‘A lot of people said it was ridiculous’: This actor defends Palpatine’s return in Star Wars 9

Palpatine is back to unleash his fearsome lightning bolts on the Star Wars universe in The Rise of Skywalker! A controversial return after the character was dead for almost 36 years.

If the return of the Emperor in Episode IX caused a lot of controversy among fans, it was also a reason to ask questions for his translator Ian McDiarmid, as he admitted to the magazine from the beginning. Empire :

“A lot of people said it was funny… of course he died in Return of the Jedi! And to be honest, I think George thought he killed me too. But JJ thought it was a good idea – I didn’t” I’m not going to argue with him.”

It’s not her choice, but she agrees

Once the decision was made, despite everything, MacDiarmid found a very good reason for the Sith Lord to finally be alive, despite his gruesome end in Episode VI:

I felt like Palpatine always had a plan B – and probably also a plan C, D, E, and F. And he was an expert in cloning, so…

“What I like the most”he adds, “And what I only realized when I was asked to come back to The Rise of Skywalker is that every villain in the Star Wars franchise is directly or indirectly connected to this character. He’s evil incarnate, and it’s a strangely satisfying arc. I feel lucky to be able to — and Now other movie villains will have to compete with him.

The Rise of Skywalker not only brought Palpatine back, but also made him Rey’s (Daisy Riddle) grandfather, giving the heroine a kinship with this famous and wonderful character. Again, a choice that not everyone likes, as evidenced by audience reviews on AlloCiné, which are very divided on the question…