Palpatine’s face change in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith may have one fascinating explanation, and it isn’t Force lightning. Throughout the original Star Wars trilogy, Emperor Palpatine had a terrifying, almost non-human visage. However, his appearance was shockingly normal in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, with no indication he was one of Star Wars’ most powerful Sith. This worked well narratively, as Palpatine needed to present himself as an earnest senator in the prequels to infiltrate the Jedi Order.

Nevertheless, the prequels needed to explain why and how Palpatine’s appearance changed so significantly between these two periods in the Star Wars timeline. In Revenge of the Sith, the answer seemed to be the effects of Palpatine’s Force lightning, which electrocuted him as he attempted to use it against Mace Windu. However, inconsistencies in Star Wars movies and TV shows suggest another of Star Wars’ Force powers may have been at work.

Palpatine’s Face Change Is Linked To His Force Lightning

Palpatine maintains his normal human appearance in the prequel movies until Anakin runs into his office to find Mace Windu about to assassinate him in Revenge of the Sith. As Palpatine shoots Force lightning toward Mace Windu, the lightning is blasted back at him, electrocuting him. During this attack, Palpatine’s transformation happens incrementally, becoming more and more misshapen until, finally, his appearance matches what is shown in the original trilogy. However, it isn’t clear exactly how this works.

For one, Palpatine is nowhere near the first victim of the Sith’s Force lightning in Star Wars, and no one else’s appearance is transformed in the same way. Especially given that the lightning is being channeled through Palpatine himself, it seems odd that it would have a greater effect on him. It’s possible that this transformation is some sort of outward manifestation of the dark side, but there’s no other precedent for that in Star Wars; Palpatine’s disfigurement is an anomaly in the franchise—one that Force lightning doesn’t quite adequately explain.

Palpatine’s Face May Have Secretly Been Disfigured For Years

Despite Revenge of the Sith suggesting that it was this moment with the Force lightning that caused the change in Palpatine’s appearance, Star Wars: The Clone Wars hinted at his appearance having been disfigured all along. In fact, in The Clone Wars, there are moments where Palpatine’s face looks much more like it does in Return of the Jedi than it does in the prequel trilogy, particularly when considering that animation wouldn’t be an exact match. Given that, and the questionable explanation of Force lightning, something much more insidious might have been afoot.

The Sith have the power to conceal their appearance, which could explain why The Clone Wars show glimpses of a disfigured Palpatine even before his attack on Mace Windu. If Palpatine was using that power, it’s possible that this moment with the Force lightning, when he was clearly exerting himself, simply blasted his disguise away or required too much of his power for him to maintain the illusion. Given how convenient the timing of his disfigurement was, this would also make sense.

Palpatine immediately weaponized his changed appearance, announcing that the Jedi’s assassination attempt left him “scarred and deformed.” In that sense, this shocking change in his appearance gave him ‘proof’ that the Jedi had indeed attacked him, as he was claiming, which would have gotten even skeptics on his side. It may have had that impact even on Anakin, who would have believed he bore witness to that very event.

Palpatine Never Saw The Need To Hide His Appearance Again

In a sense, this event also freed Palpatine from having to conceal his appearance, assuming this Sith power was indeed at play. Because he explained this change by pointing to the Jedi’s assassination attempt, not only would his scarred appearance no longer have implicated him in some darker explanation, but also, it would have served as a physical reminder to the galaxy that the Jedi had betrayed the Republic. Even with growing doubts about the Jedi throughout the Clone Wars, a massacre of the Jedi couldn’t have been an easy thing for most to accept.

Yet again proving Palpatine’s brilliance, this suggests that Palpatine simply waited for the opportune moment to reveal his true face. This would especially make sense in light of how innocent Palpatine appears in The Phantom Menace. Even in his manner of dress, he truly seemed like any other man from Naboo. While Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith suggests that Palpatine’s transformation was a result of his own Sith lightning, it’s quite possible that Palpatine was deformed all along, using one Force ability to conceal his true appearance until he could use it to his advantage.

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