How Is Emperor Palpatine Back In The Rise of Skywalker?

For the past 3-years, the iconic villain was indeed dead after getting thrown down into the Death Star’s reactor by Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi, according to Lucas. Read on to find out how Emperor Palpatine is back…

CelebNMovies247.com reports that Ian McDiarmid recalls a conversation he had about Emperor Palpatine with George Lucas before the sequel trilogy hit theaters.

Lucas assured Ian McDiarmid’s iconic villain Emperor Palpatine was indeed dead after Return of the Jedi, but somehow The Rise of Skywalker has resurrected the character.

McDiarmid states:

I remember saying, ‘Is he dead, George?’ at the time, and he said, ‘Yes, he is. Absolutely dead.

But, in the Star Wars universe, nobody is ever really gone, which is how The Rise of Skywalker has been marketed. Palpatine is back and there are some serious questions as to how.

In a recently released interview from The Rise of Skywalker set, Ian McDiarmid reveals he was shocked and very excited over the fact that J.J. Abrams contacted him about bringing Emperor Palpatine back. McDiarmid did not expect it, nor did Star Wars fans.

Many fans are questioning how Palpatine can return, but Abrams is using a little Hollywood magic saying that Emperor Palpatine and Darth Plagueis were exploring eternal life and using the Force in unnatural ways. This is the main theory that fans have been using to justify the iconic villain’s return to the franchise.

The Rise of Skywalker opens in theaters next week and while there have been some unconfirmed leaks, and thankfully most of the story has yet to be revealed. With that said, Monday is the World Premiere, while press screenings will occur throughout the week and yes, leaks will start.

Check out the interview with Ian McDiarmid below, thanks to the official Star Wars site.