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Darth Sidious' Disfiguration


Beniboybling

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I'm sure most people remember the duel between Sidious and Mace Windu but here's a

 

Towards the end of the fight Sidious' appearance changes when he's hit with force lightning- becoming the face of the Emperor we are more familiar with in the old movies. But was this really the affects of his force lightning doubling back on him, or was he simply wearing a mask the whole time?

 

What he says after seems to support the scarring side "The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed. But, I assure you, my resolve has never been stronger!" although this is what he is likely to say to trick the Senate. This makes sense as someone in real life would be scarred if hit with lightning. But then again I can't think of any other characters who have been hit with force lightning and been scarred in the same way e.g. Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Yoda. So why just Sidious?

 

Another theory is that he is using a concealment spell to hide his image from others, (being his true image after being corrupted by the dark side), and that he let it drop to seem weak, lost concentration or just no longer saw any use for it.

 

This could be a similar technique to what Darth Zash used to hide her true appearance

 

But if this is true, why didn't he reveal his true image when acting as Darth Sidious i.e. the moments when he's wearing dark cloak and hood?

 

Possibly its a mixture of the two, that Sidious had been disfigured by force lightning, but also corrupted by the dark side (e.g. his pale skin, bad teeth, sunken eyes and elongated fingernails) still it doesn't make much sense why he wouldn't have revealed his dark side features until now.

 

Thoughts?

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I'm sure most people remember the duel between Sidious and Mace Windu but here's a

 

Towards the end of the fight Sidious' appearance changes when he's hit with force lightning- becoming the face of the Emperor we are more familiar with in the old movies. But was this really the affects of his force lightning doubling back on him, or was he simply wearing a mask the whole time?

 

What he says after seems to support the scarring side "The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed. But, I assure you, my resolve has never been stronger!" although this is what he is likely to say to trick the Senate. This makes sense as someone in real life would be scarred if hit with lightning. But then again I can't think of any other characters who have been hit with force lightning and been scarred in the same way e.g. Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Yoda. So why just Sidious?

 

Another theory is that he is using a concealment spell to hide his image from others, (being his true image after being corrupted by the dark side), and that he let it drop to seem weak, lost concentration or just no longer saw any use for it.

 

This could be a similar technique to what Darth Zash used to hide her true appearance

 

But if this is true, why didn't he reveal his true image when acting as Darth Sidious i.e. the moments when he's wearing dark cloak and hood?

 

Possibly its a mixture of the two, that Sidious had been disfigured by force lightning, but also corrupted by the dark side (e.g. his pale skin, bad teeth, sunken eyes and elongated fingernails) still it doesn't make much sense why he wouldn't have revealed his dark side features until now.

 

Thoughts?

 

Also don't forget that when Anakin, and Yoda were nailed with Force lightning it was a Quick burst of it where as Sidious was nailed by a Continuous burst that he tried to hit Mace Windu with it but Mace reflected it back at him this is why you see the Disfigurement on his face than you did on Anakin or Yoda. Thats a piece of evidence that people tend to overlook. Plus Sidious's original body could stand up to the Darksides corrupting influence better than his clone bodies could since they were only copies of the original. Also the Darkside corruption takes its toll as the user ages so its a combination of the two.

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I believe it is a guise of sorts to conceal his identity as well as the effects of the Dark Side on his body. The reflected lightning most likely revealed his true form, but I don't think it damaged his body.

 

It did if you notice that his voice changed after taking the Lighting hit and was more deeper than when he appeared in the Black Cloak in Ep I and Ep II.

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It did if you notice that his voice changed after taking the Lighting hit and was more deeper than when he appeared in the Black Cloak in Ep I and Ep II.

 

I did know that, but the lighting did not have any lasting effects. As you will see in later episodes, Sidious' voice has returned to normal.

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It was said many times that his face after the encounter with Windu is his real face, but the lighting neutralise his "Force mask" and makes it impossible for him to create it again.

