The prophecy of the Chosen One lies at the heart of the Star Wars' prophecy of the Chosen One. "A Chosen One shall come," one ancient seer had foretold, "born of no father, and through him will ultimate balance in the Force be restored."
Qui-Gon Jinn was one of the few Jedi to have studied these ancient prophecies. As revealed in Claudia Gray's novel Master & Apprentice, he'd already seen hints of what was coming, recognizing patterns in history that told him the Dark Times were coming. His death meant the only Jedi alive who had devoted his life to studying them was gone, and as a result, the Jedi were left reeling, struggling to figure out what it all meant. Dialogue in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith suggests they'd assumed the "balance of the Force" meant the victory of the light over the darkness, and they'd concluded Anakin Skywalker was destined to destroy the Sith.
But Darth Sidious himself viewed their interpretation as naïve. In Secrets of the Sith, notes on the Force that purport to be from Palpatine himself, he mocked the Jedi for their views on the Chosen One. "So certain were they that Anakin would bring balance to the Force, they failed to consider what that might truly mean," he observed. The Sith, of course, are the polar opposite of the Jedi. Where the Jedi believe the light side of the Force is naturally dominant in the galaxy, the Sith believe that is true of the dark side. Thus to Palpatine, the prophecy of the Chosen One told of a day when the light of the Jedi would be overwhelmed by the darkness. If Anakin Skywalker was indeed the Chosen One, then he would be the tool through which Palpatine secured his victory; that is why Anakin became central to all his plans, including Order 66.
In Darth Vader #6, by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco, Palpatine told Darth Vader what he believed marked the Chosen One out. The issue saw him demonstrate his power over Darth Vader, even mocking his apprentice by using telekinesis - one of Vader's own favorite techniques - against him. "You were the Chosen One, were you not," he taunted his apprentice. "But who chooses the Chosen One?" To the Emperor, the Chosen One was the one he chose to destroy the Jedi, securing the dominance of the dark side. An egotist to the core, Darth Sidious believed he was superior to the Chosen One prophecy, for he was the one who would choose Anakin Skywalker. Note that this meant Palpatine did not care about the Sith Rule of Two; Palpatine considered himself the focal point of history, the fulfillment of every prophecy, and as his apprentice, Darth Vader was as much a tool as Darth Maul or Count Dooku.
In truth, the Emperor had no better idea about the balance of the Force than the Jedi themselves. Star Wars tie-ins have hinted the prophecy of the Chosen One predates the schism that saw the adherents of light and dark separate into distinct camps; balance seems to hint at a restoration of this, with the failures of the prequel Jedi Order wiped away and the stain of the Sith destroyed. Palpatine was correct in believing Anakin Skywalker would destroy the Jedi but the Chosen One had been chosen not by the Emperor, but by the will of the Force itself, and he would be responsible for defeating the greatest villain of Star Wars as well.
