One of the most controversial decisionsJ.J. Abramsmade in craftingStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerwas inbringing back Emperor Palpatine. Abrams defended his choice previously by noting thatRise of Skywalkerwas intended to conclude not just this new sequel trilogy ofStar Warsmovies, but the entire Skywalker Saga. To that end, he argued, Palpatine had a presence in the Prequel Trilogy and the Original Trilogy, so it stood to reason he should have a place in this new trilogy—even if it’s tacked on at the end.
But for those wondering aboutGeorge Lucas’original plans, it sounds like bringing Palpatine back from the dead wasn’t ever in the cards.Ian McDiarmid, who plays Emperor Palpatine in theStar Warsfranchise, toldDigital Spy(viaIndieWire) that Lucas specifically told him his character was dead as a doornail at the end ofReturn of the Jedi:
“I thought I was dead! I thought he was dead. Because when we didReturn of the Jedi, and I was thrown down that chute to Galactic Hell, he was dead. And I said, ‘Oh, does he come back?’ And [George] said, ‘No, he’s dead.’ So I just accepted that. But then, of course, I didn’t know I was going to be doing the prequels, so in a sense he wasn’t dead, because we went back to revisit him when he was a young man. But I was totally surprised by this.”
And he had good reason to be surprised, because bringing back Palpatine is kinda dumb andcompletely erases the stakes of the movie. If Palpatine can be brought back from being thrown down an electrified shaft and then exploded, who’s to say he won’t be brought back again when Rey defeats him at the end ofRise of Skywalker? What is even the point of fighting him if he apparently just has clones everywhere? And this is to say nothing of the fact that bringing back Palpatine completely muddles Kylo Ren’s redemption arc in the film.
Colin Trevorrow, who was originally attached to write and directEpisode IX, has already gone on record saying he didn’t intend to bring Palpatine back, so this story point is a 100%J.J. Abrams original. And while I was ready to withhold judgment before seeing the film, having now seenRise of Skywalkertwice there really was no good reason to bring this guy back from the dead. Alas…
For more onRise of Skywalker, check out our articles on the ways itdenigratesThe Last Jediandwhat it means for the future of theStar Warsfranchise.
