What If Vader Had Survived?

[Captain Seafort]

There were plans to have a Plagueis/Sidious novel at one point, but it got binned. The idea's still floating around though, so it might crop up.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Heard about that, Seafort. I... kinda like the mystery with Palps, actually. After seeing that pic, too...

[The piman]

I figure it would have been one heck of an awkward thing for Luke to bring Vader with him for the whole Rebellion to see. He could say, "Here's the guy that's been heading the operations to kill ya'll."

By the way, why not tell Yoda's story? What is the guy?

[Captain Seafort]

By the way, why not tell Yoda's story? What is the guy?

He's Grand Master of the Old Jedi Order. Beyond that, we don't need to know. The same is true of Palpatine - the lack of knowledge about both their pasts is, I think, part of the quality of the characters, the fact that there will always be more about them that's unknown than is known.

[Deepcrush]

I do know Yoda wasn't as good of a fighter with the Light Saber as I would have expected. That has always been an upset for me.

[Captain Seafort]

I was surprised that Yoda and Palpatine were as good as they were - I imagined both of them to be far more Force-based than lightsabre-based fighters. Plus Kermitt on crack looked decidedly odd to put it mildly.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

I... think having them duel like that took away from their stature, a bit. Yoda and Palps seemed 'above' lightsaber combat in the OT, for lack of a better term.

[Captain Seafort]

Exactly. Palpatine had Maul, Tyrannus and Vader for the heavy-handed stuff, and Force lightning as a last resort - he's the Francis Urquhart of Star Wars. Yoda is his light side parallel. While it makes sense for both of them to know how to handle a lightsabre, it shouldn't have been their preferred option in combat.

[Lighthawk]

Agreed. While the fights were good, they weren't the right kind of fighting style for either of them. A force based battle would have been more appropriate.

[kostmayer]

Yoda was so much cooler when he used the force - casually slamming Palpatines guards against the wall as he walked in the room, using the force to pick up his walking cane before stumbing on after he duel with Dooku - the leaping about looked naff.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Thanks.

It goes back to ESB for Yoda and lifting the X-wing and Palpatine in ROTJ with Sith Lightning. We see a glimpse of the 'true power of the Force' in each instance, so to have these two paragons of their respective sides slumming with laser swords is almost a step back.

[Deepcrush]

So they are supposed to be "above" the use of a light sabre? I don't know how that should work since they were both "Knights" of their own cause. Plus neither of them were always the top guys of their forces. They both had to start somewhere so I'd expect them to be at least as good as the people working under them.

[Reliant121]

I have to say that I think their lightsaber ability wasn't particularly out of place. Master Windu didn't express much strain in defeating Palpatine in pure lightsaber combat, and Windu is the premier lightsaber fighter. Palpatine and Yoda had a lovely, force dominated battle in the senate rooms, which I think was highly appropriate. Admittedly, I think Yoda was a little too lightsaber powerful whentaking down Dooku.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

So they are supposed to be "above" the use of a light sabre? I don't know how that should work since they were both "Knights" of their own cause. Plus neither of them were always the top guys of their forces. They both had to start somewhere so I'd expect them to be at least as good as the people working under them.

Oh, yeah. They'd have definite skills with the blades... but by the time of the PT, at least as presented by the OT, it just makes more sense for them to eschew them and go right for the Force.

[Deepcrush]

Mace Windu managed to get past Palp's force abilities with his saber skill. While I can understand trying to improve their powers through the force. Had Yoda even just equaled Windu, he would have dropped Palp without trouble.