Quote Originally Posted by David Walton View Post
There's an interesting theory that Darth Plagueis' secret to immortality is that he infects or possesses the body of anyone who 'kills' him. So when Palpatine killed his master he was actually infected, and this is why he's obsessed with training a Jedi apprentice who can strike him down.

It's kind of out there, I'm not sure they'd ever do it, but it would tie a lot of things up and explain what Palpatine (or rather, Plagueis inside him) would have gained by having Luke strike him down. Because Palpatine never seemed like the kind of guy who was so devoted to the Dark Side as a cause that he was willing to sacrifice his own life just to corrupt Luke.
But that would mean he died with Vader.