Ian McDiarmid Defends Palpatine's Return in 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'

"Somehow, Palpatine returned." This Star Wars meme has become a symbol of the fanbase's mixed feelings about Emperor Palpatine's controversial revival in The Rise of Skywalker. After his apparent demise in the beloved Return of the Jedi, Palpatine's return via cloning stirred significant backlash among fans. However, Ian McDiarmid, who has portrayed Palpatine for over four decades, had a different perspective on the controversy.

During an interview with Variety celebrating the re-release of Revenge of the Sith—which has enjoyed a robust box office return—McDiarmid dismissed the criticism, 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."

Addressing the specific backlash to the Emperor's return 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 provides a somewhat vague explanation for Palpatine's comeback. Early in the film, Kylo Ren encounters what appears to be a reanimated version of Palpatine, indicating that he did not survive his fall at the end of Return of the Jedi. However, as McDiarmid mentioned, Palpatine had a contingency plan. In a memorable scene, Palpatine references his iconic line from Revenge of the Sith, saying, "The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities that some would consider to be... unnatural," hinting at ancient Sith magic as the means of his return.

Every Upcoming Star Wars Movie and TV Show

View 23 ImagesIt appears that the core Star Wars fanbase remains skeptical about Palpatine’s return in The Rise of Skywalker and may prefer to overlook it. It will be intriguing to see how future Star Wars films handle this narrative choice. In November, it was reported that Daisy Ridley’s character, Rey Skywalker, would appear in "several" upcoming Star Wars films, highlighting her as the franchise's "most valuable cinematic asset."

Ridley is set to reprise her role in a sequel directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, which will explore Rey's journey to rebuild the Jedi Order approximately 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.