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

"Somehow, Palpatine returned." This iconic line from The Rise of Skywalker has become a meme that encapsulates fans' mixed feelings about the Emperor's return. Despite the divisive reception to Palpatine's clone-fueled revival following his supposed demise in Return of the Jedi, Ian McDiarmid, who has portrayed the character for over 40 years, remains unfazed by the backlash.

In a recent interview with Variety, celebrating the theatrical re-release of Revenge of the Sith, McDiarmid dismissed the criticism, stating, “mine and Palpatine’s logic was entirely reasonable.” He 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 Palpatine'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 offers a somewhat ambiguous explanation of Palpatine's grand comeback. When Kylo Ren encounters him early in the movie, Palpatine appears as a reanimated version of himself, suggesting that he did not survive his fall at the end of Return of the Jedi. However, his death did not stop him; as McDiarmid explained, Palpatine had a contingency plan. In The Rise of Skywalker, Palpatine reveals his return to Kylo Ren, quoting his memorable 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 implies that ancient Sith magic facilitated his revival.

Despite the explanation, many in the core Star Wars fanbase remain skeptical about Palpatine's return and would prefer to overlook it entirely. It remains to be seen how future Star Wars films will address this plot point. Meanwhile, Daisy Ridley's character, Rey Skywalker, continues to be a central figure in the franchise. She is set to appear in "several" upcoming Star Wars films, being recognized as the galaxy far, far away's "most valuable cinematic asset."

Ridley is confirmed to return 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.

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