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

"Somehow, Palpatine returned." This line from The Rise of Skywalker has become a meme that encapsulates the controversial return of Emperor Palpatine. Many fans expressed disappointment over his resurrection via cloning after his apparent demise in Return of the Jedi. Yet, Ian McDiarmid, who has portrayed Palpatine for over four decades, remains unfazed by the backlash.

In a recent interview with Variety celebrating the re-release of Revenge of the Sith to theaters, which has seen significant success at the box office, McDiarmid dismissed the criticism, stating, "mine and Palpatine’s logic was entirely reasonable." He elaborated on the plausibility of Palpatine having a contingency plan: "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 backlash directly, McDiarmid said, "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 provides a somewhat vague explanation of Palpatine's return. When Kylo Ren encounters him early in the movie, Palpatine appears as a reanimated version of himself, suggesting he did not survive his fall in Return of the Jedi. However, as McDiarmid notes, Palpatine had a plan for such an eventuality. 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." This hints at the use of ancient Sith magic as the means of his return.

Every Upcoming Star Wars Movie and TV Show

View 23 ImagesDespite the fanbase's reluctance to accept Palpatine's return, it remains to be seen how future Star Wars projects will address this plot point. Daisy Ridley's character, Rey Skywalker, is set to appear in multiple upcoming films, having been identified as a key asset for the franchise. Ridley is confirmed to return in a sequel directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, which will follow Rey's efforts to rebuild the Jedi Order approximately 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.