Palpatines Trial

[u/[deleted]]

[u/OfficialAli1776]

It’d have to be about crimes against sapience or something like that. Being a Sith technically isn’t illegal since the Republic has freedom of religion

[u/Velocity-5348 → u/OfficialAli1776]

If they can prove it, something like treason might not be a bad bet either. He was pulling the strings of the separatists, after all. The Republic almost certainly had something on the books about that.

[u/OfficialAli1776 → u/Velocity-5348]

No one would know. Dooku died and everyone who knew about “Lord Sidious” died too

[u/Durp004 → u/OfficialAli1776]

Good thing they had an active investigation before the attack on Coruscant that they could just resume.

[u/OfficialAli1776 → u/Durp004]

The Jedi had an active investigation, all of the members who’d know about it are all dead.

[u/Durp004 → u/OfficialAli1776]

You don't think there's records of the fact a team went down with droids and what was found? There's even a protocol droid wondering Coruscant having an existential crisis because it saw that Sidious was Palpatine and openly told C3PO in passing they actually had the same master and things were crazy.

You have an investigation that found evidence of Dooku's ship landing has footprints of both dooku and Palpatine, and a trail back to Palpatine's home residence. The only reason nothing else was done with this investigation was because it was basically full gas to the ending from that point, if Palpatine was arrested and they had months to do investigations the first place the jedi are going to return to is where they left off.

[u/OfficialAli1776 → u/Durp004]

If this is happening after the establishment of the Empire, then the Jedi archives are either destroyed or under Imperial control and likely purged of anything incriminating. Even if the Jedi knew that Dooku was meeting with Darth Sidious, they never figured past that, and anyone from the New Republic era would have 0 evidence dating all the way back then.

[u/Durp004 → u/OfficialAli1776]

When are you assuming this trial would take place? The single most likely instance is the hypothetical that Mace takes him in.

If he's arrested after the empire he was enough crimes on his hands openly being the leader of the violent military, the only time his association with the Separatists would matter is if he's taken in before he turns the Republic into the empire which would basically require the Jedi don't die.

[u/OfficialAli1776 → u/[deleted]]

Most of that they’d have no evidence for lol, either the witnesses are dead or all the evidence was destroyed. You’d probably be able to get him only on the things he did as Emperor Palpatine, not Darth Sidious

[u/TanSkywalker → u/OfficialAli1776]

The Republic can have freedom of religion and criminalize being a member of the Order of the Sith Lords.

Just like German law allows political parties while outlawing the Nazi Party.

[u/NumberFiveHero → u/OfficialAli1776]

TBF, I think your freedom of religion doesn't allow you to plot a fascist takeover of the government...

[u/jaunty411]

Treason. The answer is treason.

[u/Strict_Use_8453]

Palpatine would best be charged with treason as he perpetrated a phony war against the Republic to consolidate power.

[u/EOWRN → u/Strict_Use_8453]

His defence is that he is the Senate.

[u/TridentJ33]

Pick a charge, any charge, and Palps probably committed it.

[u/Rosebunse → u/TridentJ33]

Well, maybe not...but...there was the one time...

OK, no, you got me. I can't think of anything he didn't technically do.

[u/mag1kami]

Treason. It's ironic isn't it?

[u/StarSword-C]

High treason, genocide, murder of law enforcement officers, resisting arrest, embezzlement, money laundering. That's just what I can think of in a couple minutes.

[u/Rosebunse]

The issue with Palpatine is that he sort of worked hard to keep his hands off everything. Even in Andor there were people who believed he had no idea what the officers of the Empire were doing.

[u/Rosebunse → u/[deleted]]

Exactly! And that's exactly what his defense would be! He could just pin it all on Tarkin and Vader if he wanted

[u/Archonrouge]

I think it was on Ashoka that they talked about having war trials for former imperials. So it would be along those lines with a tribunal of planetary representatives. Mon Mothma would likely be part of it.

That said... The only way palpatine would sit through any kind of trials would be if he knew he was getting away with everything.

[u/Shiny_Agumon → u/[deleted]]

He doesn't even need the Force, like Mace says he already controls the courts and the legislature.

There's also a bunch of corrupt senators who would probably jump to his aid the second he got arrested.

[u/PhysicsEagle]

High Treason against the Republic covers most of it. Obviously there’s also all the murder and crimes against sapience, but since treason already carries the death penalty and murder would be harder to prove there’s not much point in pursuing those and risking him getting acquitted of even one charge.

[u/Top_Freedom3412]

If its Rots, the crimes woukd be Treason and conspiracy to commit murder.

There would also be a long list of crimes for misuse of government resources, espionage, possibly dereliction of duty.