Comics Dark Empire Trilogy

Here’s two questions more related to the “art history” of Dark Empire (how things were intended when they came out) than to how either question was answered in the EU canon.

Did Dark Empire imply that Palpatine was already Emperor during the Clone Wars?

Luke is captured by what he calls an Imperial Dungeon Ship, “the kind they used to transport Jedi Knights during the Clone Wars.” We also read in the end notes that the Emperor would have Jedi Masters captured and brought to him for information, which must have happened before Darth Vader’s purge.

And around the time this comic book was published, I believe the notion was that the Empire had been around for about fifty years as of 5 ABY (the Thrawn trilogy). So even the older version of the Clone Wars, set around 30 BBY, would have happened during the Emperor’s reign. But perhaps that was Zahn’s vision only and not Veitch’s.

Either way, another thing to consider is that the Emperor’s is shown to possess and be experienced with cloning technology. This isn’t commented on by the other characters too much. So I’m wondering what it suggests about the role of cloning technology in the galaxy and what the Clone Wars were about in the universe as it was seen through the lens of Dark Empire.

Was young Palpatine a visual reference to any person in particular?

Now, Cam Kennedy’s art style is somewhat impressionistic and not photorealistic. We meet a lot of characters who have their own unique look that is not necessarily based on anyone else.

That said, there’s something about the young Emperor that seems somewhat familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it. Is he just meant to evoke a Nazi-type character, fitting with other parallels to the Nazis also seen in Dark Empire? Or is he just a generic white man who is a reasonable interpretation of the younger version of the Emperor we saw in ROTJ?



In the comic art itself, he does look more like a unique character who maybe alludes to the Nazis because of his hair color and style and his general demeanor. But in the comic book covers by Dave Dorman, I wonder if he’s based on any actors or celebrities popular at the time or perhaps even historical figures.



I know I’m overthinking it. But I’m curious to read what others think about this version of the pre-prequels Emperor.

 

Dark Empire Young Palpatine is what Palpatine should have looked like during part 2 of the Darth Plagueis novel

 

If I were to pick any celebrity that Young Sheev is drawn from it's Bela Lugosi as Dracula.

I think it's also worth investigating some of these questions through Veitch and Kennedy's previous work together, the Light & Darkness War.

I think the timing of the Clone Wars issue is less "what did Veitch think? What did Zahn think?" and more "what was the impression at Lucasfilm at the time?" No one but George knew the Jedi would lead the clones, it had been published in multiple places that the Jedi fought the clones, that there were multiple emperors before Palpatine, that Palpatine was a Nixon like figure who declared himself emperor and retreated from the public eye. The Jedi Purge was a more drawn out affair than Order 66 ended up being. I'm not sure it's entirely clear, but certainly the Clone Wars were not understood to be a war between a clone army of the Republic vs droid army of Separatists but of Jedi vs Clones and potentially even a war between the Republic and the Empire.

 

It's interesting too that Dark Empire shook up Palpatine's "look" by forgoing the hood in favor of the High Collar of Doom.

Not a lot of characters can pull that look off.

At first I didn't care for it, but the look grew on me.

 

@Sauron_18 I recall seeing a picture of someone modelling the young Palpatine clone on the cover of Dark Empire #5 for Dave Dorman to paint, so I guess young Palpatine face is on the cover art is based on that model's face.

 

Incredible how Lucas let the EU resurrect Palpatine but did not allow them to touch Vader past or create the Prequels because Vader was his baby i'm curious what Anakin Skywalker would look like if Tom Veitch or Timothy Zahn wrote the Prequels

 

OR even Vaders Costume. Very interesting.

 

Well the Glove was ok to be used

Gesendet von meinem FP3 mit Tapatalk

 

I hadn’t looked at this comic book since I first read it a year or two ago, but I think you’re on to something. The villain, Lord Na, does resemble the reborn Emperor in several aspects of his design. And there’s something very vampiric by way of Lugosi about both of them, though generally also something satanic. But I agree this is likely an artistic precursor design.

Interesting! I’ll have to look this one up. That debunks my theory that it may have been based on an actor. I’ve often wondered what Dark Empire’s reborn Emperor would even sound like. I find it hard to picture the Emperor’s voice from ROTJ coming out of a young man’s body.

I wonder if attachment to Vader is part of what led Lucas to abandon the idea of there being multiple active Dark Lords of the Sith serving under the Emperor during the Imperial era. Throughout the whole OT, the idea was that there were multiple Dark Lords around, with at least two others besides Vader originally appearing in ANH. Pablo Hidalgo even theorized that some of the Vader-like designs we see in the final film (the droid CZ-3 and the Death Star droid) may have been reused designs originally intended for the other two Dark Lords. And Lucas still had the idea that they were the marshals of the Empire (as the Jedi would be for the Republic, though in much smaller numbers) at the time he was making ROTJ.

