"Somehow, Palpatine returned." This Star Wars meme encapsulates the fanbase's mixed feelings about the Emperor's comeback in The Rise of Skywalker. Many fans expressed disappointment over Palpatine's revival via cloning after his apparent demise in Return of the Jedi. However, Ian McDiarmid, who has portrayed Palpatine for over 40 years, shared his perspective on the controversy during an interview with Variety, celebrating the re-release of Revenge of the Sith, which has been performing exceptionally well at the box office.
McDiarmid dismissed the backlash, stating, "mine and Palpatine’s logic was entirely reasonable." He elaborated, "It seemed entirely probable that Palpatine had plan B. Even though he was very, very badly damaged, he would be able to be put it together in some form. When I realized I had a sort of astral wheelchair, that was even better. I just had these four guys who whisked me around the studio; I can’t tell you how much fun that was. Daisy was more worried about that than anything else. And then, of course, we had to devise another makeup look, which was even more grotesque than the previous one."
Addressing the backlash directly, McDiarmid remarked, "Well, there’s always something, isn’t there? I don’t read that stuff and I’m not online. So it’ll only reach me if someone mentions it. I thought there might be a bit of a fuss about bringing him back. But as I said, mine and Palpatine’s logic was entirely reasonable. This man who was horribly maimed thought maybe one day it might happen to him, and we’ve got to have a plan B. I loved the whole idea that he should come back and be even more powerful than he was before. Though this time, he had to be utterly destroyed. So I think he’s dead."
The Rise of Skywalker offers a vague explanation of Palpatine's resurrection. When Kylo Ren encounters him early in the film, Palpatine appears as a reanimated version of his former self, suggesting he did not survive his fall in Return of the Jedi. McDiarmid explained that Palpatine had a contingency plan in place, referencing Palpatine's iconic line from Revenge of the Sith: "The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities that some would consider to be... unnatural." Thus, ancient Sith magic appears to be the method behind his return.
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Despite the controversy surrounding Palpatine's return, it seems unlikely that the core Star Wars fanbase will ever fully embrace this plot twist. Many would prefer to ignore it altogether. It will be interesting to observe how future Star Wars films handle this aspect. In November, it was reported that Daisy Ridley's character, Rey Skywalker, is set to appear in "several" upcoming Star Wars films, being considered the franchise's "most valuable cinematic asset."
Ridley is confirmed to reprise her role in a sequel directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, which will follow Rey as she attempts to rebuild the Jedi Order approximately 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.