 

I doubt it neutralised his ability to hide his appearance from others, but I agree that the effort of his duel caused the spell to dissipate. That proves how close he was to death, he couldn't even maintain a simple illusion spell while trying to fend off Mace Windu.

 

I don't think it was all an act to appear helpless to Anakin, I think he truly was afraid and close to death.

 

He never used the illusion spell again, because there was no need, by ANH people already knew he was a sith lord, or believed he was deformed in a jedi coup.

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Towards the end of the fight Sidious' appearance changes when he's hit with force lightning- becoming the face of the Emperor we are more familiar with in the old movies. But was this really the affects of his force lightning doubling back on him, or was he simply wearing a mask the whole time?

 

It's actually both. The Force Lightning that was being reflected back at him by Master Windu would be physically draining.....for a normal Sith. We all know that Lord Sidious is hardly a normal Sith. I suspect that, with Skywalker present, Sidious needed to feign weakness to get Anakin to believe the hoax. Sidious allowed the power he was using to hide his true face...."Hideous Sidious" if you will, to cease and it looked as though the Lightning was causing the damage.

 

What he says after seems to support the scarring side "The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed. But, I assure you, my resolve has never been stronger!" although this is what he is likely to say to trick the Senate. This makes sense as someone in real life would be scarred if hit with lightning. But then again I can't think of any other characters who have been hit with force lightning and been scarred in the same way e.g. Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Yoda. So why just Sidious?

 

Sidious was just playing to the Senate. In the novelization of ROTS, it takes on an even greater meaning as Sidious recorded (audio only) the scuffle in the Chancellor's office. Here is that recording:

 

[the following is a transcript of an audio recording presented

before the Galactic Senate on the afternoon of the first Empire

Day; identities of all speakers verified and confirmed by

voiceprint analysis]

 

PALPATINE: Why, Master Windu. What a pleasant surprise.

MACE WINDU: Hardly a surprise, Chancellor. And it will be pleasant for neither of us.

PALPATINE: I'm sorry? Master Fisto, hello. Master Kolar, greetings. I trust you are well. Master Tiin—I see your horn has regrown; I'm very glad. What brings four Jedi Masters to my office at this hour?

MACE WINDU: We know who you are. What you are. We are here to take you into custody.

PALPATINE: I beg your pardon? What I am? When last I checked, I was Supreme Chancellor of the Republic you are sworn to serve. I hope I misunderstand what you mean by custody, Master Windu. It smacks of treason.

MACE WINDU: You're under arrest.

PALPATINE: Really, Master Windu, you cannot be serious. On what charge?

MACE WINDU: You're a Sith Lord!

PALPATINE: Am I? Even if true, that's hardly a crime. My philosophical outlook is a personal matter. In fact— the last time I read the Constitution, anyway—we have very strict laws against this type of persecution. So I ask you again: what is my alleged crime? How do you expect to justify your mutiny before the Senate? Or do you intend to arrest the Senate as well?

MACE WINDU: We're not here to argue with you.

PALPATINE: No, you're here to imprison me without trial. Without even the pretense of legality. So this is the plan, at last: the Jedi are taking over the Republic.

MACE WINDU: Come with us. Now.

PALPATINE: I shall do no such thing. If you intend to murder me, you can do so right here.

MACE WINDU: Don't try to resist.

[sounds that have been identified by frequency resonances to be the ignition of several lightsabers]

PALPATINE: Resist? How could I possibly resist? This is murder, you Jedi traitors! How can I be any threat to you? Master Tiin—you're the telepath. What am I thinking right now?

[sounds of scuffle]

KIT FISTO: Saesee—

AGEN KOLAR: [garbled; possibly "It doesn't hurt"(?)]

[sounds of scuffle]

PALPATINE: Help! Help! Security—someone! Help me! Murder! Treason!

[recording ends]

 

Above Excerpt from Revenge of the Sith Novelization. Copyright 2005 Michael Stover/Lucasarts, LTD., All rights reserved.

