Emperor Palpatine came back from the dead in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but if George Lucas was involved this would never have happened says, Ian McDiarmid.
The return of Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker created much debate within the fandom. From the obvious questions to how it was possible, to what this could mean in the upcoming movie.
It also made us question what the return of the Emperor implicated in the previous Star Wars trilogies. In particular The Return of the Jedi and Anakin’s return to the light. If the Emperor was in fact not dead; did this therefore mean that Anakin was not the chosen one? A question that has still gone unanswered.
More from Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
- How many Oscars has Star Wars won?
- Looking back at 10 years of Star Wars: The films
- Domhnall Gleeson up for returning as General Hux
- Star Wars fan’s epic poster is The Rise of Skywalker ending reimagined
- Star Wars 25 features the first post-Rise of Skywalker canon story
What is interesting, is had George Lucas been involved in the making of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, this head-scratching debate would be non-existent. As it has come to light that Lucas had no intention of bringing the Emperor back.
Ian McDiarmid was the one to reveal this during a video interview with Digital Spy.
Watch your favorite shows on fuboTV: Watch over 67 live sports and entertainment channels with a 7-day FREE trial!
He told them that after filming The Return of the Jedi he questioned Lucas on whether his character was gone for good or not:
"McDiarmid: ‘When we did ‘Return of the Jedi,’ and I was thrown down that chute to Galactic Hell.’McDiarmid to Lucas: ‘Oh, does he come back?’Lucas: ‘No, he’s dead.’"
Obviously, with Disney acquiring the rights to Star Wars from Lucas and therefore being at the helm of Star Wars movies we will never know what Lucas would have done if he had created the final trilogy.
Would he have gone back on what he told McDiarmid so long ago and brought Palpatine back? Would he have done something completely different? Who knows?
This is one of those moments that will forever be a ‘what if’ moment that will be forever debated amongst the Star Wars fandom.
What do you think about the return of Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker? Do you think it would have been different if George Lucas was involved? Drop a comment just below sharing your thoughts.