Ever since the clip surfaced from Star Wars Celebration 2019, we’ve known that J.J. Abrams was bringing back Emporer Palpatine in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’ However, many fans have been wondering if this was the plan all along when George Lucas pitched his final trilogy idea for the Skywalker Saga to Disney. It has been made abundantly clear that Disney and Lucasfilm didn’t go with his script, but was the return of The Emporer an idea that bloomed from them? Abrams is claiming that he knew Palpatine would return since ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ , but if you’ve been wondering if this was his idea or that of Lucas, we have the answer.
It turns out Cinema Blend asked Abrams with this specific question in mind:
“I remember saying, ‘Is he dead, George?’ at the time, and he said, ‘Yes, he is. Absolutely dead.'”
Now, for those who haven’t seen the movie, it still isn’t clear if The Emporer has returned. Did he survive the destruction of the Death Star? Is this a clone that his mind was transferred into? Did he learn the secrets of Darth Plagueis The Wise and Force himself back to life? Is he actually Darth Plagueis? Will this just be a case that The Emporer we see is a Force Ghost or Force Vision? I can’t answer that here as you’ll have to see the movie for yourself.
Let’s face it; most of our readers will likely have seen it by the end of the weekend. Even so, I’m not venturing into spoiler territory so close to the release!
Are you thrilled that Ian McDiarmid has returned in some form for the final film in The Skywalker Saga? Share your thoughts in a galaxy far, far away (or the comments below!)
You can find out the real reason Palpatine is back when checking out ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ which is available today in theaters everywhere!