[Star Wars] Who is Anakin's "father"? and question about Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious

[karohemd]

Just read something that could be right.
Allegedly, Anakin hadn't a physical father and was conceived by some Force malarky (or so Shmi claims and it's part of what makes the Jedi Council believe he's the Chosen One).
Now, Darth Sidious tells Anakin the story about this Sith Lord who found a way of controlling life itself (can't remember if he says "create") and was later killed by his apprentice. This apprentice was clearly Sidious, especially as he later promises Anakin to make sure Padme doesn't die.
So, could Sidious have had a hand in Anakins's conception by *spit* manipulating midichlorians to impregnate Shmi?

We all know already that Chancellor Palpatine is Darth Sidious but how could such a powerful Force user escape detection from the Jedi, at their very doorstep? Some Dark Side power to mask his connection to the Force (like Obfuscate/Soul Mask)? They did detect Darth Maul in Ep1.
When Sidious fights Mace Windu and uses Force Ligthning, his face melts and his eyes turn yellow/red (just like Anakin's later). He claims in the Senate that the Jedi disfigured him but Mace is only using his lightsabre.
It's quite possible that he had a way of suppressing his powers which meant at the same time his appearance was normal and because the powers were dormant, he couldn't be detected. As soon as he used the lighting, he transforms. We hadn't seen him use Force powers in either Ep1 or 2.
Then again, why aren't Count Dooku's eyes yellow/red who is an overt Dark Side user? Darth Maul's were, too.

Ah well.

Comments

[ua-meruti.livejournal.com]

I think that Sidious had an ability to hide his appearance, or possibly it's a convenient side effect of hopping from clone to clone.
The Dark Side does corrupt, inside as well as out. I think Tyranus just hadn't fallen completely (he was a Jedi Master before he fell, all that training will count for something), and thus hadn't developed the physical defects yet. When Anakin fell, he fell hard having had everything he held dear stripped from him, including his devotion to the Jedi order (probably why he developed powers o quickly), and thus he developed physical defects.

I think they couldn't sense it was Palpatine for a similar reason that he and Vader couldn't later sense Yoda - the presence of a place strong in the Light/Dark side (the Jedi Temple, and the cave on Dagobah).

[twicedead.livejournal.com]

Don't get me started on that Clone Emperor bollocks. The existence of the Dark Empire comics completely invalidates Anakin's sacrifice at the end of Return of the Jedi.

[akonken.livejournal.com]

I think Mace was deflecting the lightning back onto him, which was causing his face to melt, or whatever that was supposed to be.

[akonken.livejournal.com]

Deflecting using his lightsabre, that is.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Hm, not sure. You can't tell when you see DS but when you see Mace, the lightning seems to curl around and up the lightsabre, not back at DS. I need to watch it again, anyway.

Even Yoda only absorbs/cancels the lightning and simply pushes back along the stream.

[eryx-uk.livejournal.com]

I think what you will find is that Sidious was much further along the Dark path than Dooku and so using the Dark Side was beginning to have the corrupting effect when he was forced to fight for his very life against Windu. He was really pushing that force lightning out, and well, thats how it appeared to me.

Also, in EP2, Yoda informs Windu that the Jedi ability to sense the Dark Side had diminished. I read that as the Dark Side has become so strong that it blankets out sensing it in any individual. And since Sidious was a Sith he was probably able to hide himself very very well.

I'm not trying to defend Lucas' or put down anyone else's views, but I think with Star Wars (and any film really) you have to look past whats immediately on screen and think of the bigger picture.

[crocodilewings.livejournal.com]

"Hard to see, the Dark Side is..."

[nina321.livejournal.com]

As Yoda says: 'Clouds our judgement, the dark side does'
From that, I figured that palpy/sideous was in such close proximity that his general presence was diminishing the jedis' powers, so they could neither detect his dark side affiliations, and there was a bunch of other stuff they didn't pick up on.

Secondly, it was only using the dark side for a really prolonged period of time and having it deflected back on him that made sidi turn clay-like, and that's why it didn't really show up before.

:)

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

*nods*

So, any thoughts on Anakin's father?

[nina321.livejournal.com]

Well, when Sidi mentioned 'his' master's ability to manipulate the midichlorians into making life, it did pass my mind, but the way he told it was as if it were many many years ago, and so then thought 'nah'.
But then he totally made out like it was HIS master, and so maybe.
But I don't see why he would... I mean, it sounds possible, Shmi was a slave so who knows what strange people she may have come into contact with before ani's conception.

