J.J. Abrams Defends His Decision To Bring Back Palpatine For STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
When the first trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was released and fans heard the sinister laugh of Emporer Palpatine at the end, most of the Star Wars fans were filled with excitement! It was a big surprise to learn that Palpatine would play a role in this final chapter in the Skywalker saga.
For a lot of fans, it makes sense to bring the character back. But, there are other fans that weren’t as thrilled about it. We have no idea how exactly he will fit into the story, but he’s going to have a big presence in the film. During a recent interview with Empire, Abrams defended his decision to bring in Palpatine and offers the following explanation:
“Some people feel like we shouldn’t revisit the idea of Palpatine, and I completely understand that. But if you’re looking at these nine films as one story, I don’t know many books where the last few chapters have nothing to do with those that have come before. If you look at the first eight films, all the set-ups of what we’re doing in IX are there in plain view.”
I’m really curious to see how Palpatine will be utilized and how exactly he’ll return. We saw in the trailers that the main characters in The Rise of Skywalker return to the ruins of the Death Star from Return of the Jedi. I imagine that plays a part in things. A lot of fans assume that he will come back as a Force Ghost and there have also been other unconfirmed rumors. For those of you curious about how Sith Force Ghosts work, here’s a description from Star Wars Wiki:
Certain Sith Lords had also discovered similar techniques. Occasionally their bodies would fade as Jedi would, though like Jedi this was not a prerequisite for becoming a Force ghost. It was not uncommon for the spirits of Sith Lords to remain, bound to the living world through an object, location, or simply due to the force of their malice and hatred. Unlike the Jedi, however, the Sith found little peace in this form, instead existing for restless centuries, eventually driven insane by solitude, memories, or dark side inflicted madness.
I have no idea what to expect! I just hope that Palpatine’s inclusion feels natural because the character has had no presence in the first two films of this new trilogy. If Abrams just throws him into the story with no background info or explanation, fans are gonna be pissed.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens December 20, 2019.