22nd May 2005, 2:37 PM
*activates the Goron/Weltall alliance*
I still disagree.
Now, I think that aside villains like Darth Maul don't need much, if any, backstory. He appeared for maybe twelve minutes. He was a henchman, a foil, and a vehicle to sell tons of licensed toys. After he's dead, he's meaningless. A backstory would pretty much be wasted on him.
But Palpatine is far more important to the story, and this is what I'm trying to impress. He's responsible for everything! He is REQUIRED to have motives of some sort! He doesn't just show up and disappear without a trace, he's there for every movie, except four. He is the catalyst driving the entire series of events. He is the Hitler, the Caesar, the Joseph Stalin. Each of those men were men of extraordinary power, and each of them has a laundry list of motives and back story. Stalin for example, fabricated his role in the events of the October Revolution, making himself seem far more important that he was, in order to seize power upon Lenin's death. He was driven by both his own desires and an attachment to his ideology, so strong that he slaughtered countless millions trying to build his vision. He wasn't some two-bit fool who liked to kill because he thought killing was fun, or ruled the USSR just so he could say he ruled the USSR. He had goals and motives abound. All three men did. Most such men do. As such, we find them incredibly interesting long, long after they are dead. Stalin and Hitler both go beyond themselves and are known as well for the ideologies they so fervently forced on others, but no one sees them as mere vessels for those ideologies. Palpatine's cause or goals are never well-fleshed, he just seems to be on a huge power grab for whateve reason, but he doesn't seem like anything but a vessel to advance this goal. Major, earth-shattering villains like this cannot get away with having no motive, even one that is merely semi-apparent. It's bad writing. After all, if not for Palpatine, nothing in the series would have happened. The people of the Republic would have gone about their lives normally, more or less. Palpatine came along and turned the galaxy upside down in a major way. He had to have had a somewhat decent reason for doing it. But we're never privy to that reason, if there is one. Thus, he's a bad character.
No, I don't think so at all. If you think I'm wrong, you can try and find proof of it. But right now, I think he's most certainly the best selling novelist in the world.
I still disagree.
Now, I think that aside villains like Darth Maul don't need much, if any, backstory. He appeared for maybe twelve minutes. He was a henchman, a foil, and a vehicle to sell tons of licensed toys. After he's dead, he's meaningless. A backstory would pretty much be wasted on him.
But Palpatine is far more important to the story, and this is what I'm trying to impress. He's responsible for everything! He is REQUIRED to have motives of some sort! He doesn't just show up and disappear without a trace, he's there for every movie, except four. He is the catalyst driving the entire series of events. He is the Hitler, the Caesar, the Joseph Stalin. Each of those men were men of extraordinary power, and each of them has a laundry list of motives and back story. Stalin for example, fabricated his role in the events of the October Revolution, making himself seem far more important that he was, in order to seize power upon Lenin's death. He was driven by both his own desires and an attachment to his ideology, so strong that he slaughtered countless millions trying to build his vision. He wasn't some two-bit fool who liked to kill because he thought killing was fun, or ruled the USSR just so he could say he ruled the USSR. He had goals and motives abound. All three men did. Most such men do. As such, we find them incredibly interesting long, long after they are dead. Stalin and Hitler both go beyond themselves and are known as well for the ideologies they so fervently forced on others, but no one sees them as mere vessels for those ideologies. Palpatine's cause or goals are never well-fleshed, he just seems to be on a huge power grab for whateve reason, but he doesn't seem like anything but a vessel to advance this goal. Major, earth-shattering villains like this cannot get away with having no motive, even one that is merely semi-apparent. It's bad writing. After all, if not for Palpatine, nothing in the series would have happened. The people of the Republic would have gone about their lives normally, more or less. Palpatine came along and turned the galaxy upside down in a major way. He had to have had a somewhat decent reason for doing it. But we're never privy to that reason, if there is one. Thus, he's a bad character.
Quote: Well, not the entire world. That's a ridiculous claim, don't you think?
No, I don't think so at all. If you think I'm wrong, you can try and find proof of it. But right now, I think he's most certainly the best selling novelist in the world.
YOU CANNOT HIDE FOREVER
WE STAND AT THE DOOR
WE STAND AT THE DOOR