Lit Could Ken Palpatine ever be "salvaged?"

So, Ken Palpatine. The eponymous Jedi Prince. You know him, you, um, know him. Everyone in Lit has heard the memes and jokes by now - but do you think there's any remote possibility (setting aside the reboot for now) that he could ever actually be used again?

This isn't a joke thread; it's actually something I've been curious about for a while. Abel G. Pena, our own Halagad_Ventor, mentioned in the notes to one of his Dark Forces article series that he specifically avoided a chance to kill off Ken via retcon in it because he felt that a character as significant to the universe as the grandson of Emperor Palpatine deserved better. And on the one hand, I can totally see that viewpoint.

But on the other hand, well, just look at the name "Ken Palpatine". Everything about him and his source work is silly - in an endearing way, perhaps, but that still doesn't lend it credence to being taken seriously by readers. Sure, there have been plenty of cases where goofy or "lame" EU characters have been salvaged by later works - Warlord Zsinj is my personal favorite example, but he's probably not the most dramatic - but none of them were ever quite as much a running joke among the fandom as the Jedi Prince books. Even the various "SPIN Declassified"s and the like that did address the series were continuity-patching articles, not actual narrative works.

Thus, I'm curious what your opinions are. Is it theoretically possible (again, setting aside the question of whether this would actually happen now that Legends is a thing) that someone could do a Ken Palpatine novel or comic and have it work well? Or would his origins make it forever impossible for fans to take him seriously enough to succeed?

 

No way Palpatine had a grandson, I mean have you actually looked at his face

 

What's wrong with Ken? It's short for Kenth . . . .

More seriously, I don't see any reason why Ken's goofy origins would have condemned a future work involving him. I'd have loved for him to start getting airtime. He'd always be the butt of some jokes, sure, but so a lot of characters. Including Darth ""Yippee are you an angel wizard?" Vader.

 

There are a few... amusing... routes they could take this, although it would depend upon an author wanting to bring back Ken, which itself is an implausible expectation. But of course Lit plauses it because we're us.

I don't expect them to ever legitimately reveal whether Ken is Palpatine's true grandson. But a hoax might work. Either a hoax started by the First Order... or... even the New Republic. Not necessarily the Resistance. Put the poor unsuspecting kid through hell just to lead the First Order into some sort of trap falsely believing he's Palpatine's heir, and I can see this being one (of presumably many) reasons Leia parted ways with the NR.

It could also be the opposite -- conflicting factions within the First Order/Imperial remnant (small r...), as suggested by the broken Empire in Lost Stars, could be backing a Ken grandson and a Trioculus grandson, each to their own ends. Then loosely continue with the plot of the GODV by having him get captured/rescued by the NR, who falsely believe the Palpatine lie to be true.

Or. Have it be an off-hand mention as a holotvshow during the post-ROTJ era about a kid being Palpatine's grandson.

Spoiler

And Han will walk in on Kylo watching it one day and mutter "holovision these days... Palpatine's grandson indeed. And look, they're taking him to a sky house? What the hell is a sky house?"

 

I actually agreed with the Ken Palpatine=Kenth Hamner thing. Nothing to prevent him from giving up his heritage and just being a Jedi Master of his own. That's a mark of maturity.

I could also enjoy James Luceno writing a story about Ken going back to Naboo and finding the House of Palpatine there in ruins. Finding out its heritage BEFORE it became the family which spawn Space Hitler and what that sort of legacy should be/is.

There's a lot of places you could go with it.

But it should be noted they already retconned Triclops as an experiment by Palpatine in genetic manipulation. Ironically, making him Palpatine's son in the same way Anakin Skywalker was.

 

Actually, I'd say Triclops was Palpatine's son in the same way Boba Fett was Jango's. It's strongly implied that he was created from Palpatine's DNA and was carried by Sly Moore. Aside from the fact that there may have been no intercourse at all, Triclops is, genetically speaking, the child of Palpatine and Moore.

 

He's Snoke.

I mean.

Sheev.

 

Have Luceno write it.

 

I don't like the Jedi Prince series. Ken Palpatine? What's next Barbie?
I don't want him canon or these books recon.

 

Given the Imperial throne was bestowed by the Galactic Senate, only the Galactic Senate could bestow it again or himself. Which given the Reborn Emperor named the Skywalker lineage as a new nobility (see DESB) then they are legitmately the dynasts. Also, Pallopides is probably from his mother's side of the family and not a Palpatine at all.

A weak claim at best!



Edit:

Humorously, I actually speculated Snoke is Emperor Palpatine's child with Sly Moore since he looks like an Umbaren.

Which would make Kylo Ren into Ken Palpatine.

 

No, he ken not be salvaged.

 

The attempt by the Rebellion to set up a puppet Empress with a dubious claim to the throne is just what you can expect from the French Republic.

The House of Stuart Palpatine sits on the throne, just not their interpretation!

 

I could see the concept of Palpatine perhaps having a secret family or illegitimate relationship coming up at some point, but I don't think it would be Ken. Actually, even then I don't see it as that likely. The closest thing he had to a son or an heir was Vader by the rule of two. I think that sort of trumps familial relationships for him. Its all really about his relationship with power.

 

If Palpatine had a child then I expect he'd just torture them to see if they'd be a useful apprentice then destroy them if not.

 

How do you normally handle traitorous Imperial officers engaged in acts of sedition?

 

Slightly off-topic, but I never noticed the resemblance somehow...




Salvaged from E-Space?

TC

 

Not really. I think it's fairly obvious he didn't take her seriously given there was a much-much greater threat to the Imperial throne's claim by someone with real power.

He, also, used a pretender.

 

And thus, of course, is the genetic descendant of Darth Ruin, whose legacy, in the form of the Brotherhood of Darkness, Darth Millennial, appropriately, wanted to resurrect...

 

Thanks for using my theory.

 

Great minds think alike. (Of course, now I just realise I've called Sinre a great mind too )

 

A lot of this is wrapped up in who the brown-cloaked Jedi is.