Was Star Wars right to bring back Palpatine? The character’s actor, Ian McDiarmid, defends his character’s resurrection in the sequel trilogy.
“Somehow, Palpatine returned” has become one of the biggest memes in the Star Wars fandom. This not only because of the absurdity of the line, but because many fans believe his resurrection as a whole was a half-thought out mistake. However, it seems not everyone feels this way, with Ian McDiarmid defending the decision by saying it’s strangely satisfying how everything ties together.
“A lot of people said it was ridiculous,” McDiarmid spoke in a recent interview with Empire. “Of course, he was dead at the end of Return Of The Jedi! And frankly, I think George thought he’d killed me too. But J.J. thought it would be a good idea – I wasn’t going to argue with him. I felt that Palpatine always had a plan B – probably a plan C, D, E, and F as well. And he was an expert in cloning, so…”
“The thing that I’m most pleased about, and you know, this only came to a head when they asked me to come back for The Rise Of Skywalker, is that every single evil act in all of the Star Wars franchise is either directly or indirectly down to that character. That is total evil, and that’s strangely satisfying as an arc. I do feel fortunate to have been able to do it – and other villains of cinema now have to compete with that.”
Ian McDiarmid certainly makes some good points about the thematic weight of his character’s resurrection. Yet many Star Wars fans don’t have a problem with the idea, but rather the execution. Many view the sequel trilogy as three disjointed movies with no plan between them, with Palpatine being slapped on as a band-aid at the end to explain everything. Perhaps one day Palpatine will return AGAIN to make it all make sense!
The future of Star Wars looks brighter than ever
During Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm made some exciting announcements for the future of the franchise. At the event, Kathleen Kennedy announced that Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Dave Filoni and James Mangold are all set to direct their own Star Wars movies. Details about the projects are still scarce, but each one is set during a different time period in the galaxy far, far away.
The announcement of these three new Star Wars movies marks an exciting time for fans of the franchise. With each movie being directed by a different filmmaker, there is sure to be a unique perspective and style brought to each project.
Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the Star Wars universe and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
