"Somehow, Palpatine returned." This iconic line from The Rise of Skywalker has become a meme that encapsulates fans' mixed feelings about the Emperor's controversial comeback. After his supposed demise in Return of the Jedi, Palpatine's return via cloning stirred significant debate among the Star Wars community. But what does Ian McDiarmid, the actor who has portrayed Palpatine for over 40 years, think about the backlash?
In a recent interview with Variety, celebrating the re-release of Revenge of the Sith to theaters—a re-release that has seen impressive box office returns—McDiarmid addressed the criticism. He dismissed the backlash, stating, “mine and Palpatine’s logic was entirely reasonable.” He further 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."
When directly addressing the backlash to the Emperor's return, 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 film The Rise of Skywalker vaguely explains Palpatine's resurrection. When Kylo Ren encounters him early in the movie, Palpatine appears as a reanimated version of his former self, suggesting he didn't survive his fall at the end of Return of the Jedi. Yet, his death didn't stop him; as McDiarmid pointed out, Palpatine had a contingency plan. In Rise of Skywalker, Palpatine references his famous line from Revenge of the Sith during his monologue to Kylo Ren: "The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities that some would consider to be... unnatural." Thus, ancient Sith magic is implied as the method behind his return.
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It seems unlikely that the core Star Wars fanbase will ever fully embrace Palpatine's return in The Rise of Skywalker, with many preferring to ignore it altogether. It remains to be seen how future Star Wars movies will address this plot point. In November, it was reported that Daisy Ridley's character, Rey Skywalker, is set to appear in "several" upcoming Star Wars films, as she is 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.
