ST POLL: What do you think of Palpatine returning in The Rise of Skywalker?

Most people here seem to think it's a good idea one way or another (81/95) responses. 85% like it overall. Not bad. We tend to be a critical bunch. So JJ hit a positive nerve.

 

Prior to TLJ, I very much disagreed with resurrecting Palpatine.

I don't think it was the master plan from the outset, but his return is almost necessary given how the story unfolded in TLJ.

It absolutely makes sense now. I really hope JJ and his team handle it well.

 

It's a decoy. It's actually Snoke's laugh. Serkis' voice can sound as deep as McDiarmond's. Why would they return one main villain and not the other? JJ is just messing with people.

If it is Palpatine, then it's nothing more than pandering to fan service, which will cause even more harm to the franchise in my opinion.

 

McDiarmid was on stage after the reveal, it’s definitely him. In what capacity he returns, is anyone’s guess. I’m assuming some sort of dark side force ghost.

 

Lol, if they dont deliver with Palpatine then it will kill the Star Wars franchise. After all the backlash to reveal that in the trailer then have Ian come out but not use him would be suicide.

 

That's bull $!€%. I think it will hurt the brand. Bringing back dead characters is cheap and dull...especially obliterated characters. To resort to pandering is a huge mistake and it lacks imagination. Then throwing in more Death Star plot devices tells me JJ is playing it safe, again. I hope I'm wrong, but it seems to me like he's only out to make more familiar fodder, and that my friend is +×%÷ing fan service in a nutshell.

 

I really don’t like this. Once again, the ST is doing it’s very best to undermine everyone and everything about the OT films. Wasn’t anakin/ Vader supposed to be the chosen one who got rid of the sith? Well, if palpatine still exists, then Anakin wasn’t the chosen one, because he didn’t really rid the galaxy of the sith. He just temporarily got the sith out of the picture.

If palpatine returns, anakin’s sacrifice is null and void.

 

They bring back dead character all the time in Star Wars. They're called force ghosts.

 

One of the early versions of the ROTJ script had Ben returning to corporeal form to help Luke battle Vader and Palpatine:

Later, after the Emperor has found out that the Rebel fleet has jumped from hyperspace and is on its way for the attack, he takes an elevator down to the tomb's dungeons, where Luke is kept prisoner. Vader follows him. Luke and Ben (Remember, in this draft Ben has come back in the flesh to help Luke) feel the presence of the Emperor and Vader approaching. Ben is worried that the two of them could destroy Luke. The Emperor walks in and tells Ben that the boy is his. The image of Yoda appears, threatening him. Vader approaches and tells the Emperor that it's too late to turn the boy to the dark side. Luke and Ben must be destroyed. Luke reaches out, and Vader's lasersword leaps out of his belt into the young Jedi's hands. The Emperor pulls a sword out of his sleeve and throws it to Vader, telling him to destroy Luke; the fight begins. - Annotated Screenplays

 

I hope we get to see Palpatine let loose and just go crazy. Might as well have fun with it.
Maybe throw around some Force storms, or a plan for a Universal Dark Empire.

 

Not the same thing...sorry.

 

I'm going to say something unpopular. While I love the idea of having Palpatine back, I found the laughter to be a bit lame as a concept.

 

how is a force ghost not an example of bringing a character back from the dead?

 

Gets thrown down a reactor shaft, explodes, after which the death star in which he exploded explodes (very thoroughly i might add)... Well, yeah, they better have a very, very good reason why he's still around in some fashion, without making Anakin's sacrifice/chosen one ending a waste, as much as i like the character and Ian McDiarmid.

 

He defeats death comes back from spirit form to the flesh.Hymmm who could face that threat?Anakin and Luke.

 

Mm, I don't have any big feelings on it right now. I mean, he had that whole contingency plan and his robot messengers. I'm leaning toward him not physically being back but maybe hologram/force ghost type thing. I'd roll my eyes if they go with him manipulating Kylo and that's why he's "bad". So could be okay, depends on what they do with him

 

It’s great because it ties all the main characters throughout the whole saga together. Having a common enemy and all a victims of his manipulative ways. If done properly it could add some context to even small statements made in the saga. For example, when Vader says to Luke he MUST obey his master. How this possible reveal is handled in TROS could bring new deeper meaning. The conversation between Anakin and Palpatine about Plagueis has more weight. Who Snoke was could be clarified with this reveal. Who Rey really is could be impacted. Was Kylo manipulated by Sidious? Did he appear to him or communicate with Kylo pretending to be Vader’s spirit? There was a thread in the forum saying what the hook is for Episode 9 well, this is a MAJOR hook if handled properly. The Emperor doesn’t even have to appear in the flesh and it still could be impactful.

 

Hopefully he gets a better death this time around. Gets surprised and thrown down a shaft.
His death in Dark Empire 1 was epic.
Created a Force storm that Luke and Leia turned back on him, destroying him and the Eclipse.

 

The return of Palpatine has some great potential and wonderful to see Ian Mc Diarmid back. How they use Palpatine will depend on it's execution. Through flashbacks and voiceover, it would be great. Looking forward to it either way.

 

I can't believe that people think the Emperor coming back to life is a such a crazy idea. It's been part of the Star Wars Universe since before there were prequel movies. If you were to take a poll of what average people knew, had heard, or remembered from the old EU, resurrected Emperor would be in the top 5 at the least, likely number 2 behind Thrawn. That he's working at cheating death is spoke ALOUD in ROTS (at the time, giving some weight to the Dark Empire storyline, and I don't think that was an accident).

 

I"m not heavily into the old EU books, but was wondering if Palpatine may have had a hand in creating Anakin. Maybe Rey was part of that experiment. Who knows. IT seems she has an Imperial connection which would be very interesting.

 

I voted "Don't really like it but I may change my mind if they do it well". If Palpatine comes back for real, that means yet another victory from the end of ROTJ has been nullified now. I don't like that if happened in the old EU and I wouldn't like it here.

On the other hand, I'm sure if you told me "Han and Leia broke up after their son turned to the Dark Side and now they're both old sad sacks trying to relive their past glories" before I watched TFA then I'd have really disliked that idea too, but the way it was executed in the movie itself got me on board. Bringing Palpatine back might do the same. Plus, trying to tie everything together with the last movie may be the best way they could hope to conclude the series at this point – sort of like how Legend of Korra did it with its final season.

 

I've always been interested in the cheating death aspect of it. So to possibly see this come to fruition is amazing imo.

 

Actually, yes, in old canon, Palpatine and Plagueis created Anakin through experimentation with midichlorians.

The Aftermath trilogy of new canon put an Imperial Research Station on Jakku, of special interest to Palpatine. I always wondered if she could be an experiment in the same midichlorian manipulation. It's seemed as if the whole idea was a big fat red herring until now....

 

Yes, I remember talk of the history of Jakku and the huge battle that took place there. It could also explain Rey's enormous power. I really do want to see her kick some butt in this film. Yes, the addition of Palpatine as the "big bad" makes this film very interesting. Thanks for the backstory, though.