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

"Somehow, Palpatine returned." This Star Wars meme has become a staple for fans critiquing the Emperor's controversial return in The Rise of Skywalker. Following his apparent demise at the end of Return of the Jedi, Palpatine's revival through cloning stirred significant fan backlash. Yet, what did Ian McDiarmid, the actor behind Palpatine for over four decades, think about this reaction?

During an interview with Variety celebrating the re-release of Revenge of the Sith, which saw impressive box office returns, 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 backlash 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 offers a somewhat ambiguous explanation for Palpatine's return. When Kylo Ren encounters him, 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. 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 for his comeback.

Despite the explanation, many core Star Wars fans remain unconvinced and would rather ignore Palpatine's return. It remains to be seen if future Star Wars projects will address or sidestep this contentious plot point. Meanwhile, Daisy Ridley's Rey Skywalker is set to return in multiple upcoming films, including a sequel directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. This film will follow Rey as she attempts to rebuild the Jedi Order 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.

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