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

"Somehow, Palpatine returned." This Star Wars meme has become a staple for fans critiquing the controversial return of Emperor Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker. Many fans were displeased with the revival of Palpatine through cloning, especially after his apparent demise in the beloved Return of the Jedi. However, what did Ian McDiarmid, the actor who has portrayed Palpatine for over four decades, think about the fan backlash?

In a recent interview with Variety, celebrating the re-release of Revenge of the Sith which has been performing exceptionally well at the box office, McDiarmid addressed the criticism. He dismissed the backlash, stating, "mine and Palpatine's logic was entirely reasonable." He elaborated, "It seemed entirely probable that Palpatine had a 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."

Regarding the specific criticism of 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 plot of The Rise of Skywalker offers a vague explanation for Palpatine's comeback. When Kylo Ren encounters him early in the film, Palpatine appears as a reanimated version of himself, suggesting he did not survive his fall in Return of the Jedi. Yet, as McDiarmid noted, Palpatine had a contingency plan. During 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 ancient Sith magic as the means of his return.

Despite the explanation, it seems unlikely that the core Star Wars fanbase will embrace Palpatine's return in The Rise of Skywalker, with many preferring to ignore it altogether. It remains to be seen if future Star Wars films will follow suit. Meanwhile, Daisy Ridley's character, Rey Skywalker, is set to return in several upcoming Star Wars films, having been identified as the franchise's "most valuable cinematic asset." Ridley is confirmed to star in a sequel directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, which will explore Rey's efforts to rebuild the Jedi Order about 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.

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