“Somehow, Palpatine returned.“These words strike fear into the heart of manyStar Warsfans who, as pleased as they always are to see the legendaryIan McDiarmidreprise his role as the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, would probably prefer to forget his last appearance in the much-malignedThe Rise of Skywalker. Palpatine, of course, was thrown down a big ol' shaft on the second Death Star by Darth Vader at the climax ofReturn of the Jedi. McDiarmid came back for the prequels, which filled in the gaps inPalpatine’s back storyas well as introduced us to the concept of cloning via the Clone Wars which were only briefly touched upon in the original films.
In the intervening period, viathe animated series, and the extended universe too, that cloning plot point was expanded upon, and offered a route back for the actor into the sequels, as suggested byJ. J. Abrams. While McDiarmid — and series creatorGeorge Lucas— believed Palpatine’s story was told, it seems he was sold on the idea that the Emperor wouldn’t let himself gothateasily. Even if the idea did seem quietly preposterous and ill-conceived, as he explains toEmpire Magazine.
“A lot of people said it was ridiculous,” he says. “Of course, he was dead at the end ofReturn Of The Jedi! And frankly, I think George thought he’d killed me too.But J.J. thought it would be a good idea – I wasn’t going to argue with him. I felt that Palpatine always had a plan B – probably a plan C, D, E, and F as well. And he was an expert in cloning, so…” Although seeing the great man inhabit the role again was always delightful, even if it made no sense — Palpatine’s return wasn’t universally well-received. Nonetheless, McDiarmid looks back on Palpatine’s legacy of evil and is delighted with the impact he made on cinematic history. He continued:
“The thing that I’m most pleased about, and you know, this only came to a head when they asked me to come back forThe Rise Of Skywalker, is that every single evil act in all of theStar Warsfranchise is either directly or indirectly down to that character. That is total evil, and that’s strangely satisfying as an arc. I do feel fortunate to have been able to do it – and other villains of cinema now have to compete with that.”
Ian McDiarmid Addresses the Rey Palpatine Twist
Of course, the film also introduces a baffling third-act twist. Rey (Daisy Ridley), our main character, discovers she is Palpatine’s granddaughter. Or, probably more accurately,the daughter of a Palpatine clone who attempted to escape. Even still, it gives viewers the idea that Sheev Palpatine, master of evil… likes getting it on.
“Yes, he does [have sex].It’s a horrible idea to think of Palpatine having sex in any shape or form,” he admits. “But then, of course, perhaps he didn’t. Maybe it’s all to do with midi-chlorians – and don’t ask me what those are. Never trust your granddaughter. That’s the T-shirt Palpatine got made. Shortly after his death.”
The Rise of Skywalkeris streaming now on Disney+ andRey is set to return to theStar Warsuniverse in a new moviesometime in 2026 or 2027.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
In the riveting conclusion of the landmark Skywalker saga, new legends will be born-and the final battle for freedom is yet to come.
