Nothing is known about the upcoming "Star Wars Episode VII" cast or story, but a recent rumor revealed that Ian McDiarmid was reportedly returning to the franchise.
Nothing has been confirmed, but if this were to come true then it could only mean one thing: Emperor Palpatine is back. Most would argue against this possibility considering the end of "Episode VI: Return of the Jedi," but there are a few reasons to consider this possibility. Here they are.
From a purely narrative standpoint, Palpatine is the main villain of the Star Wars franchise. He dominates the prequel trilogy and is the final opponent in "Return of the Jedi." Some might argue that he was not present in Episode IV and V, but from a cyclical standpoint, he is the main villain in Lucas' opus.
In a new cycle of films, it would seem like an obvious choice for new director J.J. Abrams and writer Michael Arndt to seek out a new direction with the villain, but they may also feel the desire to connect with the original films in order to create continuity. This may motivate the return of Palpatine.
Obviously the biggest opposition will always be: "But he was killed by Darth Vader at the end of 'Return of the Jedi." While this is true, the emperor himself has created or hinted at the possibility of his immortality. For those who are confused, we will return to a prominent scene in "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith." Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker are seated at the galactic opera house. Suddenly, Palpatine brings up the tragedy of Darth Plagueis and explains that the Sith Lord learned to create life and thus found the formula for immortality.
"Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith so powerful and so wise, he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create...life. He had such a knowledge of the Dark Side, he could even keep the ones he cared about...from dying," says Palpatine.
Anakin is filled with curiosity and given his circumstance (he has prophesized the death of his beloved Padme) he asks, "He could actually...save people from death?"
Palpatine then notes that Plagueis "taught his apprentice everything he knew. Then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. Ironic. He could save others from death...but not himself."
Those who have watched the film know that the apprentice is none other than Palpatine himself. While some question the validity of the story and whether it was simply used as a tool to manipulate Anakin to the dark side, the reality is that it exists as an ambiguity that was never proven or disproven. This provides the writers with a massive opportunity.
If in fact Palpatine learned the power of immortality, then he could surely make his big return as the villain in the saga and look to lure one of Luke's young apprentices (assuming Luke Skywalker is in the film) to the dark side like he did with Darth Vader.
Many fans would likely complain that this move would ultimately cheapen Vader's redemption at the end of "Return of the Jedi" but ultimately, his sacrifice is undergoing that "cheapening" by virtue of a new Star Wars movie. Afterall, there has to be an imbalance in the force in order for the new saga to take place; the only way this effect on Vader's sacrifice is avoided is if the story takes place in a different time with different characters and settings. However, casting news and rumors indicate that the new story will showcase old characters from the original trilogy so the effect likely stands.
The other possibility for Palpatine would be for him to return as a shadow ghost of some kind. This was also left as an ambiguity as no Sith Lord was ever able to reappear in the saga as a ghost; the Jedi seem to have that power and reappear throughout Episodes V and VI in this form. However, the Jedi do not learn that power in the first three episodes, making it possible that no one knew that returning as a ghost was possible in the first place; not even the Sith.
The prequels only portray three Sith lords aside from Palpatine: Darth Maul, Count Dooku, and Darth Vader. The latter rematerializes as a ghost once he returns to the light side of the force while the other two never reappear. Palpatine is the most powerful Sith and likely knows what the Jedi did to reappear as ghosts and it is highly possible that he can do the same in the new series.
The other option would be to clone the emperor as portrayed in a number of fan fiction novels. This would seem like a silly choice for the writers of the new series as it would likely draw the same criticisms for lack of originality that the second Death Star did in "Return of the Jedi."
Should Palpatine return to "Episode VII?" And if so, how should he return?
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