In the introductory sequence, was the Emperor actually the mindflayer we encounter on the beach? The attire he wears seems reminiscent of the Emperor's. I wonder if the developers initially had distinct roles for Daisy and the Emperor but later chose to amalgamate their stories. Personally, I would have appreciated a dynamic where Daisy exists as the tadpole in our brain, while the Emperor joins as a potential companion,
later revealed to be Balduran. Imagine embarking on a companion quest to uncover the Emperor's secret hideout and then confronting the Ansur. That would have added a fascinating layer to the narrative.
No. Even EA, that was just some Mind Flayer. The Emperor has very unique clothing. Daisy and the Emperor were not at all related in EA, although I'd say it is likely the Emperor was originally part of the story (I suspect he would've been a double agent/control mechanism for the Absolute) but the problems with the story stem from combining him and Daisy into one role/character.
The Emperor is not in the artbook but Daisy is even though she does not aopear in the game.
So the Emperor was a very late rewrite.
And Daisy was far superior to the emperor as with her there was an actual conflict in our head when you thro Orpheus into the mix.
The emperor is just boring and nonsensical.
