*SPOILERS* Star Wars- Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith Discussion *SPOILERS*

[Celtic_Emperor]

If you are reading this and haven't seen the movie yet and don't plan to until you can illegally download it, or you don't plan to go to the theater to see it (which I strongly suggest you do for full enjoyment and effect), then you've read TOO FAR.

This is your last chance to avoid major spoilers. So if you don't want the details please don't read any further, for your OWN good and enjoyment of this movie.


Also, on a personal note, I would appriciate it that you DO NOT use this thread to vent frustrations or personal dislikes about the movie, the prequal, or Star Wars in general. Use any of the other threads available for that please. I ask this not to deny you your opinion, which is just as valid as mine, but being that this thread is meant to discuss details, the FACTS of the matter, I feel that it would be an obstruction for it to be anything otherwise. Please try to understand. I want this thread to be as productive as iit can be for as long as it can.

You need not be a fan to comment of course. 🙂

For the purposes of making it easier for me I will be double-posting at times in order to answer faster. Editting is a strenuous process when it comes to this sort of thing, and theres always the chance someone doesn't read editted posts. It also allows for smaller, more managable posts to be made without having to go back and forth. So I'm hoping the ends will be justified by the means here.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Maybe we can discuss the movie in order of the events. Thats just a suggestion. Its not necessary.

I guess I'll start us off.

Its important to take special notice to Palpatine in the opening of the movie. Ian McDiarmid gave an outstanding performance in each phase of his character, yet again, and it would be a shame if he's not nominated for an award or at least gets some official acknowledgement beyond the cast and crew.

Anyways, its important to note his seemingly helpless nature. He hides, he cringes, and he does everything he can to seem like a non-threat in front of Anakin and Obi-Wan inparticular. Further scenes will display more of his cunning in a more profound, and out in the open way. For now however, he is a hostage and has to act the part so that his plan comes together. He's in no real danger and everything is under control, but he has to make it seem like it is not, so he allows himself to be put in death-defying situations during the rescue mission of his person.

His scene during the concert/opera with Anakin, talking about the nature of the Force was very revealing of Palpatine's past, particularily his own betrayal of his former master. While it is the Sith way and an apprentice will always make an attempt against his/her master when they are strong enough or the master is particularly vulnerable (in this case Palpatine killed him in his sleep), this very personal moment of Palpatine speaking in retrospect is very telling of how he percieves the difference between the light and the dark and how extreme, even by Sith standards, his are.

Its clear he is absolute evil. His master on the other hand, he had hidden contempt for and jealously, which led to him killing him of course. He could not accept any weakness, percieved weakness anyway, from his own master.

This speaks volumes, again, in retrospect, towards explaing why Darth Maul was as good as he was and merciless. During Palpatine's training of Maul, he was very abusive, and did everything he could to drive any positive thought from Maul's mind. He also wanted to prevent himself from being betrayed, so he trained Maul to be nothing more than a killer.

Alot of people attribute Palpatine's greatest success as being the breaking of the spirit and domination of Anakin Skywalker. Compared to Maul, Anakin is a saint. Maul was expendable. And while Vader would eventually be too because of his handicaps, Maul was only a weopon, not a symbol of enforcement like Vader was. Palpatine actually shows SOME compassion and friendship toward Vader throughout the series, though this is purely for his own ends and to ensure loyalty. However, he refers to Vader as "friend" whereas with Maul, he has no seeminly personal regard.That is until you read.

Its very interesting in how Darth Sidious has trained each of his apprentices a bit differently. Dooku was already trained, and Anakin was at the height of his training, so they had to be handled differently and their spirits filled with doubt.

Maul however was a complete brain-washing, through and through. Anakin went along with all of this because of the promise of power and security and how that would save Padme. That was the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak. Tyranus was promised more influence.

Maul however was promised nothing. He knew what he was trained for. He was trained to take a fall, make sure the Sith were not uncovered beforehand, and to divide Jedi efforts in searching for the Master. He was always more of an assassin than anything. This is why Maul was so powerful, and this is why Maul (Sarin) is a man of little words. He has no agenda. Tyranus and Vader do.

