Ian McDiarmid Defends Palpatine's Return in 'The Rise of Skywalker'

"Somehow, Palpatine returned." This Star Wars meme has become iconic, often used to mock the controversial return of Emperor Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker. Many fans were unhappy with the decision to bring back Palpatine, especially after his apparent death in Return of the Jedi. But what does Ian McDiarmid, who has portrayed Palpatine for over 40 years, think about the backlash?

In a recent interview with Variety, celebrating the re-release of Revenge of the Sith to theaters, McDiarmid addressed the criticism. He dismissed the backlash, stating, "mine and Palpatine’s logic was entirely reasonable." He elaborated, "It seemed entirely probable that Palpatine had a plan B. Even though he was very, very badly damaged, he would be able to be put it together in some form. When I realized I had a sort of astral wheelchair, that was even better. I just had these four guys who whisked me around the studio; I can’t tell you how much fun that was. Daisy was more worried about that than anything else. And then, of course, we had to devise another makeup look, which was even more grotesque than the previous one."

McDiarmid also touched specifically on the backlash to the Emperor's return, saying, "Well, there’s always something, isn’t there? I don’t read that stuff and I’m not online. So it’ll only reach me if someone mentions it. I thought there might be a bit of a fuss about bringing him back. But as I said, mine and Palpatine’s logic was entirely reasonable. This man who was horribly maimed thought maybe one day it might happen to him, and we’ve got to have a plan B. I loved the whole idea that he should come back and be even more powerful than he was before. Though this time, he had to be utterly destroyed. So I think he’s dead."

*The Rise of Skywalker* offers a somewhat vague explanation of how Palpatine managed his grand comeback. When Kylo Ren finds him at the beginning of the film, Palpatine appears as a reanimated version of his former self, suggesting that he did not survive his fall at the end of *Return of the Jedi*. However, his death did not stop him or slow him down. As McDiarmid explained, Palpatine had a contingency plan. In *The Rise of Skywalker*, Palpatine quotes his memorable line from *Revenge of the Sith* during his monologue to Kylo Ren: "The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities that some would consider to be... unnatural." Thus, it seems ancient Sith magic played a role in his return.

Every Upcoming Star Wars Movie and TV Show

View 23 ImagesIt appears unlikely that the core Star Wars fanbase will ever fully embrace Palpatine’s return in The Rise of Skywalker, with many preferring to ignore it altogether. It will be interesting to see if future Star Wars movies follow suit. In November, it was reported that Daisy Ridley's character, Rey Skywalker, would appear in "several" upcoming Star Wars films, as she has been identified as the franchise's "most valuable cinematic asset."

Ridley is confirmed to return in the Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy-directed sequel to The Rise of Skywalker, which will follow Rey as she seeks to rebuild the Jedi Order approximately 15 years after the events of the film.