As you can see, Sidious presented THIS altered version of the audio recording of his arrest in the night in question, cementing the Jedi as traitors to the Republic. Public opinion was the one thing Yoda feared most losing if the Republic ever turned on the Order. Palpatine took that away in the most masterful way possible.

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The following is taken from the Wookiepedia page on Force Lightning :

 

Effect of Force lightning

 

"The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed. But, I assure you, my resolve has never been stronger!"

―Palpatine[src]

 

Nightsister Mighella subjects Sith Lord Darth Maul to the power of Force lightning.

 

Though the short-term effects of Force lightning are obvious, the sheer power invoked by its use could have insidious long-term effects, both on those subjected to its power and those who would wield it. It deformed the person being shocked and it could also lead to them being crippled for the rest of their life. It was also known to cause brain damage and blindness. Prolonged exposure to intense electrical fields (such as a sustained current of Force lightning) caused most humanoids to experience sudden and massive calcification of their skeletal system; the abrupt drop in blood minerals provoked muscular micro-seizures all over the victim's body.

 

Telltale symptoms included generalized muscle aches and double vision. A blood test or bioscan could be used to confirm the diagnosis.

 

Unless the victim received complete bed rest and appropriate medical treatment, the disorder would become chronic, lingering for years (barring timely bacta immersion). Luke Skywalker, who was diagnosed with the disorder by 4 ABY was confined to a hoverchair for his trip to Bakura during the Ssi-Ruuk invasion, mere days after his near-fatal encounter with Palpatine.[22]

 

It was thought that very intense use of Force lightning could drain the user physically, and possibly result in severe facial and body deformations. The deformities Palpatine displayed after unleashing a barrage of Force lightning on Mace Windu, only to have it reflected back upon him by the Jedi Master's lightsaber is an example of this.

 

When Anakin Skywalker redeemed himself and killed the Emperor, his life support circuitry was critically damaged, leaving him a heavy and lifeless quadriplegic.[2]

 

Besides draining the user's energy, Force lightning had the added drawback of occasionally charring the hand of the person who used it. When Jacen Solo flew into a rage underneath the ruins of the Jedi Temple on Yuuzhan'tar and attacked his Yuuzhan Vong pursuers with Force lightning, he later found that the blasts had burned charred holes in his palm.

 

Very powerful blasts of Force lightning could highlight and illuminate the victim's skeleton, as shown with Mace Windu, Asajj Ventress and Darth Vader.[17][23]

 

For unknown reasons, Force lightning (together with its various variants, such as Electric Judgment) was the only known Force power able to affect the Force-immune alien Yuuzhan Vong.[24]

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I doubt it neutralised his ability to hide his appearance from others, but I agree that the effort of his duel caused the spell to dissipate. That proves how close he was to death, he couldn't even maintain a simple illusion spell while trying to fend off Mace Windu.

 

I don't think it was all an act to appear helpless to Anakin, I think he truly was afraid and close to death.

 

He never used the illusion spell again, because there was no need, by ANH people already knew he was a sith lord, or believed he was deformed in a jedi coup.

 

I agree with you here, you'll notice that when Sidious is disarmed he scrambles away to the edge of the window in what can only be a display of true fear, as at this point Anakin is not present so he had no reason to feign weakness.

 

I don't believe however there were any illusions involved, I read the novel Darth Plageius which looks at Sidious' background as a sith apprentice and at no point does it mention he having to maintain an illusion spell to hide his image or become deformed by the dark side. At one point he asks Plageius if one day he will become pale skinned, wrinkled and yellow-eyed like his master though. (Implying this hadn't already happened)

 

He had also never unleashed that amount of power before on an opponent, Windu was the strongest Jedi he had faced at this point. To match him he had to unleash all his rage and hatred, immersing himself fully in the darkside to use the full limit of his powers, which led to facial features that cannot be explained by lighting e.g. yellow eyes, red, sunken sockets and yellow teeth.

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I agree with you here, you'll notice that when Sidious is disarmed he scrambles away to the edge of the window in what can only be a display of true fear, as at this point Anakin is not present so he had no reason to feign weakness.

