There is so little reactivity in regards to the Emperor that it's pretty easy to buy into the idea that he was - at least in this form - the product of a late revision. His ultimate role in the plot can also be supplanted by literally any companion or the player character himself which further lends credence to the idea. He appears first and foremost as a vehicle for a game mechanic, that is to say to make the tadpole powers more palatable despite most players' instinctive hesitation to use them. Everything about his backstory feels like an afterthought, tacked on with little bearing on the plot of the game but inflated in terms of his significance to the lore of the world. He's a superfluous character when it comes to the dynamic of the story but at the same time gets treated as essential which is why you can't kill him even when the game puts the knife in your hands. Terrible combination.

PS: If you want to look for other hints of rewrites and incongruity, compare the Gale act 2 ending with the Gale act 3 ending and see if you notice anything.

Last edited by The Red Queen; 23/08/23 02:24 PM. Reason: Added spoiler tags