xhonzi said:

TheBoost said:

The general public is probably unaware of the Emperor's status as an evil Force-Person.

Lolz. Very PC of you, Boost.

:)
I was actually not sure what to call the dude.

In the OT, the Emperor can apparently see the future (which Jedi can also do) and shoot lighting (something we don't know of any Jedi doing). There's no reason to assume he had any Jedi background, and evidence suggests most people are unaware he has these powers.

My idea is that he was once a general, renowned for his brutal efficiency, who went out to the dark unknown to do battle with someone, and somehow out there he learned these dark sorcerous arts (in a way that never needs to be explained precisely). He's invited back by the Republic to lead their armies during the Clone Wars, and manipulates that role into being crowned Emperor. What exactly his evil sorcery (Forcery?) is not important, just that it's bad.