50 Most Memorable Moments from Star Wars Rebels

16. Emperor Palpatine’s cameo

Episode: Season 2 Episode 2: The Siege of Lothal

The Moment: After effectively dealing with and defeating the rebels on Lothal, Darth Vader contacts his Master Darth Sidious. He updates him on the victory over Lothal and informs his Master that the rebels are broken. The Emperor then senses that Vader has more to tell, so the Sith Lord confesses that the apprentice of Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, is alive and indeed a rebel herself.

The Emperor then states that this is an opportunity to hunt down and draw out any remaining Jedi. Vader mentions that Kenobi may still be alive, but his Master instructs him to be patient.

Why It’s Memorable: This scene left me with nerd chills to the max. This is the only appearance of the Emperor so far in the three seasons of Rebels. The fact that he appears here, means they could be planning something big for the final season. It was also rumored that Ian McDiarmid had been recording something at the Lucasfilm studios. Could he be making an appearance in Rebels? If I was a betting man, I would put my money on him returning.

You might be asking, didn’t McDiarmid voice the Emperor in this scene? Even though it sounds just like him, it is none other than Star Wars voice actor Sam Witwer. You might know Sam as Maul and The Son in the animated series of Star Wars, and as Starkiller’s voice in the Legends video game The Force Unleashed. Also, this scene was a throwback to The Empire Strikes Back when Vader contacts the Emperor and they discuss the identity of Luke Skywalker. So yeah, this moment rocks!