PT The "Darth Sidious is really Palpatine" Surprise

I saw the OT as a young kid on VHS and when the prequels came out i was still fairly young and the first time I saw palps and the hologram in TPM I knew immediately lol

 

Ugh, I still remember the very odd discussions on this board, where some people were dead-set that Palpatine and Sidious were not the same person even after AOTC came out, going as far as declaring one the evil clone of the other. There were some really wild theories out there that made no sense whatsoever. Obviously, stating all the facts (same actor, the character being Emperor Palpatine in the OT, etc) did nothing to convince them otherwise.

Now, someone who hadn't seen the old movies prior to the new ones and didn't know about the connection could indeed be quite surprised by this. There are plenty of hints that point at it, but if you have no prior connection to these movies you may not catch them right away.

 

Yes, these boards were crawling with obstinate blockheads in those days. Things sure have changed.

 

I didn't know Palpatine was the Emperor for sure until reading the early drafts of the ROTS script. I figured the cloaked figure would become the Emperor. I thought Sidious was going to use the Separatist movement to defeat the Republic, kill the Chancellor, destroy the Jedi in some surprise attack, and conquer the Republic using military force. I didn't suspect he would've done it from the inside.

 

Some didn't know. Most were hoping for a twist of some sort.

"Darth Sidious is Senator Palpatine in different clothes. No clones, no twins, nothing like that."

--Rick McCallum.

 

I don't know, I watched TPM like 50 times before it dawned on me they were the same person

 

I really don't remember what I thought of it originally. But even though the twist might be obvious, the way his true "monster face" is revealed is still terrifying. Previously when we see Sidious with the hood on he still has a normal face and voice, but when the reveal hits he starts acting completely differently, so it's still a terrific surprise.

 

Some people didn't catch on. I remember when I showed my mom two separate photos of Palpatine, similar to the ones from this cover of the Insider.



And she didn't realize at first that they were supposed to be the same character. Much less the same actor. This was before TPM had come out. That's how good the makeup was and how good of a performer Ian is.

 

For casual viewers who saw the OT first, but didn't know the Emperor's name is Palpatine (novels, comics, EU), it was probably not that obvious that Palpy=Darth Sidious from the beginning in TPM.

The only clear hints are that no actor is credited for Sidious' part, the lenghty close-up on Palpy's face in TPM right after Windu and Yoda brood on whether Maul was the apprentice or the Master as someone mentioned above, and strong similarities in the TPM between Palpatine's apartment balcony and the place where Sidious and Maul are walking at night and briefly tchat.

It gradually becomes more obvious in AOTC and ROTS.

I even recall Lucas saying in an interview, back in 1999, that Palpatine was good at heart, an honest politician who tried his best for the people...

Although it was already obvious to me that the two were the same person, I couldn't help being baffled by this.

A "not so nice" red herring for those who didn't know much about the OT I guess...

 

Palpatine is Sidious?!! What are you trying to do? Put that in a spoiler box.

 

You can see it with the balcony and there was a bts photo that showed more of Palpatine's office.

 

Palpatine is Sidious' master.

 

I knew palpatine was the future emperor when I saw TPM, but I DID NOT know that he was sidious. The voice was just so different, and the face obscured enough, that I thought they were two different people.

My theory at the time was that palpatine would become sidious' apprentice in the next movie, then sidious would die soon after, which would allow for Anakin to become the apprentice to palpatine by the end of the third movie at the latest.

I think once some people pointed out online they were the same character it made sense to me pretty quick. I was never one of the one who thought they were clones or twins or whatever.

 

I was 9 I guessed it right away cause Darth Sidious was dressed exactly like The Emperor from ROTJ and what was his name? Palpatine. So 2+2=4 you may say that seeing Palpatine before the scars surprised me more, I was like "whoa why doesn't he look the way he does in ROTJ?" and then flash forward to 2005 and I see how it happens and it disturbed me to say the least lol that shocked me more then seeing Anakin burst into flames

 

I honestly don't remember if I figured out he was the Emperor when I was a kid. What I do know is that I wish Lucas kept Sidious identity less obvious. It just did't feel like they were trying to keep his true identity secret very well IMO.

 

Of course some people didn't know.

My family were casual viewers who watched the OT when it came out and that was pretty much it other than seeing it a time or two on video.

They simply don't know all this stuff.

The amount of things that surprise them would astound us since it is second nature to us. I am not even sure my sister knew that Anakin was to be Vader until the third film's teaser poster kind of told you outright.

Like so many things though that was not part of the movie anymore than the Sith were.

The Sith could have been completely ignored in the PT as they were in the OT but Lucas was able to come up with the Rule of Two and allow the name to be used.

 

If you didn't know that the Emperor's name is Palpatine, you'd think that Sidious is the Emperor and Palpatine is just a normal Senator. That's what my mom thought.

In the end, pre-TPM references to the Emperor's name being Palpatine proved to be a distraction from the obvious:

"You have done well, Lord Vader."


"You have been well trained, my young apprentice."

 

I recall initially knowing Sidious was obviously the emperor, but didn't know he was Palpatine. I forget if the OT ever mentioned his name or if he was just "The Emperor." Wouldn't have recognized the actor was the same guy in ROTJ either way.

 

I know I can't give a good opinion because I always knew, and because it is second nature to me, but I feel like if I watched the movies again I'd still know Palpataine was evil, and that he was Sidious. They give him ominous shots on the face, and the way he says some things to, or regarding, Anakin... it just has that sketchy feel to me.

Plus, what are the chances they're focusing so much on two older dudes? And like Obi Wan said, politicians are not to be trusted .

 

I don't think it was supposed to be a secret for the audience. The evidence that Palpatine WAS Sidious was always there. The Emperor was called EMPEROR PALPATINE for goodness sake.

I think it was meant to be kind of like watching a Halloween movie. Where the audience knows more than the heroes of the story. You know; "Don't go in there! The killers in there!" It made the story all the more tragic because it was blatantly obvious to the audience where things were going, but not to the good guys.

It also makes Luke's choices in ROTJ even more courageous and correct. He was the first Jedi (aside from Yoda at the end of ROTS, which was a different situation) who Palpatine encountered who understood who and what Palpatine was. Even here though, the audience has more knowledge than Luke. I always wince when he throws away his lightsaber because he could have defended himself with it. But he'd never seen Sith Lightning before.

 

Actually, the Emperor was never referred to as Palpatine in the OT, only in the books, comics, etc.

 

I'm not sure about that. Have you seen the flying pig rumor?

Obstinate blockheads though? Harsh.

 

I always figured that it was intended for the movie watcher to know that Palpatine and Sidious were the same, right from TPM. Them being the same person was obvious to me right away.

That being said, I think I'd have preferred that they kept Sidious' identity more of a secret throughout the PT. The reveal would've been much more interesting in ROTS...

 

Which is why people were hoping that it was a feint for the real twist, since TESB had one, the PT needed one as well.