In closing for this portion, I want to establish Palpatine's own past and his own level of commitment to the Sith cause as being absolute. He would destroy ANYONE if it was a threat to him. He took what he needed from his master, killed him, and then made sure that his apprentices would never show any likeness to that power.

Whats far worse? A fully trained Jedi Knight, or a Sith Lord who is not chaotic evil?

In Palpatine's mind, it is the latter, which really shows us Sith standards compared to his own.

 

[Ghost_Host_9991]

From a filmmaking standpoint, Lucas draws a nice paralell in the Anakin/Dooku duel to the final battle in Ep6. Palpatine in a chair surveying the situation, the two combatants talking smack to each other.

 

[jj82277]

Palpetine is also a very good mechanical recruiter. In listening to his seduction of Anikin i think that he was very generous with praise, as is important when recruiting someone. I think tht he knew exactly what thte young jedi wanted to hear and told him exactly that. I think that the mention of Darth Plaugous and the ability to controll death was a masterful stroke. had he not talked specifically to him about saving the life of his wife, i think that when he mentioned the sith and the darkside that he would have been beheaded.

I think that his affection for Skywalker was derived from more than his desire to have another apprentice. When you appraise the entire situation the emperror was getting quite old. I think that in his own vanity he wanted a young apprentice that would be the strongest warrior remaining in the galaxy to rule after his natural end. i don't think that with any of his other apprentices that would have been possible accept when he tried to persuade luke to join him, and that is only because he proved himself stronger than his father.

one thin g that i will give lucas credit for is the outlining difference between the sith and the jedi. It is simply pride verusus servitude. and in the end the meek inherited the galaxy (eventually), and the servants are the greatest amongst them.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Of all the things Sidious is, a great fighter, and a powerul Force-practioner, his greatest strength is his ability to manipulate people and make them think whatever he wants them to think.

"I have become more powerful than any Jedi!"

Both Dooku and Anakin say this, though at different times and in different episodes. They want to believe this so strongly that they almost sound insecure about it. Is it any surprize how far Dooku got in, even at his age, when he realized he was no longer of use to Sidious and was beheaded?

While A Sith Master will always want the best apprentice possible, I think its more about opportunity than anything, especially in the Chancellor's position where you can't go out and find one yourself. Some people don't know that there was at least one known apprentice inbetween Darth Maul and Darth Tyranus, though it may not be canon. That apprentice was killed by Jedi Master Plo Koon, one of the members of the Council.

I think for Sidious its all about transition. He already has the power, he just needs to sustain it. "I AM the senate!"

Alot of this movie revolves around Palpatine, more so than any other individual character with the exception of Anakin himself.

About Anakin, he's not the fool alot of people think he is, and what he's planning to do so soon after becoming a Sith is something his son, Luke, will try later. And that is destroy the Sith from the inside out. Even Dooku pleaded with Obi-Wan that together they could destroy the Sith, but who really knows with him.

With Anakin however, by movies end, he already has plans to betray his new Master and create his idea of paradise where Padme would be like a queen and the galaxy would be at her beckon call. For this to be so soon suggests he had this planned all along and thats part of why his turn was not instantious. I'm sure, aside from struggling with his emotions that he was thinking of a way out even after he will have joined, which is evidence enough that Anakin Skywalker was never truely destroyed and Luke feeling this was not just a plot device. Even at the most tempting moments of the movie, Anakin remained faithful to his teachings and calling and nearly killed Palpatine. He didn't have to report Palpatine to the Order, but he did. Even as Palpatine was dying (and we now know the cause of his physical mutation), Anakin tried to reason with Windu.

Of course what Anakin was failing to realize is that the Sith are self-preserving and if Palpatine were allowed to live it would still cause problems. Also, in the heat of the moment, if Windu would have showed any mercy Palpatine would have killed him the moment he let his guard down.

Palpatine's invested time in culturing this young boy has finally paid off and Anakin turns on his own. I find Mace Windu's death tragic. He won the duel and would have ended it all right then and there otherwise.

