Earlier this year, the first trailer for the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker left us with the bombshell that Emperor Palpatine will be making a comeback in the Sequel Trilogy finale. It was a reveal that sent ripples across the internet, but seeing how this year’s release is expected to bring some closure to the entire Skywalker Saga, perhaps it’s only fitting that the ultimate evil of the series is somehow making an appearance.
Of course, even after the Skywalker Saga comes to a close, Lucasfilm has made it very clear that there’ll be plenty more films and TV shows to follow. And while all of these upcoming stories will no doubt bring a whole load of new characters into the mix, each of these future projects also serves as an opportunity to revisit some familiar figures.
This brings us to a new piece of intel that we’ve received from our sources – the same ones who told us the Emperor and Rey share a special connection in the film, which was later confirmed by the always reliable Making Star Wars. Apparently, with all these new projects in the works, we’re told that Lucasfilm isn’t ruling out the possibility of bringing back Palpatine for another screen outing.
When, where and how this might happen is unclear, but seeing how the The Rise of Skywalker is supposed to be the final installment in the Skywalker Saga, you have to imagine that a film or TV show set before the events of Sequel Trilogy, as opposed to after, would go down better with the fans. After all, it’s practically a given that the Emperor will be defeated once more at the end of the Sequel Trilogy, and pulling yet another resurrection job in a story set later in the timeline would likely be one rebirth too many for most viewers.
In any case, we’ll find out if Palpatine’s comeback leaves us wanting more when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th.
