Possible to power on with the screen removed?

While I was waiting for a replacement screen from eBay for this computer, I think the battery may have died while the computer was partially assembled. I tried plugging it in since I noticed the Caps Lock button was not working anymore, and to my surprise, I heard the boot chime! I plugged an external display in, and the Mac booted up no problem!

I think the SMC may have been reset when the battery died, which allowed the system to boot without the screen. Also, the computer may still refuse to boot without the power plugged in. Either way, I’m now able to use the computer until the new screen arrives!