"You don't know the power of the dark side!" "you underestimate the power of the dark side!- Darth Vader

Thse lines are very famous and he says them for more reasons than one obviously. He failed. His plan to betray Palpatine failed eventually because he was not able to pull himself from the pull of the dark side.

Luke would later try the same thing with Palpatine by joining him an suffered the same fate until his sister came to save him.

Another thing about Vader, a nuance to notice- he tends to choke people to death using the Force. This is the first time we see it, with his wife. Vader's trapped, emotionally and physically. In a psychological way, this is why he kills people in this way, because its a reflection of his own fear and sense of entrappment.

Vader still has plans to kill Palpatine, but its no longer possible alone because of his handicaps. And in Palpatine lying and telling Anakin that he himself killed Padme was cause for Anakin to lose hope and hate himself and delve further into the dark side, or so we think. His son rekindles that hope.

Its very interesting, the Sith dynamic. They want power and control and fully accept that one wanting to kill the other is an inevitability. Sidious even says in his duel with Yoda "he's already grown more powerful than either of us!" And this is a Sith Master saying this to a Jedi Master, the two individuals who currently are the strongest force practioners of either side of the Force.

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

what the hollywood brother got a little confused about was when darth vader finds out his very hot and ticklish queen bit the dust, why do he not go in a total rage and destroy everything? the hollywood brother thought this new one was the best out of the three newer ones due to the fast pace of the storylines. It seems that even at the end there was good in skywalker, and that is why he did what he did. the hollywood brother wonders what died in him when he found out that padme died and he could no longer tickle natalie portman all night long

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Well Hollywood, because he had given up hope. Remember that right after Sidious made up her fate and told him that lie Sidious smiled knowing all too well that it would further fracture any hope Anakin had left to the cause of protecting someone or seeking betterment. By leading him to believe he killed his own wife, makes Anakin even more bitter and resentful. He knows what he has done, but has succumb to the darkness in such a way that he is now subserviant to it, and to his new Master, whom commands the dark side as a manifest.

The crux is however, that even Palaptine doesn't know at this point that Padme gave birth or that the children survived. Anakin doesn't know it either, and neither of them know there are twins.

There was always good in Skywalker, you're right. See, the thing is, Anakin sort of developed two personalities. One the Jedi helped create, and one the Sith helped create. The good side of his conscience was constantly conflicting with the bad to the point where he just didn't know what to do.

When he betrayed Windu and chopped off his hand to allow Palpatine the time he needed to finish off Windu, he didn't know what he was doing. He even stepped back and said "what have I done!?"

There was remorse in his actions, and he knew he had stooped to a personal low. Whats disturbing is his murder of the younglings with no remorse on his face. He just killed them like they were ants.

Even the seperatists he killed without mercy. All they really wanted was peace, and after all the promises Sidious made to all parties, its not happening and they're in dispair and ultimately destroyed as well.

Anakin Skywalker was never destroyed, he was just pushed back into the recesses of Darth Vader, and Vader took control for the rest of the time. It wasn't until Luke came about that Anakin struggled with Vader and ultimately did the most selfless thing he could do. It hardly makes up for the massacre he caused during his life, but it does redeem his soul and sets things back into balance for the time being.

The wonderful part of this saga is that we KNOW how it ends and that it ends on a high note. Seeing Anakin's spirit smiling at his son at the end of Return of the Jedi was really rewarding and a testament to everything he went through and that now it didn't matter anymore because he was back where he belonged, with the Light.

 

[jj82277]

hey Vlad, how would you draw parallels between yong Anakin, and the young Victor Frankenstein. I think that the two are virtually the same charecter given almost the same sets of stimulous throughout the course of their lives. I already have my own personall opinion but i would like to hezr yours.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Well, I think one parallel that comes to mind is that they feel trapped and alone, often misunderstood.

Victor Frankenstein was supposedly a man who wanted to unlock the key to everlasting life. Anakin wants the power to keep things everlasting as well. Victor is ultimately playing god and Anakin wants to be able to control people and control things so that things are just the way he wants them. Thats like playing god in a way.

They both have ambition and work in the face of difference and adversity,their methods and thoughts questioned and I think universally they're both trying to achieve the same thing- peace and happiness. But its the means by which they do it that are twisted and ultimately don't help anything.

