Question: Did Palpatine somehow use the dark side to create the visions Anakin had of Padme dying in Palpatine's own mind and then transfer them to Anakin's?
Answer: No the idea is given Anakin had the premonitions himself, part of his strong connection to the force. Anakin entrusted Palpatine with this information and he took advantage of it to corrupt Anakin. If Palpatine created these vision he must have known Padme was not only pregnant but going to do die at childbirth, which isn't possible for him to know.
Question: At the Jedi Temple, why does Commander Appo aim his gun at Senator Organa and try to kill him?
Answer: When Organa is trying to investigate what's going on at the Temple, he's simply just stopped by the troopers at first. They don't want him to witness what they are doing. At first he is just going to be turned away and threatened. When the Padawan attacks them and they kill the boy, Organa is now a first hand witness to the Troopers slaughtering the Jedi children. So then he becomes an enemy and they have to try and dispose of him. It would not have been good for them to just to out right kill a Senator on their own so that's why there were just going to turn him away.
Answer: That's the DC0052 Speeder, nicknamed "Intergalactic." It's a vessel used by the Jedi Order and developed by Daystar Craft.
lionhead