Star Wars’ Creator George Lucas Wouldn’t Have Brought Back Ian McDiarmid’s Palpatine

Star Wars George Lucas Palpatine Sequel Trilogy Ian McDiarmid

Palpatine actor Ian McDiarmid has revealed that Star Wars creator George Lucas had no intention of bringing the Emperor back.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has been out for a little over a week and fans are still continuing to debate the creative decisions made by J.J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy with the most pivotal choice being the revival of Ian McDiarmid’s Palpatine, who was was supposedly killed at the hands of Anakin Skywalker in Return of the Jedi. Ian McDiarmid’s Palpatine was created by George Lucas to serve as the big heavy against Luke Skywalker.

When Palpatine’s return was first announced at Star Wars Celebration, fans were cautiously optimistic that Ian McDiarmid’s presence would invigorate the franchise once again after the side-step it took with The Last Jedi. Now that the film’s out, the reception towards Ian McDiarmid’s return has been mixed at best, with many Star Wars fans believing that Palpatine has no reason to be back, something that George Lucas similarly felt.

According to Ian McDiarmid, those batch of fans are right as Star Wars creator George Lucas had no intention of bringing Palpatine back to life. Speaking with Digital Spy at the U.K premiere of The Rise of Skywalker, Ian McDiarmid discussed how he was completely surprised when he was asked to reprise his role of Palpatine.

“I thought I was dead! I thought he was dead. Because when we did ‘Return of the Jedi,’ and I was thrown down that chute to Galactic Hell, he was dead. And I said, ‘Oh, does he come back?’ And [George Lucas] said, ‘No, he’s dead.’ So I just accepted that. But then, of course, I didn’t know I was going to be doing the prequels, so in a sense he wasn’t dead, because we went back to revisit him when he was a young man. But I was totally surprised by this.”

It’s quite damning to hear that George Lucas would not have brought back Ian McDiarmid’s Palpatine should he have followed through on his sequel trilogy plans. George Lucas intended on making the Star Wars sequel trilogy himself but opted not to, instead giving Bob Iger and Kathleen Kennedy the drafts he had spruced up. George Lucas has been indifferent when it comes to his thoughts on the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and he appeared to be quite disappointed when the studio didn’t use his drafts. Now that we know that Ian McDiarmid has revealed that George Lucas wasn’t a fan of bringing Palpatine back to life, it can add more fuel to ever-expanding discourse.

What are your thoughts on Ian McDiarmid’s revelation that George Lucas would have never brought back Palpatine in Star Wars? Comment below and let us know!

Here is the synopsis for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: 

Lucasfilm and director J.J. Abrams join forces once again to take viewers on an epic journey to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the riveting conclusion of the seminal Skywalker saga, where new legends will be born and the final battle for freedom is yet to come.

Directed by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Ian McDiarmid, and Billy Dee Williams. Carrie Fisher will appear as General Leia Organa through the use of previously unreleased footage shot for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is now playing in theaters.

Source: Digital Spy