[jholloway.livejournal.com]

I always felt that the Jedi had basically become sufficiently inflexible that their affinity for the Force was diminishing -- they were partly to blame for the Force being "out of balance." Their ability to detect the Dark Side was naturally the first thing to go. They may have picked up Maul because he wasn't exactly Johnny Subtle. Alternately, he may have wanted to be noticed.

As to whether it was Sidious who was responsible for Anakin's "virgin birth," I think it's meant to be a possibility.

It's actually deeper than that...

[halaku.livejournal.com]

... the message is strongly implied that yes, Sideous is responsible for Anakin's creation, in earlier versions of the script.

But.. why Anakin? Why Tatooine? Simple... Dooku. There's a throwaway line (which might make it's way into the DVD deleted scenes) where Palpatine is congratulating Anakin for killing Dooku, saying he had many allies, in the unlikeliest places... even a large group of Tusken Raiders, back on Tatooine.

The dots are there. It's up to the viewer to connect them... namely, Sideous had it all planned out.

A: Sideous controlled Dooku.

B: Dooko controlled a few clans of Tuskans.

C: Sideous arranged Shmi's pregancy... trapped on Tatooine, she'd never be able to escape his extended reach.

D: Let things happen, so long as Anakin ends up a Padawan. Nothing else matters.

E: Sideous has Dooku order the Raiders to torture Shmi, knowing that Anakin would pick up on it.

F: Sideous arranges for Padme to have physical complications with pregnancy. He's that good with life, remember?

G: Anakin kills the Raiders. And justifies it. Anakin kills Dooku. And justifies it. When Anakin learns what the Sith are capable of doing...

[faerierhona.livejournal.com]

I think it hinted that pretty strongly. BUT I think it was Sidious who wanted Anikin to think that. In Ep1 it hints more that the force itself created ANikin to bring balance back and fulfill the prophecy.

I don't think he arranged the birth, but I think he found out about it and from there on in decided to turn him to his own uses

thoughts

[raggedyman.livejournal.com]

Does Dooko actually use any dark side neme at any point or is he just a bit of a git? Can't remember episode 2 all that well (therapy does wonders these days) but can't remember him using any death lightning so it could be possible to just think dark side thoughts (Dooko's reasoning was never made clear) and be generaly evil without doing the dark side powers thing and thus avoid getting the mucked up eyes etc.

re 'A Jedi Did This To Me!' i think the argument 'he only had a lightsaber' is a little weak. These are Jedi, neme-tastic warriors with power normal person just plain don't understand too good. Who is to say melting someones face isn't a secret Jedi power, one that they have kept secret by not telling anyone?

As to Palpatine not having wierd eyes it is possible that he also hadn't used any dark side powers till that point, just force powers in a non light-side manner.

btw - as to detecting Dath Maul it isn't impossible that he didn't just send out a huge 'here I am' bling to tip them off, if the whole thing is a set up from the Emperor then its totally possible that maul being detected wasn't a mistake (remember, the emp is totally willing to kill his own people so the death of DM could all have been part of the plan to make Annakin a jedi in training)

[hesster56.livejournal.com]

Here's something I'm ticked about: Kenobi dies in New Hope, and comes back as a ghost. Yoda bites it and returns as a ghost. Vader dies, redeemed, and gets to be a ghost. Now, in the prequels, there was a giant outrage over the fact that none of the jedi return as ghosts when killed. But they explain that, as saying that Qui Gonn learned it, and told Yoda, who taught Ben.

So how the hell does Vader come back as a ghost that quick? Spontaneous education?

[twicedead.livejournal.com]

Well, everyone who actually becomes a blue-glowey actually dies in front of Luke... maybe he's the link.

Or Anakin could just be ridiculously powerful :)

[hesster56.livejournal.com]

Anybody else here the rumor that General Grevious is really Darth Maul's torso stuck on a robot?

[twicedead.livejournal.com]

Old idea, never followed through on. Robomaul would be cool, though.

melty face

[belak-krin.livejournal.com]

The emporer says that (his) sith master could control life/live forever, maybe he is waaaay older than he looks, keeping himself alive with evil force type powers. Using too much concentration to stop Windu from chopping him meant his 'stop me from aging/rotting' power slipped a little?

Re: melty face

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

I like this theory.