With Anakin, its his greed and need to control things. The more and more power he sought the more and more it turned from protecting the one he loved to realizing he can control the universe. So that what happened to him will never have to happen again to anyone.

"You're not all-powerful Ani."- Padme

"Well I should be!"- Anakin

- Episode II

With Victor, he wants to create a standard of living by which all people could be governed. While his ideal is meritous and positive, he becomes insane because of the flak he recieves and the troubles he has to go though.

I think both want to create a new way of life, which in their minds is flawless, perfect, and perhaps even absolute.

Anakin wants to create his own paradise, and Victor wants to provide mankind with a way to cheat death. While both individuals had the right idea, they came to a point where the end result of what they would have wanted just didn't work cosmically.

You can't create an ultimate paradise and you can't play god in the end. Anakin can't change the galaxy indefinitely anymore than Victor can sustain life through science and alchemy.

Both of these men assumed to be more than they possibly could be. They are only human (though in a way they thought themselves beyond that), and both tinkered with forces they just didn't understand and ultimately couldn't control. They created bastardizations of life and had to deal with the reprocussions of that. These forces are best left to the being(s) that created them, we shouldn't seek to change things so radically.

In the end, the measure by which they measured was measured back to them. They both realized they made a horrible mistake and life decision and both died seeking absolution for their sins.

 

[Ghost_Host_9991]

Vlad, you probably knew this, but I figured i'd toss it out here anyway. Palpatine's apprentice who was murdered by Jedi Plo Koon was Darth Rage. Apparantly there was also a Darth Venom who was killed by Palpatine for breaking the Sith code. (He took on his own apprentice while he himself was still one, violating the Law of Two). And as far as I know, the only Sith to die of natural causes was Darth Bane (who died of old age and is responsible for reorganizing the Sith into strictly a two-person operation).

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Yep, knew that. But thanks for posting it so others could see too. Its very good to know the details whenever you can. 🙂

 

[Goodieluver]

My comments are how much of the genre outside the movies is george lucas and not fan fic? There are lots of sources detailing the history of the sith\jedi and how palpatine came about to killing peleaus(yes the way palpatine described it you can assume he did it) but im a nerd and i live by details and the details he gave to how peleaus was killed differ from what books and other sources state. Ghost host kinda goes into this with palpatine and his prior apprentices

I did like how they showed how evil anakin had become, esp with the child murder scene in the temple.

I particularly liked how the last scene showed the more "modern" look of the imperial army with the star destroyer and tie fighter and how the officers had the typical new uniforms(and just assuming, they even looked typical brittish...lol)

I would voice things i didnt like aboot the movie but i dont wanna start this into a flame thread. Overall a decent movie, but im still a trekker 🙂

For the sake of money and for fans, i wonder if they will make spinoffs, i mean, theres still the introduction of Han Solo that can be done and with todays technology it could be another "vin diesel\riddick" type story, and hell if they could age anakin like 10-15 years from movie 1-2, u coulda had Han in there somewhere

After the main battle sequence, anyone notice a corellian freighter(millenium fighter) land on corsuant during landing of anakin and obi-wan to meet with the politicians?

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Yeah, they're making at least a tv series. Before it was just a rumor, but now it seems to be taking shape from official sources. It could be dropped though at any time if they change their mind for whatever reason.

 

[Goodieluver]

Yeah, they're making at least a tv series. Before it was just a rumor, but now it seems to be taking shape from official sources. It could be dropped though at any time if they change their mind for whatever reason.

TV for han or TV for something else? They did try a tv series before with those dreadful ewoks, but times are different now and nerd topics of before are now beloved by all.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Its what the series is about thats really the rumor, not the creation of a series, mini-series, or what have you.

Some people think its going to focus on Boba Fett, some people think its going to take place after Episode III but before Episode IV. It could be anything at this point, but the general rumor is that it will take place during the original trilogy story arc.

 

[Goodieluver]

Its what the series is about thats really the rumor, not the creation of a series, mini-series, or what have you.

