The Rise of Skywalker: 5 questions on Emperor Palpatine having a family

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1. If Palpatine did conceive Anakin through the Force, does that make Rey and Ben Force-cousins?

A popular theory about the conception of Anakin Skywalker is that Darth Sidious used his knowledge of the Force to create him. The Phantom Menace tells us that Anakin “had no father” and Qui-Gon Jinn concluded that the boy was born of the Force itself.

With Revenge of the Sith we received the reveal that Darth Sidious and his Sith Master, Darth Plagueis the Wise, were manipulating life using the Force. This took the tiny spark of a theory that Palpatine himself created Anakin and blew it into a flame. Then a panel in a 2018 issue of Marvel’s “Darth Vader” comic showed Sidious behind a pregnant Shmi Skywalker in a vision Vader was experiencing.

Now the theory was a bonfire, blazing through the hearts and minds of Star Wars fans. How did Sidious create Anakin inside of Shmi? Did he create other children through this method? Why would he choose a woman on an Outer Rim world, rather than someone closer to his sphere of influence?

Perhaps the Force created Anakin in response to Plagueis and Sidious stoking the Dark Side to pursue unnatural powers. Perhaps there was absolutely no connection, and Vader’s vision was simply a result of his personal fears. Or perhaps the Force showed Vader the truth, that Palpatine did in fact create him, with or without personal choice in his birth mother.

Let’s pull on that thread for a moment. If Palpatine created Anakin, they would likely have had some sort of connection in the Force. This connection could have been the foundation of Palpatine drawing the young Jedi into his web. It also could be in some way present in Anakin’s descendants.

This could help explain the “Force Dyad” that Ben Solo and Rey formed. Rey, as Palpatine’s genetic descendant, and Ben as his Force descendant would have been spiritual relatives, in a sense: Force-cousins. That connection, on top of their abundant strength in the Force, could have created the environment necessary for this Force Dyad to develop.

It also would make that kiss at the end of the movie just a little more weird.

What do you think about old, wrinkled Palpatine having a family? Do you hope someone was able to love him, or are you more comfortable with the clone theory? And what other mysteries could Palpatine’s family hold for us in the future? Comment below and let me know what you think!