Sadly, Ulm's antics with a duck remind me of nothing so much as Sesame Street's Ernie and his infatuation with his rubber duckie... Considering Ernie is a happy-go-lucky dimwit, I hope Ulm is made of sterner stuff. His enemies are a bit more formidable than Bert.
Anyway, I fear that letting the Palatinate extend itself as much as it does is going to come back to haunt Ulm. Palatinate, Palpatine... I support Stuckenschmidt's idea that the duck is a Palatine infiltrator. In fact, what with the obvious reference to Emperor Palpatine, as well as the Star Wars scene, I think it's clear that Ulm is being tutored to become Palpatine Palatinate's Darth Vader. It's all crystal clear to me, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm sleep-deprived.