Moustache plus soulpatch is the original imperial. Think Frank Zappa and sheriff on Deadwood.
The first time I ever heard the term imperial used in relation to beards was some story about Zappa.
I like 'em. I think they either look cool, cute, sexy or funky. Any of which is fine by me.
But hey, I still like goatees, so there. 
And the Amish
And Mose.
It depends on the face. On mine, they don’t work at all.
Generally, they’re like tattoos: cool AND stupid. I still have a tattoo that I like very much, though 
also: Tom Waits, anyone?
I wouldn’t say “cool” or “stupid” so much as “dated”. It’s very 1993. Like ZipperJJ, my biggest association with this look is the Pearl Jam posters that covered my wall at that time. IMHO 1993 was a pretty good year and I still love Pearl Jam so I’m not criticizing the soul patch on those grounds, but it’s not a look that strikes me as either “classic” or “contemporary”.
Beyond that, I think it looks fine on some men and stupid on others.
Yep, 1993 was when my friends had the aforementioned cottonball contest.
My son grew one recently. At first I didn’t even notice it. His isn’t sharply defined - I guess he only shaves about twice a week. This past week while I was out of town he also grew a mustache and goatee. I was a bit surprised but it all looks fine on him. I liked the soulpatch by itself okay too. He has a very angular face and his hair is very dark brown, maybe that helps.
Short answer: on the right guy, they look fine.