That same Sith is in a lot of the timeline videos, before release I remember speculating that Lord Scourge was the actual Emperor and that someone else had ursurped his throne and that he teamed up with the Jedi Knight to overthrow the pretender, I speculated that because that Sith looks alot like Lord Scourge.

He does look a lot like scourge, but it can't be him because he became a sith after kaas city had been built.

He does look a lot like scourge, but it can't be him because he became a sith after kaas city had been built.

I know that know that I have played the game but I was just confused and trying to figure out who the Emperor was before release.

@ OP, The Emperor no longer has his Original body, at least that is what I take from this quote from Drew K:

Wookieepedia also has his species listed as various. I don't remember all of your original post but I thought I would tell you this in case you had something different or a different view on the matter.

He doesn't actually state that the Emperor doesn't have his original body anymore, and that would not be in my top ten possible ways to interpret that tweet. I'm more inclined to believe that he is referring to physiological changes brought about by immortality(such as the stuff Scourge mentions in one of his companion dialogues) rather than him not having his original body anymore.

I still think Sith Pureblood is a poor fit for his original body's species based on what little we know about his background, but I have a feeling that logic is being overruled in this instance so w/e.

As for Wookiepedia, I really wouldn't trust them for just about anything at this point. Fanon is treated as Canon on there fairly frequently, and they have a tendancy not to cite sources for specific facts.

He doesn't actually state that the Emperor doesn't have his original body anymore, and that would not be in my top ten possible ways to interpret that tweet. I'm more inclined to believe that he is referring to physiological changes brought about by immortality(such as the stuff Scourge mentions in one of his companion dialogues) rather than him not having his original body anymore.

 

I still think Sith Pureblood is a poor fit for his original body's species based on what little we know about his background, but I have a feeling that logic is being overruled in this instance so w/e.

 

As for Wookiepedia, I really wouldn't trust them for just about anything at this point. Fanon is treated as Canon on there fairly frequently, and they have a tendancy not to cite sources for specific facts.

The other way I took the tweet is that his body is so radically different from what it originally looked like and in genetic make up from all of the rituals that the Sith Emperor is now basically his own species. I really wish that Drew had been more clear because I find his tweet really confusing and really open to interpretation.

still think Sith Pureblood is a poor fit for his original body's species based on what little we know about his background, but I have a feeling that logic is being overruled in this instance so w/e.

 

As for Wookiepedia, I really wouldn't trust them for just about anything at this point. Fanon is treated as Canon on there fairly frequently, and they have a tendancy not to cite sources for specific facts.

Really? I would have thought the emperor would of had to be Sith. Being born before the Great Hyperspace War, but then again I'm not sure whether the whole of the Sith Empire was constituted of Sith or Humans also. Seeing as he was born into a low family I suppose it is possible he could have been human. But does that really match the whole notion of sith being elite and more powerful in the force than humans? Surely the sith emperor of all people would be one of those?

Really? I would have thought the emperor would of had to be Sith. Being born before the Great Hyperspace War, but then again I'm not sure whether the whole of the Sith Empire was constituted of Sith or Humans also. Seeing as he was born into a low family I suppose it is possible he could have been human. But does that really match the whole notion of sith being elite and more powerful in the force than humans? Surely the sith emperor of all people would be one of those?

I'm still not sure why people are under the impression that Sith(species) are considered more elite and powerful within the Empire;it simply isn't true. Force sensitive Humans, Pureblood Sith and Human/Sith hybrids are considered the apex of Sith society and are the ruling elite, followed by non Force using Humans,Hybrids,Sith,other aliens and slaves.

The premium is placed on Sith Purebloods over Human/Sith hybrids because they have become increasingly rare and on the verge of extinction due to generations of interbreeding. I believe the Purebloods are considered "better" than Sith of mixed heritage but are on equal footing as Humans in status.

Evidence to suggest that Humans are of the same status as Sith(species):

1. The original exiled Dark Jedi were comprised of Humans or Near-Humans and were worshiped as gods when first encountered by the Sith(species). While the worship has waned, the legend around the Exiles and all aspects of them are still revered and those who are descended from the original bloodlines would be the "cream of the crop" of Sith bloodlines.

2. Due to the Sith species unique relationship with the Dark Side,they were targeted for interbreeding by the exiled Dark Jedi. This went on for generation upon generation, causing Pureblood Sith to be much rarer than the player Pureblood population suggests. It's extremely likely that a majority of NPC Sith(species) encountered in the game are of mixed bloodlines.

