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So if lightning hitting the emperor deforms him...

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Why don’t luke start getting deformed when he’s hit by lightning? I don’t think he was hit as long but should have been long enough to at least change a little.

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I think the main idea is that the lightning reveals Palpatine’s “true form” and that he was twisted and deformed by the Dark Side beforehand and was able to mask his appearance somehow before the lightning.

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So the lightning reveals true forms? That’s a Jedi skill? I think I remember it revealed Samuel Jacksons skeleton, so why didn’t it reveal Luke’s true form? He don’t have a skeleton?

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From what I’ve heard, the lightning more or less burned away his disguise more than it magically reveals a person’s true form.

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Tyrphanax said:

From what I’ve heard, the lightning more or less burned away his disguise more than it magically reveals a person’s true form.

OH!
Wait.
…huh?

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The idea is more that the lightning burns the disguise away rather than it reveals a person’s true form.

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Tyrphanax said:

The idea is more that the lightning burns the disguise away rather than it reveals a person’s true form.

I’m…still not seeing a difference, although this phrasing has more or less less mores.

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I am afraid I can’t help ya then, mate.

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Must be Sith disguise technology, since Republic tech can’t even give Anakin fake skin for his mechanical arm.

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Where were you in '77?

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I’ve always thought of it as Palpatine let his guard down and revealed his true appearance.

He was physically consumed by evil long before the prequels took place, but he used the force to hide his appearance and appear younger and healthier.

But doing so probably required at least a tiny bit of constant focus. So when he was in his weakest moment, about to be beaten, he lost that focus and his true form emerged.

Then he was able to use that to his advantage by saying the Jedi did that to him, and it made the senate feel sympathetic towards him. It also meant that he didn’t have to be constantly drawing from the force to hide his appearance; which, lets face it, sounds like a hassle.

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Humby said:

I’ve always thought of it as Palpatine let his guard down and revealed his true appearance.

He was physically consumed by evil long before the prequels took place, but he used the force to hide his appearance and appear younger and healthier.

But doing so probably required at least a tiny bit of constant focus. So when he was in his weakest moment, about to be beaten, he lost that focus and his true form emerged.

If only his true form was that of a giant cockroach.

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Humby said:

I’ve always thought of it as Palpatine let his guard down and revealed his true appearance.

He was physically consumed by evil long before the prequels took place, but he used the force to hide his appearance and appear younger and healthier.

You realize you just justified young anakin in 2004 Star Wars ROTJ appearence, right?

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Sure, anakin used the force to make himself look younger than he really was. Just like palpatine.

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We’re not debating whether such a thing is possible in an imaginary universe in which laser sword-wielding wizards can come back from the dead as ghosts. Rather, we question the logic behind redeemed Vader presenting himself to his son in a form he wouldn’t recognize.

TV’s Frink said:

I would put this in my sig if I weren’t so lazy.

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I always just thought the Emperor was really old, possibly corrupted by power and the Dark Side, kind of like that guy in the Lord of the Rings while he’s under a spell, and that’s why he looked like that in ROTJ.

But given what happens in ROTS, there are two fairly convincing theories I’ve heard:

  1. Palpatine had been disguising his “true form” somehow with some kind of force spell or something, and that was washed away by the lightning.
  2. The lightning has a more damaging effect on Sith than it does on Jedi, or that it somehow takes a toll on its user that causes it to have much more severe impacts if it rebounds.
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That whole “reveals-his-true-form”-thing sounds like a cop-out. Like showing the death star construction at the end of the film, George thought he must show how Palpatine got his melted/aged face otherwise the audience will be totally totally totally confused when they get to ESB & ROTJ:

“Oh no who is that old guy hologram in the hood talking to Vader?! I’m sooooo confused!”

Rogue One is redundant. Just play the first mission of DARK FORCES.
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‘Star Wars is a buffet, enjoy the stuff you want, and leave the rest.’ - SilverWook

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The above post is my two cents as well. The other ideas just sound silly to me but I guess they would tie into the whole notion of dark side users becoming physically scarred via its use.

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If lightning hitting the Emperor deforms him, could that mean that Vader was still looking like Hayden throughout the OT? And his unmasked appearance is a result of getting hit by Palpatine’s lightning? So when Vader decided to thrown him down, he became a Jedi again while still looking young, that’s why Force ghost Hayden makes perfect sense. George, you brilliant writer mastermind.

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Frank your Majesty said:

If lightning hitting the Emperor deforms him, could that mean that Vader was still looking like Hayden throughout the OT? And his unmasked appearance is a result of getting hit by Palpatine’s lightning? So when Vader decided to thrown him down, he became a Jedi again while still looking young, that’s why Force ghost Hayden makes perfect sense. George, you brilliant writer mastermind.

In that regard, if Mace Windu survived somehow he should definitely look like Morgan Freeman 😉

Rogue One is redundant. Just play the first mission of DARK FORCES.
The hallmark of a corrupt leader: Being surrounded by yes men.
‘The best visual effects in the world will not compensate for a story told badly.’ - V.E.S.
‘Star Wars is a buffet, enjoy the stuff you want, and leave the rest.’ - SilverWook