The Emperor's Origins

[Lief Erikson]

This is not a spoiler thread. Spoilers to what the Emperor's origins are should be kept private.

Anyway, on my most recent viewing of Episode II of Star Wars, I developed a theory to the Emperor's origins that I believe will be accurate. Any theories others may have would be welcome.

My theory is that the Emperor was originally Cyphodias. Jedi Master Cyphodias supposedly died over a decade before "Attack of the Clones". He is referred to in the movie as having been a leading member of the Jedi Council. Someone claiming to be Cyphodias ordered the creation of the clone army, for the Jedi Council. Nothing more is said about Cyphodias in the movie.

Originally I thought that Cyphodias was another name for Dooku. However, this theory is rather dented now. Everyone already is well acquainted with Dooku's background. He was Yoda's apprentice, was once a Jedi, and it seems unlikely that Yoda would or could have completed the entirety of his training after Cyphodias' disappearance. It's possible, but rather unlikely, to me.

If the Emperor was Cyphodias, that would give an origin for the Emperor and an explanation for his Force powers. It's clear that they'll be revealing more about this mystery of Cyphodias in Episode III, simply because they left his involvement as such a question mark in Episode II.

So that's my theory. There's not a lot of evidence to support it, but I really suspect it's accurate. My brother asked me how Yoda could have missed recognizing him. Perhaps he's a changeling. There doubtless are other possible answers, though.

This has been a question I've been seriously thinking about now and then. The Emperor's origins have been a prevailing mystery in the films. If anyone has extra information from books that tell the answer, please cloak it from our vision with the shadow of the Dark Side (spoiler signs ). I look forward to any comments or other theories!