I really can't recall any point in the game where it point blank states that Purebloods are considered better than Humans aside from some NPC conversations were you are treated slightly less rude as a Pureblood, only that Humans and Purebloods are the elite and all others are barely worth the air they breathe.

If the Sith Emperor was not originally a Pureblood, then I would wager he was Human,Near-Human or a Hybrid.

I understand that humans are often seen as equals with the sith but sith heritage is still something revered among them. Evident through that Korriban quest involving scanning people with a holocron to test their bloodline.

But still it would seem to make more sense that the Emperor would be sith or at least a hybrid, being an important character from the great hyperspace war and the old sith empire, were pureblood sith lords like Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh were a strong theme. Even so BW seem to have avoided showing his physical appearance so I agree we cannot be sure.

Really? I would have thought the emperor would of had to be Sith. Being born before the Great Hyperspace War, but then again I'm not sure whether the whole of the Sith Empire was constituted of Sith or Humans also. Seeing as he was born into a low family I suppose it is possible he could have been human. But does that really match the whole notion of sith being elite and more powerful in the force than humans? Surely the sith emperor of all people would be one of those?

The reason why I say I don't really feel it fits him is because of his childhood. His mother and her husband were both apparently not force sensitive. Non-force sensitive purebloods do exist, but they are supposed to be extremely rare at the time of TOR and I imagine were even rarer at the time of the Great Hyperspace War. That would mean it is statistically unlikely that either of his parents were purebloods. Now according to the stories, the husband first began to suspect that the child wasn't his when the child began to show he was force sensative....not when he was born with red skin. Now I'm sure it could be explained away, but it strains believability a bit to me. As such I really don't feel it fits with his childhood, but w/e.

Of course that all assumes that the story we have for his childhood is even remotely accurate which it very well might not be. *shrug*

The reason why I say I don't really feel it fits him is because of his childhood. His mother and her husband were both apparently not force sensitive. Non-force sensitive purebloods do exist, but they are supposed to be extremely rare at the time of TOR and I imagine were even rarer at the time of the Great Hyperspace War. That would mean it is statistically unlikely that either of his parents were purebloods. Now according to the stories, the husband first began to suspect that the child wasn't his when the child began to show he was force sensative....not when he was born with red skin. Now I'm sure it could be explained away, but it strains believability a bit to me. As such I really don't feel it fits with his childhood, but w/e.

 

Of course that all assumes that the story we have for his childhood is even remotely accurate which it very well might not be. *shrug*

Ah, i didn't think of that. Gd point - so I suppose in that case he is most likely to be human. That could also be one of the reasons he was understimated after the great hyperspace war. Still BW are in a tricky spot, theirs a lot of conflicting information concerning the emperor and his voice, as the recent interview is now implying that their is no true body. I'll be interested to see how that pans out

maybe the emperor is "hidden in plain sight" i imagine a tomb on Yavin IV that had been cleered by his agents. Maybe that or he is on a more popular world lore wise like Lehon (Rakata Prime) or yonama sekot (possible spelling error) the seed of the Vong homeworld that got into the outer reaches of the galaxy long enough before it was first mentioned that an alien race found it and mastered its biotechnology. Or if bioware wants to be REALLY uncreative... they could have put him in a temple on ilum or makeb (potential 1.4 spoiler?)

I doubt he'll appear on a popular lore world, only to avoid complications with canonicity, but its more than possible he's on a sith world like Yavin IV. Yavin IV seems more plausible being the former resting place of Naga Sadow (whose spirit has now been destroyed) and its also a planet that Bioware could explore in the future, very much tied in the the Old Republic era and not heavily explored by previous games and well known.

Even so, I think the Emperors going to remain hidden, where ever that may be, for a long time yet - the dread masters seem to be the main focus for upcoming updates. And then theres Darth Malgus...

The reason why I say I don't really feel it fits him is because of his childhood. His mother and her husband were both apparently not force sensitive. Non-force sensitive purebloods do exist, but they are supposed to be extremely rare at the time of TOR and I imagine were even rarer at the time of the Great Hyperspace War. That would mean it is statistically unlikely that either of his parents were purebloods. Now according to the stories, the husband first began to suspect that the child wasn't his when the child began to show he was force sensative....not when he was born with red skin. Now I'm sure it could be explained away, but it strains believability a bit to me. As such I really don't feel it fits with his childhood, but w/e.

 

Of course that all assumes that the story we have for his childhood is even remotely accurate which it very well might not be. *shrug*

The passage from Revan where Nyriss tells Scourge the story of the Emperor's childhood:

"At the age of six he began to manifest signs of the Force, marking him as one of the ruling elite. But his parents were simple farmers, and the Force was not strong in them. Suspicious about the boy's power, his father confronted his mother, ..."

