True, i also do not understand how the prince could turn into a mindflayer. Is there a missing animation where he put a worm into his eye? It is quite confusing.

Onto the subject of Omeluum and the emperor, it is odd how people are ignoring how different Omeluum is.

Omeluum's natural arcane talent "preserved" who he is, while Balduran is completed erased the moment the mindflayer took over his body. It is quite telling in the clothing they chose.
Omelumm wore the society uniform while the emperor had mindflayer clothing.

People seem to intentionally ignore or did not understand the fact the emperor is a mindflayer, and not Balduran. The imprint of Balduran is so strong, it kept thinking it is Balduran.
We are literally looking at a mindflayer with personality disorder. This explain why some of his actions, especially towards the end, feel so heroic. The imprint was acting upon itself.


Listen not to its words but its action. This could be read up in a book written by a mindflayer hunter in act 3.
The emperor action is true to a mindflayer.

1. It killed Ansur because Ansur start to realized it wasn Balduran anymore.

2. It turned Stelmane into a thrall. Given the fact she is evil literally, herself as a devil cultist - does not mask the action of a mindflayer.

3. His not so subtle lies about the only way to defeat an elderbrain is to become a mindflayer. The prince is evidence that this isnt true.

4. His unreasonable fear of the gith, drove him to side with the netherbrain.

5. Believing itself as a far superior being.

6. The most telling behavior - his constant lying and fear mongering and his endgoal.

He lied about Ansur, he lied about Stelmane, he lied about the prince will kill you immediately if you release him.

He fear monger you about the gith and your trip to hell, calling it foolish and fruitless.

Its endgoal is no different from a mindflayer. Its design for baldur gate was to control it in a more "humane" way.

7. His inability to blame itself is exactly how a mindflayer would behave. It blame you for the failure of stopping the netherbrain, claiming you can only think one step at a time while the brain can think from all angle. The group has been following the emperor guide, instruction and commands throughout the game.