the Star Wars Saga. But he is not a hero! LOCK THIS THREAD!