Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Theory Says Palpatine May Not’ve Died

Emperor Palpatine will be back in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and fans have been theorizing about the various different ways that this could be possible. Some common ones include cloning, possession and controlling the Midichlorians like Darth Plagueis. What most of these theories all agree on, though, is that the Sith lord was actually dead to begin with. But, throwing our pre-conceptions out the window for a moment, we have to ask ourselves: was he?

This might seem ludicrous to suggest seeing as his death in Return of the Jedi has never been disputed before – even the old EU didn’t retcon it. However, ComicBook.com has put forward the notion that his fall at Vader’s hands in the second Death Star might not have been as fatal as we’ve been led to believe. Remember, we never saw a body. Only a burst of electricity as he presumably hit the ground. But then again, what’s Palpatine got a knack for? Controlling electricity.

It’s possible he could have teleported away somehow and the explosion was just a ploy to trick Vader and Luke. All the while he was biding his time to rise up again and reclaim what he’d lost. Alternatively, perhaps he became one with the Force and moved into the incorporeal plane. Now, perhaps he’s found a way to regain his physical form and spread his evil across the galaxy once more.

Sure, this would be a massive retcon, as it’s clearly the intention in RotJ to show that Palpatine’s dead. However, something similar has happened before. If you’ll recall, Maul was chopped in half in The Phantom Menace but his popularity ensured that he returned via first the EU and then in the animated series and, eventually, Solo. This retcon worked out for the best, too, so revealing that the Emperor likewise survived his previously-established death could be the smart move, rather than getting bogged down in complicated resurrection storylines.

Tell us, though, how do you think Emperor Palpatine will return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker? Join the discussion in the comments section down below.