MOVIE NEWS – The Emperor Palpatine, played by Ian McDiarmid, has “died twice” in the Star Wars universe so far: first at the end of Return of the Jedi, when he was thrown into the great abyss by Darth Vader, and secondly at the end of Age of Skywalker when he is struck dead by Rey. But now it looks like he could return again.

The resurrection of Palpatine was one of the most criticised moments of the Skywalker era, as the story of the Emperor came to a satisfying end in the second Star Wars film. Still, it had its place in the prequel trilogy, as it was a prequel to the original films. Of course, Ian McDiarmid, who played the character, played Palpatine several times after Return of the Jedi. Now, the actor has spoken at a fan event about the possibility of meeting the galactic villain again in an upcoming series, although not in his complete physical form.

In his own panel discussion at the recent edition of the Imperial Commissary Collectors Convention (ICCC), the actor said:

“There’s a certain show coming soon set right around the time I may have considered very active. Whether or not you will see my physical body, I cannot comment on. But you will certainly feel my presence.”

The most obvious choice is Obi-Wan Kenobi, which arrives at the end of this month and is set in the years of the Empire’s construction when Palpatine is expanding his power over the galaxy, so his presence will definitely be felt in the series, which will also feature the Sith Lord’s apprentice Darth Vader, played by Hayden Christensen.

The site, quoting the actor, also mentions the Andor series, also planned for this year, as a possible return of Palpatine. That series will focus on Cassian Andor, who we met in Greedy One, who was at the height of Palpatine’s power during his lifetime, so he could easily be included in the story without any cloning.

McDiarmid also talked about returning in February, but he made it clear that it would only be in stories set before the age of Skywalker because Palpatine is now really dead. “I guess I have to accept that I’m permanently destroyed thanks to my ungrateful grandson [ed: Rey]. But of course, now that Vader is returning in the new Obi-Wan series, I suppose we might discover his master lurking in the darkness again one day.”

Obi-Wan Kenobi will launch on Disney+ on May 27, while Andor has no official premiere date yet, but is scheduled to premiere mid to late this year – you can check out leaked images from the latter’s shoot here.

Source: StarWarsNet