Darth Sidious question - **RotS Spoilers**

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I think the whole scene battle and everything that went on went according to Sideous' plan. he killed the other three Jedi Masters in three strokes, then fought Windu long enough for Anakin to get into the position Sideous wanted him in. It was all as he foresaw IMO. I think if he wouldn't have wanted to get Anakin to turn at that moment he would have offed Windu after a bit of a fight. I think at that point he was the most powerful force user alive, slightly ahead of Yoda. Only Anakin had the potential to become more powerful in the force. then he got hacked to pieces and became more and more machine, which dampened his potential and merely left him the second more powerful force user alive. IMO based on Lucas' comments during audio commentary and my own fanboy thoughts.

 

[driver8]

It will be interesting to hear the audio commentary when the DvD comes out. However, given that Mace was supposed to be a sword master, I think Palpatine was seriously on the verge of losing. He lost his saber, and his lightning attacks were being deflected, deforming him.

From a story point of view, its important that Palpy was been defeated. Anakin up to that point is on the brink-he's ambitous and kind of in favor of a strong man running the show; but he respects the Jedi code and thinks the Jedi Council is bending it to their own agenda. And the thing that tips the scale is that regardless of all that, he wants the knowledge that Palpatine has to save his wife.

If its just Palpatine deliberatly losing the fight, its not as much of a turning point-without Anakin there is no Empire.

And I think that the lightning did deform him, since like alot of other things in these prequels, we get to see how things came to be how they are in the OT.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

If its just Palpatine deliberately losing the fight, it’s not as much of a turning point-without Anakin there is no Empire.

Obviously, no one has once said that Anakin wasn't important to Palpatine's plan... Yoda himself said that there were always two, a master and an apprentice, and at that point in time Palpatine had already had his current apprentice killed to forward his plan. He needed his new apprentice and he needed something that would force Anakin’s hand and Mace was all too willing to provide that.

 

[RedShirtNo5]

What I wonder is whether "most powerful force user" necessarily translates to best in a fight.

Here's my thought. Clearly, Sideous is strong in predictive, masking and dark force powers. Better, IMO, than Anakin ever would have been. Sideous might foresee that Anakin would be powerful enough to defeat him, and either Anakin or Mace might be able to defeat Sideous in a straight-up fight. But events wouldn't transpire that way because Sideous would have foreseen what to do earlier. Against Yoda, Sideoous was evenly matched, basically resulting in a stalemate. Basically, it took a gap in Sideous's premonition caused by blindness to the effect of love to defeat him.

-RedShirt

 

[Jdvn1]

But Mace still won their duel from his own skill, and without Anakin's intervention, Palpatine was going to be killed.

See, but I think Mace was kind of stupid at the end, there. Why did he bother raising his lightsaber for the finishing blow? It's not like you need momentum. A little flick of the wrist and Palpatine would've been dead.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

A little flick of the wrist and Palpatine would've been dead.

Maybe Mace wasn't the master he thought he was...

 

[Jdvn1]

Maybe Mace wasn't the master he thought he was...

Well, I also would've have let Palpatine scurry across the room like that, and I certainly wouldn't have let him live through that conversation.

But what do I know? I'm not a Master either.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

Well, I also would've have let Palpatine scurry across the room like that, and I certainly wouldn't have let him live through that conversation.

I think Mace was struggling with what to do with Palpatine, as in his emotions. He went to arrest him with three other Jedi and ended up deciding it would be best to kill him cause a trial would never be successful. (DSP anyone?)

I think Anakin was truly right in stating/believing that Palpatine was suppose to stand trial.

 

[jenesyss]

This is what my wife and I both thought watching the movie tonight:

Palpatine used the fight against Mace to make it look like he was scarred by a Jedi assassination attempt to gain the trust of the senate in his bid to become emperor. In actual fact that was his natural face.

We both figured that Sidiuos was Plagueis apprentice and the disfigured face was his natural face due to him being ancient and disfigured by the Dark Side.

(In the legend of Plagueis Palpatine tells Anakin Plagueis was able to control midiclorins and create life as well as had immortality and tought his apprentice also it has been rumoured Sidiuos "impregnated" Shmi Skywalker with midiclorins and created Anakin)

Just my two cents

 

[Eosin the Red]

Hmm, the book sheds some aditional light on the Mace/Palp fight.

Mace knows that he cannot beat Sidious by himself. When Anakin arrives he senses that Anakin is the "Shatterpoint" for the sith and assumed that Anakin would do the right thing. He assumed wrong.

I also think that if Mace would have taken Anakin into confidence that it would have ended very differently. In the same way that Yoda missed his chance when Anakin came to him with his fears. Instead of listening to a very young man, Yoda gave him some pseudo-philosipichal horse hooey. Basically, the Old Republic Jedi suck and brought all thier problems on themselves. Luckily, Luke was smart enough not to listen to Yoda or Ben and fall into the same trap that snared his father.