Some people think its going to focus on Boba Fett, some people think its going to take place after Episode III but before Episode IV. It could be anything at this point, but the general rumor is that it will take place during the original trilogy story arc.

Hm, maybe a fabled mara jade story, they cant pass on a female hero who's scantly clad, it equals money

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

And she's a dark jedi too, trained by the Emperor himself. So that will be really good for Jedi and Sith enthusiasts. She's already a secret agent hunting down Luke, and she actually makes an appearance in ROTJ undercover, but I'm sure we all want to see her in different roles too.

Especially since Mara and Luke are fated to meet anyway. But the series may not go so far as to cover Luke Skywalker. I highly doubt they'll do that in order to preserve the original trilogy. Anything from the extended universe would be better suited for episodes 7, 8 and 9.

So maybe she'll be a character that pops in every now and again or a main character, who knows. LOL

 

[Goodieluver]

I dont recall but did yoda use any of the force power for offensive other than reversin the senate thrones? Technically the lightning is not a sith only weapon. I would think they could respond with it as well, but naturally palpatine was stronger. I was sorta mad at how "easy" mace windu was killed off, esp when he is considered one of the top jedi of all time.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Yoda uses the Force to fight. Its the only way its possible for him at his size and age. It gives him the energy and stamina he needs to do what he does and make use of his saber skills. Thats why you'll notice that afterwards, he sort of reverts back to being slow and we're again reminded of his age. But when he's using the Force he has great trust in it, and it easily makes him the best duelist in the old Jedi Order.

So you could say he uses the Force in all his battles in an offensive and counter-offensive way as well as defensive.

Force Lightning, as it's called, is inherently a Dark Side trait and energy, and only a handful of Light Side users can wield it effectively or have mastered it without it having any ill affects on them. Plo Koon is one example of a Jedi Master who can use Force Lightning.

We've seen Yoda twice now (episode II & III) deflect and absorb Force Lightning and counter and channel it completely to avoid physical harm, and deflect the energy back at the enemy.

Yoda surely could have used Force Lightning, but in close combat he wasn't in a position to do so, so he merely blocked it and turned it on Palpatine. He does use Force Push and such. Not nearly as dangerous, but its good for pushing an enemy away, or stunning them to find an opening and strike.

As for Master Windu, its not that he was killed off easily or wasn't considered the second best duelist in the old Jedi Order, but we have to remember that Anakin turned on him. As it stood, Windu had defeated Sidious. It was just a matter of finishing him off. If Anakin had not been there, Palpatine wouldn't have had an opening to use Force Lightning and would have died. He also would have died if Anakin would have decided to let him be killed whether by Windu's blade or Palpatine's own Lightning. And the only reason Palpatine kept using his power was because it prevented Windu from delivering a death blow. It caused a stalemate, where neither of them could do anything, but any longer and he would have died. So this means he has extrodinary will power to endure the pain long enough to have the hope that all his brainwashing pays off and Anakin will help him.

In addition to now knowing why and how Palpatine's face and body have now been transformed and twisted to the Palpatine we remember from the OT, it also is a display of something people need to know that they might not have known before- Force Lightning is MORE than just lightning.

Its energy as well. Personal energy. In his case, evil energy which is tainted. The cause of his mutation is the source of his own power. By using his saber to both defend himself and channel the Lightning back into Sidious, Mace was on the verge of killing Palpatine. And this hateful, evil, Dark Side energy was turning Sidious inside out, in a symbolic way as well.

We're finally seeing just what an evil, vile, ugly and sickening creature he is on the inside (not physically of course), the side of him he's been hiding for years. His seemingly innocent blue eyes now replaced with the burning Sith eyes he's been hiding, truely unveiling him for what he is.

I think Darth Sidious's confrontations with both Mace Windu and Yoda are going to be very memorable. Perhaps just as memorable as the Kenobi/Vader duel.

 

[Goodieluver]

but the force is neutral, its how you use it which determines good or evil. In the history of the jedi\sith, many jedi have used "force tornados" or "force earthquakes" to vanquish sith enemies. The concept of what darth peleus did with the force to cheat death was not an evil thing but viewed by the jedi as unnatural.

