"Somehow, Palpatine returned." This Star Wars meme encapsulates the widespread fan backlash to Emperor Palpatine's unexpected revival in The Rise of Skywalker. Despite his dramatic demise at the end of Return of the Jedi, Palpatine's return via cloning stirred significant controversy. However, Ian McDiarmid, who has portrayed the iconic villain for over four decades, remains unfazed by the criticism.

During an interview with Variety celebrating the re-release of Revenge of the Sith, which enjoyed substantial box office success, McDiarmid dismissed the backlash, asserting, "mine and Palpatine’s logic was entirely reasonable." He elaborated on the plausibility of Palpatine having a backup plan: "It seemed entirely probable that Palpatine had plan B. Even though he was very, very badly damaged, he would be able to 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."

Addressing the specific backlash to Palpatine's return, McDiarmid remarked, "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 Palpatine's return. Early in the film, Kylo Ren encounters what appears to be a reanimated version of the Emperor. This suggests that Palpatine did not survive his fall at the end of Return of Jedi but was brought back through other means. McDiarmid's comments align with the film's narrative, indicating that Palpatine had a contingency plan in place. In a pivotal scene, Palpatine quotes his infamous line from Revenge of the Sith to Kylo Ren, explaining his resurrection: "The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities that some would consider to be... unnatural." This hints at ancient Sith magic being the key to his return.

Despite the explanation, many Star Wars fans remain unconvinced and would rather ignore Palpatine's return. It remains to be seen how future Star Wars projects will handle this contentious plot point. Daisy Ridley, who played Rey Skywalker, is confirmed to return in an upcoming film directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. This sequel, set approximately 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker, will focus on Rey's efforts to rebuild the Jedi Order.

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