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Throughout the Star Wars sequel trilogy, there were several creative choices that sparked controversy among fans, such as Han Solo’s death in “The Force Awakens” and the portrayal of Luke Skywalker in “The Last Jedi.” However, one of the most unexpected and widely debated decisions occurred in the third installment, “The Rise of Skywalker,” where the iconic Star Wars antagonist, Darth Sidious (Emperor Palpatine), was brought back to life.
Despite his minimal appearance until “Return of the Jedi,” Palpatine played a central role in both the original and prequel trilogies. Portrayed by Ian McDiarmid throughout, he climbed to the pinnacle of galactic power in the prequels while secretly orchestrating the downfall of the Jedi Order as the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. In the original trilogy, he ruled as the Emperor, with Darth Vader as his apprentice.
Despite his demise at the hands of Vader in “Return of the Jedi,” Palpatine was resurrected for a final confrontation in “The Rise of Skywalker.” This decision had significant ramifications for the overall sequel trilogy, and its execution strongly influenced people’s opinions of the trilogy as a whole.
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Completing the Skywalker Saga
Reintroducing Palpatine as the antagonist in “The Rise of Skywalker” made sense from a logical standpoint. The film was marketed as the ultimate conclusion to the Skywalker Saga that began with the original Star Wars in 1977, and Palpatine was the overarching villain of the first six films, whether he appeared on screen or not. To provide a satisfying conclusion to all these interconnected stories, tying Palpatine directly into the events of the film was a strategic move, enhancing the connectivity between the various trilogies.
From a narrative perspective, it was reasonable to believe that Palpatine wouldn’t be easily defeated. He had spent decades meticulously planning his ascent to power, and as the Emperor, he had virtually unlimited resources at his disposal. Additionally, there was a clear intention to make “The Rise of Skywalker” a climactic end to the Skywalker family’s story, of which Palpatine was the primary antagonist.
The film was bound to have connections to both the original and prequel trilogies, and bringing Palpatine back was a convenient, plausible, and exciting way to address many of these challenges simultaneously. Resurrecting the character was not a flawed idea, and, if executed well, it could have contributed to an exhilarating final chapter for Star Wars fans, both old and new.
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Why it Didn’t Work
The fundamental issue with reintroducing Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker wasn’t the concept itself, but rather the way it was executed and the lack of careful consideration. While it’s not necessary for a trilogy to have a strict roadmap from the start, the individual films should build upon one another coherently. In this case, The Rise of Skywalker seemed more focused on bringing Palpatine back than on developing the stories established in The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens. It actively attempted to reverse many of the creative choices made by its predecessors, especially those from The Last Jedi, resulting in a disjointed narrative of its own.
Palpatine’s return wasn’t foreshadowed or hinted at in either The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi. While this isn’t a dealbreaker, it meant that The Rise of Skywalker needed to invest effort in justifying his comeback convincingly. However, the film failed to provide a solid explanation for his resurrection or a compelling reason for it. Instead, it resorted to the now-infamous line, “Somehow, Palpatine returned,” lazily reintroducing the character without a substantial rationale beyond his name recognition.
Retroactively Fixing It
The impact of “The Rise of Skywalker” on the Star Wars franchise has been evident. Although the film was undeniably a box office success, grossing over $1 billion worldwide, it failed to capture the hearts of a majority of fans. While series like “The Mandalorian” have achieved the classic Star Wars breakout success, “The Rise of Skywalker” has largely faded into obscurity. Nonetheless, Lucasfilm is actively working to improve the film’s reputation, much like they did with the prequel trilogy over the past two decades.
The affection for the prequels today is largely due to Dave Filoni’s “Clone Wars” animated series, which filled in gaps in those films and deepened fans’ love for those characters. A similar approach is being taken with the sequel trilogy, to some extent, through series like “The Mandalorian” and “The Bad Batch.” It’s now evident that even in death, Palpatine had no intention of giving up control. He dabbled in Dark Side magic, unusual technology, and cloning to pursue his goals. These aspects have been explored extensively beyond the movies, including in Star Wars video games like Battlefront 2 and the novel “Shadows of the Sith,” which delves into his cloning experiments related to “The Rise of Skywalker.”
The challenge with retroactively fixing this narrative is that it primarily appeals to hardcore Star Wars fans who are willing to watch various shows and read canonical novels to deepen their understanding of the franchise’s universe. It doesn’t address the major storytelling issues within “The Rise of Skywalker.” To make sense of the film’s many questionable plot directions, the rest of the franchise is being rearranged in an attempt to harmonize with it.
It remains uncertain how successful this endeavor will be or whether “The Rise of Skywalker” will ever gain a dedicated fan base. Nevertheless, the Star Wars fan community is always in need of more positivity, so there is hope for a day when merely mentioning the film won’t immediately bring out the most toxic fans.
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