>>8144270You're not wrong. In a sense it would have been even more shocking to leave Palpatine looking normal, so you're left to imagine how years of dabbling in the dark side twisted him into the shriveled husk he was in ROTJ. But no, he's apparently been rockin the same pruneface and nuclear eyes since he was young.
Also re:Vader's suit, that would have been a golden opportunity to use one of Ralph McQuarrie's unused early concepts for the suit. That would have been a relatively deep cut for the nerdier fans, yer recognizable enough for the casual moviegoer. It would have also showcased how tech changes and evolves over time in this universe.
