Here's Famines theorey, after 3 veiwings:
Plageus the Wise created Palpatine, and trained him in the ways. He made the mistake of teaching his Padawan EVERYTHING he knew, including how to create life. Palpatine kills his master, himself becoming the leading Sith Lord. Without a aprentice, he strikes out to get and obtain more power. While working with his new powers, he sense the midichlorians creating life, so he uses the dark side to help mold it, much like the red crystals made by the Sith. He knows he had the perfect aprentice, growing up somewhere, in a healthy area, away from the Jedi, and ripe for the eventual picking.
While in his day life, he's becoming a prominant figurehead for Naboo, when in seclusion he picks a new aprentice Darth Maul. Maul is to attempt to elimate the Jedi, and prevent them from finding the whereabouts of his future aprentice, Anakin Skywalker. The Jedi find him, and kill off Darth Maul. Anakin begins learning of the force, and becomes Obi-Wan Kenobi's padawan learner. He will be ripe for the picking. He's considered the Chosen One, and no one knows the better.
Palpatine picks a new aprentice, Lord Tryannus, a former Jedi, persuaded to the dark side. He studdied Dooku's reactions, learning abilities, all while creating a breeding ground (the Clone Wars) for Anakins agression. He befriends Anakin, and finds ways to get him to let his agression out, and open up his dark feelings. Palpatine has Dooku influence the Sand People tp capture Shmi, and have he suffer. The force opens up to her suffering, and Palpatine allows Anakin to see it throught the force. He kills them all. The door is open.
Anakin kills Count Dooku, and aligns everything he has forseen.
Eventually the time is right, and he alters the force to make Anakin envision Padme's death, somthing that Palpatine forsees, but Anakin couldn't have. He is manipulating him without even knowing. He suddenly bombards Anakin with power, unearened power, and uses the Council of Jedi as a tool to make him turn. Anakin learns of a way to save Padme, and falls to the dark side.
And so it goes...
Kevin