This does not indicate that they were not force sensitive, only that they were not strong in it. To me, the phrasing "not strong" indicates that they were force sensitive as opposed to saying "force-blind" or "not force sensitive."

Anyway, I love reading this discussion and just poked my head in to see if D.K.'s tweet would change anything.

So yesterday I was reading the Old Republic Encyclopedia, which btw is a great book with a massive amount of useful and interesting information, when I stumbled upon an interesting piece of information. Under the Emperor's Voice section, there was a paragraph that stated this:

"The Emperor created his first Voice after the legendary Jedi named Revan attempted to assassinate him on Dromund Kaas. Though Revan's plot failed, he approached within striking distance of the Emperor. To guard against further vulnerability, the Emperor created the Voice to deliver his orders while distancing himself from the forces that conspired against him. Centuries later, this very safeguard would save the Emperor once more."

So yesterday I was reading the Old Republic Encyclopedia, which btw is a great book with a massive amount of useful and interesting information, when I stumbled upon an interesting piece of information. Under the Emperor's Voice section, there was a paragraph that stated this:

 

"The Emperor created his first Voice after the legendary Jedi named Revan attempted to assassinate him on Dromund Kaas. Though Revan's plot failed, he approached within striking distance of the Emperor. To guard against further vulnerability, the Emperor created the Voice to deliver his orders while distancing himself from the forces that conspired against him. Centuries later, this very safeguard would save the Emperor once more."

*gasp* I told you it had nuggets of info you couldn't find anywhere else! I can't believe I overlooked this, but to be honest, I wasn't that much interested in the Emperor's power base section. (by the way, I'm glad your enjoying the book). Hmmm, so this means that the Emperor is in fact sith, to be fair I'm not 100% sure but I recall when Revan described him he mentioned that he is so corrupted that he is 'no longer sith' or something like that, although it was a bit vague.

But does this mean the Emperor's true body is still alive? The interview with Hall Hood seems to make out that his real body or at least his only body was destroyed...

According to the dates on Wookiepedia, Vitiates body was 1163 years old when he was confronted by Revan. And he was 1472 years old when his voice was destroyed by the Hero of Tython... After over 1400 years would Vitiates body simply fail and die? It seems unlikely, he seemed perfectly able in the Revan novel. But then again became very secluded after the outbreak of the war, perhaps their are other reasons for this, I mean why would you need to completely hide yourself away from the Empire just to plan the annihilation of the galaxy that you've already being planning for the past millennia? Perhaps his dying body was the real reason for this. But it seems more likely that his original body is still alive, unless of course the process of losing his voice destroyed or damaged his body irreparably. I don't think we can say for sure, but this definitely makes it a strong possibility that the Emperor's true body is still alive, and that it is sith pureblood.

Thanks for the post Eightus! Makes you wonder what else is hidden in that massive book...

*gasp* I told you it had nuggets of info you couldn't find anywhere else! I can't believe I overlooked this, but to be honest, I wasn't that much interested in the Emperor's power base section. (by the way, I'm glad your enjoying the book). Hmmm, so this means that the Emperor is in fact sith, to be fair I'm not 100% sure but I recall when Revan described him he mentioned that he is so corrupted that he is 'no longer sith' or something like that, although it was a bit vague.

 

But does this mean the Emperor's true body is still alive? The interview with Hall Hood seems to make out that his real body or at least his only body was destroyed...

 

According to the dates on Wookiepedia, Vitiates body was 1163 years old when he was confronted by Revan. And he was 1472 years old when his voice was destroyed by the Hero of Tython... After over 1400 years would Vitiates body simply fail and die? It seems unlikely, he seemed perfectly able in the Revan novel. But then again became very secluded after the outbreak of the war, perhaps their are other reasons for this, I mean why would you need to completely hide yourself away from the Empire just to plan the annihilation of the galaxy that you've already being planning for the past millennia? Perhaps his dying body was the real reason for this. But it seems more likely that his original body is still alive, unless of course the process of losing his voice destroyed or damaged his body irreparably. I don't think we can say for sure, but this definitely makes it a strong possibility that the Emperor's true body is still alive, and that it is sith pureblood.

 

Thanks for the post Eightus! Makes you wonder what else is hidden in that massive book...

