"Somehow, Palpatine returned." This line from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has become a meme that encapsulates the mixed feelings fans have about Emperor Palpatine's return. Many fans were unhappy with how Palpatine, presumed dead after Return of the Jedi, was brought back through cloning. But what does Ian McDiarmid, the actor who has portrayed Palpatine for over 40 years, think about the fan backlash?
In a recent interview with Variety, celebrating the re-release of Revenge of the Sith which has seen impressive box office numbers, McDiarmid addressed the controversy surrounding Palpatine's revival. He dismissed the criticism, stating, "mine and Palpatine’s logic was entirely reasonable."
McDiarmid 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."
Regarding the backlash specifically, 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 somewhat vague explanation for Palpatine's return. When Kylo Ren encounters him at the beginning of the film, Palpatine appears as a reanimated version of his former self, suggesting he did not survive his fall in Return of the Jedi. Yet, as McDiarmid explains, Palpatine had a contingency plan in place. In his monologue to Kylo Ren, Palpatine references his famous 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," hinting at the use of ancient Sith magic for his revival.
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Despite the fanbase's reluctance to embrace Palpatine's return in The Rise of Skywalker, the saga continues to expand. It remains to be seen if future Star Wars projects will address or ignore this plot point. Daisy Ridley's character, Rey Skywalker, is set to return in multiple upcoming films, having been identified as the franchise's "most valuable cinematic asset."
Ridley will reprise her role in a sequel directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, which will follow Rey's journey to rebuild the Jedi Order approximately 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.
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