I would assume the masters, esp yoda would be able to weild this, because even tho this power could be seen as "bad", so is the concept of killing, which is where this began to conflict anakin, when he killed dooku and when he confronted mace windu, its not the way of the Jedi to kill.

I do like however this shows how Vader changes, that he would not allow the same mistake to happen twice, as we see in ROTJ where he attacks the emperor rather than assist him

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Yes, I know. The Force itself is a neutral energy, but if used as it is its life creating and preserving. The Dark Side is a perversion of the Force, turning its positive energy into negative. The Jedi use the Force as it needs to be used and is intended to be used. The Sith abuse it so they will individually gain from it.

Palpatine's own master was probably chaotic neutral. One of those rare kinds of Sith who don't necessarily have a problem with Jedi teachings, but want to do things their own way and attain understanding of the Force through a different means, though evil, and self-destructive.

Its like I said earlier, Dantius Palpatine is an extreme Sith who is chaotic evil, so its no wonder he killed his own mentor and master.

Your final comment about the comparsion of Anakin failing and Vader succeeding is very good and true, and not just in that way either.

Anakin sees a friend and mentor in Dantius, even after he learns he is the Sith Master who is the cause of the war and everything related to it. He's treated like an equal and partner and that gives him a great sense of security and belonging in the early years of his Sithhood. He's also been given the power he feels he deserves and he's not being questioned.

As Darth Vader however, he realizes that this is not the Empire he wanted to see or be a part of, but he realizes this too little too late after much of the damage has been done. There was always a personal struggle for him but he couldn't abandon his duties and he couldn't abandon the Dark Side and the person who taught him to wield it. These things just meant too much to him. And with no one to love anymore or be loved by, it was easier to accept the fate he had chosen.

What a silent joy, albeit conflicting, to know his child survived afterall and that it was a boy, a son. And then to learn later that he has a daughter as well, it just added, much more so, to his confliction. And we have to assume this played a part in the betrayal of his Emperor. Its what he had planned all along, but could never bring himself to do. His children gave him the courage to realize who he is and reclaim that.

Love got him into this, and love got him out. 🙂

"I will not leave you here, I've got to save you!"- Luke

"You already have Luke. You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister....you were right. *smiles, dies, then joins with the Force*"- Anakin

 

[Goodieluver]

But in rotj, we still see how even though vader is conflicted, he still is evil\working with the emperor, how he coerced luke into retaliating when he realized he had a daughter and said "if you wont turn to the darkside then perhaps she will" I think the turn happened because luke would keep talking to him about the good in him and if you wanna draw comparisons, he remembered his mistake with windu and decided to not let history repeat.

I half heartedly sorta want them to remake the last 3 movies in modern times because for some reason i get the aspect you would get more emotion and such with it. When u see obi wan vs vader in new hope, i mean it seems rather cold, you know they know each other and have history but its nothing like the conflict between obi wan and anakin as we see in the past 2 movies. Yes new hope, empire and return are classics and should never be remade but to fit technology and interest, it could work

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

The thing about their second duel is you have to realize one is an old man and the other is only half a man. So that confrontation was just that, a confrontation. It wasn't physical like their first because of their age and circumstances. It couldn't possibly be the same kind of fight it would have been when both of them were younger and in their prime.

The reason we see Vader fight Luke so ferociously later is because he's on a mission to turn him. He realizes obviously that he can't do that with Obi-Wan. And as far as this duel is concerned, its another stalemate. Vader cannot penetrate Obi-Wan's defense, and Obi-Wan cannot get much offense in, edge wise. So Obi-Wan sacrifices himself because he knows (after learning from Qui Gon, his former master) how to become one with the Force. He had no plans to escape that battle. Even Vader knew that before he confronted him in the corridor.

At this point Obi-Wan is more useful (and powerful) in spectral form than in physical. Allowing himself to join the Force ensures Luke will have a mentor until Yoda can teach him.

Luke fights more proficiently against Vader in ESB because he thinks he's fighting an enemy. That he's fighting the man that killed his father, the man who would represent evil in the universe.

