Who voices Darth Sidious in The Bad Batch?

The Bad Batch premiered on Disney+, set on reminding fans of the darkness that befell the galaxy when the Sith tipped the balance in their favor, plunging the universe into an era without the guiding light of the Jedi. It’s a move highlighted by the appearance of the sinister Darth Sidious, who extolled the rise of the Empire’s regime and commanded the execution of Order 66.

Darth Sidious has been a staple of the Star Wars universe since he first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back. His voice, which can make skin crawl and hair stand up on end, is highly recognizable and is the precursor to chaos and evil entering the plot.

So, it only seems right that Ian McDiarmid, the originator of the role, voiced the Emperor in The Bad Batch‘s season opener, “The Aftermath.” For those of us who were introduced to his character in the prequel films, it’s certainly a welcome return.

Though it should be noted that the series used an archival recording of McDiarmid from Revenge of the Sith to recapture the iconic speech to the Senate, which (as we learned) was also broadcast to the clone troopers.

Will we see more of Darth Sidious in The Bad Batch?

Unfortunately, there’s been no word on whether McDiarmid will officially reprise his role for The Bad Batch. While the series does center on the beginnings of the Empire’s regime, it’s from the perspective of Clone Force 99.

If Darth Sidious were to be more involved in the narrative of the series, it would likely be in a limited capacity as he hasn’t been revealed as the main villain. He is, however, the Emperor. So we wouldn’t rule out an encounter with the clones. They did, after all, disobey orders and not all of them were on board with not falling in line.

We’ll have to wait and see how that plays out, but something tells us there’s going to be more than one clash between the group concerning the Empire and their former allies.