Ian McDiarmid Defends Palpatine'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 the divisive reaction to Emperor Palpatine's return in the Star Wars saga. Many fans expressed frustration over his revival through cloning after his supposed demise in Return of the Jedi. But what did Ian McDiarmid, the actor who has portrayed Palpatine for over four decades, think about the backlash?

In a recent interview with Variety, celebrating the re-release of Revenge of the Sith to theaters—a re-release that has seen significant box office success—McDiarmid addressed the criticism with a nonchalant attitude. He stated, "mine and Palpatine’s logic was entirely reasonable."

McDiarmid elaborated on his perspective, saying, "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 backlash to the Emperor'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 Rise of Skywalker* offers a somewhat vague explanation of how Palpatine managed his grand comeback. When Kylo Ren encounters him early in the film, Palpatine appears as a reanimated version of his former self, suggesting that he did not survive his fall at the end of *Return of the Jedi*. However, as McDiarmid points out, Palpatine had a contingency plan in place. In his monologue to Kylo Ren, Palpatine echoes his memorable lines 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 points to ancient Sith magic as the means of his return.

Every Upcoming Star Wars Movie and TV Show

View 23 ImagesIt seems unlikely that the core Star Wars fanbase will ever fully embrace Palpatine’s return in The Rise of Skywalker, with many preferring to ignore it altogether. It will be intriguing to see how future Star Wars films handle this narrative. In November, it was reported that Daisy Ridley's character, Rey Skywalker, will appear in "several" upcoming Star Wars films, as she has been deemed the galaxy's "most valuable cinematic asset."

Ridley is confirmed to return in the Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy-directed sequel to The Rise of Skywalker, which will explore Rey's journey to rebuild the Jedi Order approximately 15 years after the events of that film.