 

Going to disagree with you here. Both Sidious and Windu sensed the approach of Skywalker before Sidious was disarmed. It mentions this in the novel. It also mentions that Skywalker was monitoring the duel from the moment it went from a 4 on 1 to a 2 on 1. The whole fight was feigned. Sidious could have killed Mace outright just as he did Masters Tiin, Kolar, and Fisto in the Chancellor's private office. He won the fight against Yoda, so how could Mace stand a chance? The only reason he left Mace alive was so that he could sell the "Jedi are turning against the Republic" hoax to Anakin by letting him see that they were attacking a helpless old man. Once Anakin turned by cutting off Mace's weapon hand, Sidious let the Dark Side totally flow through him and fired his full Force Lightning at Mace while yelling, "UN-LIMTED POWER!!!".

 

I don't believe however there were any illusions involved, I read the novel Darth Plageius which looks at Sidious' background as a sith apprentice and at no point does it mention he having to maintain an illusion spell to hide his image or become deformed by the dark side. At one point he asks Plageius if one day he will become pale skinned, wrinkled and yellow-eyed like his master though. (Implying this hadn't already happened)

 

One of the most deceptive practices between Sith has always been hiding secrets from one another. It's quite possible that Sidious had discovered the method by which his youthful appearance could be maintained despite the ravages the Dark Side tends to do to the body. He did have access to Holocrons that were located in locations such as Korriban, Dromund Kaas, etc. Darth Plagueis was a Muun Sith Lord, so his face was already wrinkled. As far as the Pale Skin, that has nothing to do with age. When Luke Skywalker removed the Sith Mask of Darth Vader at his father's request, the face of Anakin Skywalker was pale and slightly wrinkled....at 40?

 

He had also never unleashed that amount of power before on an opponent, Windu was the strongest Jedi he had faced at this point. To match him he had to unleash all his rage and hatred, immersing himself fully in the darkside to use the full limit of his powers, which led to facial features that cannot be explained by lighting e.g. yellow eyes, red, sunken sockets and yellow teeth.

 

True. Grand Master Yoda was far more powerful than Master Windu, but Sidious was toying with Mace Windu during that duel. He cut down 3 of the best blade masters the Order ever had in just under 5 seconds. Again, he left Mace alive, watch the duel again. He allowed Mace access to get out of that room. He could have pinned the duel in that office room. He didn't. He let him out. Again, he didn't access the full spectrum of his powers until Anakin cut off Mace's weapon hand. That's why he screams out "Unlimited Power!" The reason his facial features degraded had something to do with the Lightning, but the Lightning itself had no physical effect. Palpatine was more than likely using the Dark Side to keep his youthful facade up, when he found his own Force Lightning being reflected back at him, he had to let go of his facade to protect himself from the bolts coming back at him.

 

If you don't buy that, think about this: In the duel with Yoda, Sidious uses Lightning to blast the diminutive Jedi Master's lightsaber out of his hands. Why couldn't he do this with Mace Windu? Because he was toying with him the whole time? It's possible. The duel with Mace Windu was a grand setup so that he could convince Anakin to join him, which of course he did.

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I thought he may have channelled so much dark energy mustering up the power to try force lightning windu that the dark side corrupted his appearance?

 

Windu was pretty powerful and i heard when he fights hes on the edge of using the dark side or something?

 

That said, it also looks like the emporer is playing with windu from the expression on his face at one point while holding off windu, he glances over to anakin to check his reaction to what is going on.

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Above Excerpt from Revenge of the Sith Novelization. Copyright 2005 Michael Stover/Lucasarts, LTD., All rights reserved.

As you can see, Sidious presented THIS altered version of the audio recording of his arrest in the night in question, cementing the Jedi as traitors to the Republic. Public opinion was the one thing Yoda feared most losing if the Republic ever turned on the Order. Palpatine took that away in the most masterful way possible.

 

 

Not to nitpick, the author's name is Matthew Stover.

Edited by jpopalisky
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