Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Concept Art May Reveal How The Emperor Returns

Even though it’s set to release in a few months, there’s still so much we don’t know about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The third and final installment in the much-beloved Sequel Trilogy is set to pit the Resistance against the First Order once more, with the never-ending conflict between the Jedi and the Sith reaching its climax.

Of course, even though the series’ third set of films focus mainly on a handful of fresh new faces, there are still plenty of familiar mainstays from decades past. Han Solo, Leia Organa, and Luke Skywalker have all made reappearances at some point or another, and The Rise of Skywalker will also see the return of Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian. Interestingly, Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious is also on the cast list, which might have a few fans scratching their heads.

It’s far from confirmed, but a few months ago, we heard rumors that the Emperor would serve as the film’s primary antagonist, having survived his tumble down the Death Star’s shaft at the end of Return of the Jedi. Now, a Reddit post provides a new theory on how Palpatine could make his big screen comeback.

In a picture included in The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a piece of concept art shows the Millenium Falcon diving underwater, where it finds the remains of the second Death Star. You can check it out for yourself in the gallery down below.

This particular scene never made it into The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi, and as a result, some are speculating that it will make its way into The Rise of Skywalker. With a partially submerged Death Star seen at the end of the film’s reveal trailer, there’s always the chance that the Emperor (or his remains) could be found aboard the sunken space station.

After all, given that J.J. Abrams is back in the director’s chair for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, we wouldn’t be surprised if he reused and repurposed ideas from the seventh episode, which he also helmed. Either way though, we’ll keep you updated in the event we hear more about Palpatine’s role in the upcoming film.