Darth Venal said:
The big central tube running down the middle is the damn lift shaft.

I think this shows why you're just completely missing my point. If the big central tube is the lift shaft, as you say (which I've always agreed with by the way) then what the hell is the shaft surrounding it?

The lift shaft (or central core - whatever you want to call it) is a shaft within a shaft, yet you seem to be calling both the same damn thing!

The lift shaft being there is completely irrelevant to what started this. Palpatine is not thrown down the lift shaft (which is in the centre and, funnily enough, houses lifts) but down the shaft surrounding it.

Fuck it.