Featured Image Credit: LucasFilm
Topics: Star Wars
Emperor Palpatine's role as the big bad of the Star Wars movies is undisputed, as he embodies everything the Jedi fought for so long to stop (even if they were a bit misguided in their approach at times).
From his powers and scheming to his appearance, he's pretty much the ultimate evil bloke, doing everything he can to accrue as much powerful as possible in order to bring misery and destruction onto the good people of the galaxy far, far away.
One of the most memorable moments for the character comes in Revenge of the Sith, when he casts Force Lightning at Mace Windu as a last resort, when the Jedi is standing over him with his lightsaber.
As Windu uses his weapon to block the attack, it is reflected back towards Palpatine, causing him to age and wither before the audience's eyes as he succumbs to the sheer power of his own abilities.
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Over on Reddit, one fan this week shared the revelation that originally, series creator George Lucas had Palpatine's appearance change as a result of his corruption from the Dark Side, rather than his direct confrontation with Mace Windu.
The responses were a decidedly mixed bag at that revelation, with one saying: "Maybe a few more spots? If the guy looks like ghoul the Jedi would hopefully realise he's the Sith Lord sooner LOL.
"Maul and Tyranus did not look bad either. So I don't care for the idea of the dark side corrupting someone physically."
Another added: "I understand both but it would have been interesting to see him basically deteriorate over time and it be hidden as well. Like, there could have been moments where he looked really unhealthy and then other times he might have been restored."
As a third comment pointed out, there's an even more compelling theory that we actually think works far better than any of the others.
"According to lore he used a force technique to mask his corruption, as a sort of mask. This mask got destroyed during his fight with Mace Windu, and he was unable to rebuild same (or chose not to, using his hideously deformed face to garner sympathy for his agenda and against the Jedi)," it reads.
The wider Star Wars lore has become so much deeper in recent years, that it's nice to see these gaps from the films filled in.