Ian McDiarmid Is Right: Palpatine Should Return (But Not Be Resurrected)
Ian McDiarmid noted the possibility of reprising his iconic role of Palpatine in a future Star Wars property, and while his return would be a welcome surprise, The Emperor shouldn’t be resurrected yet again. Palpatine seemingly died in Return of the Jedi, but in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, he was revealed to have returned from the dead. Palpatine’s final death was shown in the sequel trilogy’s finale, and while McDiarmid should play the sinister Sith Lord once more, resurrecting Palpatine again shouldn’t be an option.
Palpatine returning from the dead was first shown in 1991’s Star Wars: Dark Empire comics, which are part of the Legends continuity. The Rise of Skywalker appears to be heavily inspired by Dark Empire, as it borrows many significant plot and lore elements, including Palpatine’s resurrection. In both properties, the Sith Lord and Emperor transfers his consciousness into a fragile clone body, having learned such methods of prolonging one’s life from his master, Darth Plagueis.
Related: Why Palpatine's Clone Return Was Better In Legends Than Rise of Skywalker
In a recent interview, Ian McDiarmid confirmed that he may show up to play Palpatine once again, though he made sure to confirm that the Sith Lord did truly die at the end of Rise of Skywalker. McDiarmid said that if Hayden Christensen can come back to the iconic role of Darth Vader, he may find himself returning to play the iconic character as well. Preserving the ending of the sequel trilogy is essential, but the canon timeline provides plenty of opportunities for McDiarmid to play Palpatine again before the events of The Rise of Skywalker. Since Palpatine is generally considered to be the greatest villain in the Star Wars franchise, his return
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