After being pretty definitively killed-off (or so we thought) towards the end of Return of the Jedi, Emperor Palpatine returned in the final movie in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, the much-maligned The Rise of Skywalker.
The Emperor's role was filled by a mysterious being known as Supreme Leader Snoke in the previous films, but after Rian Johnson killed off in The Last Jedi, director J.J. Abrams decided that bringing Palpatine back was the best move.
While it's true that fans were excited about seeing "Darth Sidious" again after the first trailer for TROS, it was generally felt that the execution of the character's return left a lot to be desired.
While speaking to Empire, veteran actor Ian McDiarmid defended the movie's decision to resurrect Palpatine, and, to be fair, he does make some solid arguments.
“A lot of people said it was ridiculous,” he tells the site. “Of course, he was dead at the end of Return Of The Jedi! And frankly, I think George thought he’d killed me too. But J.J. thought it would be a good idea – I wasn’t going to argue with him. I felt that Palpatine always had a plan B – probably a plan C, D, E, and F as well. And he was an expert in cloning, so…”
For a lot of people, the "how" wasn't the problem as much as the "why." It did seem clear that the former Emperor's returning wasn't the plan from the very beginning, but McDiarmid is happy with how things turned out, and feels it's fitting that the all-powerful villain is ultimately revealed to be behind every evil event in the galaxy.
“The thing that I’m most pleased about, and you know, this only came to a head when they asked me to come back for The Rise Of Skywalker, is that every single evil act in all of the Star Wars franchise is either directly or indirectly down to that character,” he says. “That is total evil, and that’s strangely satisfying as an arc. I do feel fortunate to have been able to do it – and other villains of cinema now have to compete with that.”
What do you make of McDiarmid's comments? Let us know in the usual place.
"When it's discovered that the evil Emperor Palpatine did not die at the hands of Darth Vader, the rebels must race against the clock to find out his whereabouts. Finn and Poe lead the Resistance to put a stop to the First Order's plans to form a new Empire, while Rey anticipates her inevitable confrontation with Kylo Ren. Warning: Some flashing-lights scenes in this film may affect photosensitive viewers."