 

That pic looked like an evil clone of Tom Jones.

The more realistic art portraits found on the covers and gallerias showed alotve Vader-like outfits which was always cool.

 

His forehead going forward like that seems to evoke how he looks in ROTJ albeit in a much less deformed and exaggerated way, his receding hairline is also probably based on how Ian Mcdiarmid looked behind the make-up.

Overall i feel the basis for his look is extrapolation from the ROTJ Emperor, and he feels familiar because the hair and clothes give him strong Count Dracula.vibes (coincidentally, his apprentice Tyranus in AOTC was also Dracula!).

 

Just started reading Dark Empire, after everything that comes before it, and was kinda thrown that the opening crawl just declares Coruscant was recaptured and the X-Wing books didn't bother bringing that in.

 

They really should have had the Final Order launch before Palpatine's clone existence being revealed imo.

The neo-imperial infighting start for DE was actually pretty cool and would have made for a good set up in Rise. Then Kylo finds Palpatine.

 

How messed up was it, that they released Palpatine’s return message on Fortnite and not something SW related?

 

I love how, as the Rogues are celebrating on Lusankya, unbeknownst to them the three invasion fleets are launching their attacks. Asyr would have reached Commenor on the Starweb just in time to get caught up in the assault.

 

You mean "Retreat From Coruscant" right? Side Trip is while Thrawn and Vader are alive.

 

Don't forget the Mandalorians the Jedi were supposed to fight... turns out they lead them aka Mando clones. Still fought Mandos proper once they forgot their pacifism.

And we had multiple, plural, Clone WarS not just one... at east any post Episode 3 operations could be loosely summarized as a second brief war, but not the same feeling as actually having several clone wars. They could have had the Clone War end between AOTC and ROTS and restart it again, too, but didn't aside politicians trying for peace that never came.

IF I could rearrange some lore to mix and mash old PT era vibes with what we got, it'd be like this probably:

1st Clone War pre-TPM with the Republic fighting multiple uprisings of clone workforces in the Rim fueled by other power players like Hutts, Slavers, Sith, etc. to destabilise the Republic and force it to overextend, realise its weakness without a standing military. Resulting in, instead of creating a standing army, to delegate power and military alloances to the regional powers like Trade Federation and others that pacified swaths of regions under their control. This would later lead to their senatorial power that would endanger the Republic in TPM.
Stark Hyperspace War and others like Mando Civil War may all be part of this larger conflict ending shortly before TPM. Before allowing the TDF etc. to build droid armies, the Republic may even hire Mandos to put down the Clone uprisings.

Then with power grab by the Trade Federation in TPM via invasion of Naboo, Palpatine ascends to Chancellorhood and starts policies to drive these regional powerhouses against the Republic till AOTC leading to Separatism.

Cue 2nd Clone War as we know it. And 3rd Clone War post ROTS involving a longer Jedi Purge, Mandos fighting against the Republic, Spaarti Clone Madness, Kamino clones going rogue as in Bad Batch etc. and Battlefronts various Separatist and other insurections restarting before being put down again.

We'd have a nice progression from Republic vs. Clones to Republic using Droids against Clones. Then in 2nd, we have Republic using Clones against Droids. And in 3rd Imperial conscripts against Droids and Clones.

 

I'm reading and absolutely enjoying the Dark Empire novelization, The Test of Wills.

I know it does a few things with the prose and world building that bothers some readers, but idk. I really like it, it feels like a proper prose followup to everything from Bakura to Thrawn to X-Wing.

The author makes some lore adjustments based on post-1990s G-Canon, so the Clone Wars references are accurate, and the book offers explanations for how Isard and the Emperor kept the Hidden Empire secret from even Thrawn.

I also really like the idea of Palpatine taking Augustus Nero as a regnal name. So what if it's a direct reference to real world Emperors? And Alexandre Severus as Triclops given name? *chefs kiss*

This book has been a thoroughly enjoyable way to experience Dark Empire for the first time. I only wish II & III were novelized as well. As is, I'll probably read the audio drama transcripts.

 

Legends Universe: the Skywalkers defeat Palpatine Vader descendants outlived the Emperor Anakin Solo is born

Disney Universe: Vader Grandson and the daughter of Palpatine Clone defeats the resurrected Emperor for good but Vader descendants were eliminated Rey call herself a Skywalker

I prefer Dark Empire but lets see what Filoni do with the Sequels and how the Rey movie can fix and expand the Sequels era

 

Unfortunately if you're going for a comparison with Storygroup Canon, Legends doesn't end with Dark Empire...

 

Disney Canon also dont end with Rise of Skywalker the Rey movie takes place after the Sequels and Dark Empire in the EU is more of an introduction to the Post EU ROTJ Timeline since Luke become a Jedi Grand Master and Anakin Solo is born the last of the Solo children