Its all thanks to you if i have to be honest LOL, I f i hadn't seen your post I wouldn't even know that such a good book was out there. But as you said there really is a lot of interesting information that you simply cant find anywhere else. Yeah that probably means that the Emperor is a Sith pureblood, the only description of him from the Revan novel that comes to my mind atm is that he had black eyes, and that sounded pretty cool LOL.

I think his real body is still alive and if I remember correctly the ritual he did on his home planet made him only partially immortal(only for a certain amount of time) and that is why he wants to perform the same ritual on the whole galaxy so he can become completely immortal. Or at least that is how I see it. So maybe his time is up and death is finally catching up with him? And that is why he cannot reveal himself in front of the Empire. Or maybe as you said the destruction of his Voice has damaged the original body as well? Who knows really...

Yes such a massive book I bet it hides more secrets just need to know where to look for them I guess.

 

Yes such a massive book I bet it hides more secrets just need to know where to look for them I guess.

My favourite find is at the very end: 'the key to the Empire's victory is close at hand...' no doubt it will be revealed in the game soon enough!

My favourite find is at the very end: 'the key to the Empire's victory is close at hand...' no doubt it will be revealed in the game soon enough!

Yeah I that line sent shivers down my spine. Tbh that whole paragraph was quite brilliant, it also appears that Darth Marr will be playing a bigger role. So yeah i hope we see those things/characters appear in the game soon.

So yesterday I was reading the Old Republic Encyclopedia, which btw is a great book with a massive amount of useful and interesting information, when I stumbled upon an interesting piece of information. Under the Emperor's Voice section, there was a paragraph that stated this:

 

"The Emperor created his first Voice after the legendary Jedi named Revan attempted to assassinate him on Dromund Kaas. Though Revan's plot failed, he approached within striking distance of the Emperor. To guard against further vulnerability, the Emperor created the Voice to deliver his orders while distancing himself from the forces that conspired against him. Centuries later, this very safeguard would save the Emperor once more."

Alright I'll...eventually make an update with this info.

Another thing that is unclear is exactly how a Voice of the Emperor is created and whether this is related to the Children of the Emperor or not. We know the Emperor can take over the body of a Child of the Emperor, but it isn’t clear whether this is what is going on with the Voice or if the two situations are unrelated except in impact on the host.

Not sure if anyone mentioned this (I do apologize for being lazy to read all replies), but this reminded me of how Collectors worked in Mass Effect 2 (another sci-fi RPG by BW). For those who has not played the game, spoilers ahead

Collectors are controlled by a "Collector General", who is permanently hiding inside their base in Core of the Galaxy, providing them with what looks like some sort of "hive-mind". The General seems to be permanently (except the very few last seconds of the game) under some minor control from Harbinger, the leader of Reapers, who is in sort of hibernation beyond the edge of Galaxy. At some point in the game (presumably after Sovereign dies in ME1), Harbinger awakens and "assumes direct control" of the General, which grants him the ability to overtake body of any Collector in the galaxy, something he is probably unable to do by himself, for whatever reasons (we ca assume that the Collector Base acts as some of of relay, so Harbinger can interact with it even from beyond the Galaxy).

So, now to why I think it is similar to what Emperor doest to Voice and his Children. The Children are the "basic" Collectors, the Voice is the General, and the True Body is the Harbinger. So the Voice provides the link between Children and the hibernating True Body, which recovers its strengths somewhere outside the known galaxy. If my assumptions are correct, the True Body needs to be hidden, both technologically and from Force. If everything that the Children experience would be transmitted (through the force, I presume) to the True body from all corners of the Galaxy, I believe that the Jedi could sense it eventually. So, by using the Voice as a relay, the information is transferred only from one point, and thus reducing the probability of detection. Also, it is the Voice that gives him the power to "control" the Children, because there were no "possessions" after the voice was killed, if I am not mistaken.

The other way I took the tweet is that his body is so radically different from what it originally looked like and in genetic make up from all of the rituals that the Sith Emperor is now basically his own species. I really wish that Drew had been more clear because I find his tweet really confusing and really open to interpretation.

According to the Revan novel, Vitiate is half-human/half-sith before the ritual. After the ritual, the book basically says he is now his own race as he evolved to the point that he no longer falls into a current racial category.

I think his real body is still alive and if I remember correctly the ritual he did on his home planet made him only partially immortal(only for a certain amount of time) and that is why he wants to perform the same ritual on the whole galaxy so he can become completely immortal. Or at least that is how I see it. So maybe his time is up and death is finally catching up with him?

The Revan novel explains exactly how it works. He can die once for every soul he absorbs. He absorbed an entire planet. That means he was never truely immortal per se. He wants to perform the ritual again just to have more life to fall back on.