Whereas in their ROTJ duel, he knows Vader is his father, and so is reluctant to fight. Vader doesn't want to either, but he's in a position where he has to. It's Palpatine's plan to get Luke to kill Vader, but it's Vader's plan to get Luke angry enough to use the Dark Side and if he cannot get Luke to kill the Emperor alone, the two might kill him together. He didn't expect Luke to overpower him though, or chop off his hand.

In Vader's mind, if Luke can be turned and kill Sidious that would make Vader the new Emperor and Luke the apprentice. But the gamble Vader is taking is that Luke might want to be the Master.

I think Anakin returned when Luke decided not to turn, not when Palaptine was killing Luke. Seeing that his son was not going to be a part of this evil plot, he saw what he already knew- that his son was worth saving from this fate.

The actual duels of the prequal versus the original are quite different for different reasons. The duels in the prequal are more spectacular because we got to see the Jedi fighting in true form, properly trained. We were so used to seeing Luke learn and change styles, like his father that we never really got to see a fully-fledged Jedi Knight or Sith fight.

The prequals offer us that, whereas the OT shows duels between characters who are either old, crippled, or still learning how to master a saber. I think its a good balance.

 

[Triple T1]

Wow! this brings back memories back in 84 when me and my buddies were discussing The Emperors alighnment.I always felt he was Lawful Evil since he ran an organized Galactic Empire like the Third Reich.Chaotic Evil seems to never run anything larger than a roving brigand band with the leader being the biggest bully, since they detest organization and order.Killing a leader in his sleep is a little more Chaotic though,Lawful Evil usually would resort to a duel or an organized coup.
I had to be the most hated guy in the theater since I sincerely route for the Sith.I went nuts when Sideous and Anakin nailed Windu(Sorry ,I hate Leftwing actors like Jackson) But this got the rest of the audience going when Yoda and Obiwan kicked ass.
I remember General Grievous being awsome in the Clone Wars cartoon,but in the movie he was more of an Osama BinLaden punk.Obiwan mopped the floor with him.
I was amazed how Anakin took down Count Dooku since Dooku was a match for Yoda.I recently read in the Revenge of the Sith Visual Dictionary that he faked him out by fighting in a standard mode then quickly switched to an advanced form and threw him off.Anakin and Obiwan probably also practiced for the rematch for years.
My favorite part of the movie....EXECUTE ORDER 66 !!!!!!!!

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

And for that matter Sidious was going easy on Windu. When he first arrived, flanked by three Jedi, Dantius sprung to action and killed those three Jedi like they were nothing.

This is the first time in Star Wars movie history that any lightsaber duel has been 4 against 1 odds. And he evened the odds in no time, and he didn't even have a double-bladed lightsaber like Maul did and this was very close-quarters fighting with less maneuvering available to him.

Surely this is a testament to Dantius Palpatine's commandery of the Force and beyond exceptional saber skills and technique/fighting style. I was cheering for the Sith in this fight too.

People on other forums have brought up an interesting point as I'm about to-

Palpatine was holding back on Windu and going easy on him. He could have killed him at any time. He timed this whole thing, from when his identity as the Sith Master was revealed to Anakin, and the time it took for Windu and his posse to arrive at Palpatine's office to arrest him, and then finally for Anakin to arrive.

Palpatine planned it so that Anakin would walk in to find a helpless Palpatine about to be killed by the Jedi. At this point, he needs to physically make the Jedi look like the enemy and himself the victim so that Anakin will save him.

Of course he didn't plan on his own powers being used against him or having to endure the searing and deforming pain of the Dark Side, but other than that it was a perfect crime, executed with perfection.

He took a great risk though by allowing Windu to parry with him until Anakin got there and allowing himself to be beaten and having a blade to his throat.

I think the proof that the Emperor was going easy on Windu is evident in his fight with Yoda later. That fight was much more intense, fast, and up in the air showing both as the masters they are of the Light and Dark.

Palpatine needed to lose to Windu to ensure a favorable reaction from Anakin. With Yoda however, it was vital he kill him or attempt to as by doing so it would be a checkmate for the Sith and the Dark Side.