Popverse's top stories

• John Cena says he’ll come out of retirement if Elon Musk gives up his trillion-dollar fortune
• More people watch Roku than cable - and now the parent company of Fox News is buying it: What the Fox/Roku deal actually means
• George Lucas is still making money from Star Wars 14 years after selling Lucasfilm - as Disney's landlord

"Somehow, Palpatine returned."

That line, which has taken on a life of its own, was first said by Poe Dameron in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and there’s a chance we might hear it again. At least that’s what Ian McDiarmid thinks. To be fair, his character Emperor Palpatine has a habit of escaping death - ee saw Darth Vader throw him down a reactor shaft in 1983's Return of the Jedi, but that didn’t stop the character from cheating death in multiple pieces of media. For example, Palpatine returns in the 1991 comic Dark Empire, having transferred his essence into a clone body. Luke and Leia kill him once more in the final act, but that didn’t stop the character from returning again in Dark Empire II, before ultimately being defeated in Empire’s End.

For a time it looked like the character would at least stay dead in the films, until Lucasfilm brought him back for the 2019 film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Audiences were surprised, and so was McDiarmid himself. “I had no idea that I wasn’t dead," Ian McDiarmid said during a panel at Spacecon 2016. "So, it’s been a journey. But I think I’m dead now, but don’t quote me.” 

However, the actor changed his position later in the panel as he pondered the Emperor’s legacy. “I don’t believe he’s dead,” McDiarmid said at a later point, contradicting himself - but then, the Emperor has always liked to sow the seeds of suspicion and distrust, hasn't he?

To be fair, we’ve seen the character cheat death before, so it isn’t hard to believe. Rise of Skywalker ends with Palpatine seemingly disintegrating after Rey deflects his energy back at him. But how is that any different than his death in Return of the Jedi? Maybe Palpatine is one of those villains who always comes back when we least expect it.

A bunch of Star Wars projects are currently in the development stage at Lucasfilm. Who knows, maybe we’ll see Palpatine pop up again. If nothing else, it could give Oscar Isaac a chance to say his iconic line again.

Get to know, understand, and love the Star Wars franchise more with our Star Wars watch order, guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies & TV shows, and all the Star Wars movies and Star Wars TV shows ranked.