The Big Bad villain of the Star Wars Universe was going to headline his own show. With Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith returning to theaters for its 20th anniversary, there has been a lot of renewed interest in the polarizing movie. One of its central villains is Emperor Palpatine, played by Ian McDiarmid. Palpatine looms large in the background in the Original Trilogy, and famously returns back to life in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. At one point, Star Wars creator George Lucas wanted to develop a show centered on Palpatine, and its plot would have featured another popular Sith character in Star Wars mythology.
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Variety spoke to Emperor Palpatine actor Ian McDiarmid for the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith re-release. The topic turned to Palpatine’s TV show, where McDiarmid was asked if he was given any details on what the Star Wars series would have dealt with. He then revealed how the legendary Sith Lord Darth Plagueis played a major role.
“Just the story of Darth Plagueis the Wise. It’s fairly obvious that my character murdered Plagueis on his road to becoming Palpatine,” McDiarmid said. “But beyond that, no. With George, you didn’t discuss anything really. You turn up and you shoot. These films take a long time to make and the pressure is intense for many reasons; of course, George was at the forefront of all of that. So he had all of that to think about day by day. He takes a good deal of trouble over casting; but, once he’s cast, then he likes the actors to get on with it.”
Darth Plagueis was a member of the Muun alien race, and was Palpatine’s mentor in learning the ways of the Sith. Darth Plagueis’ use of the Force was juxtaposed with a desire to become immortal — even if he needed to resort to science to make it happen. Those experiments involved using Midichlorians to create sentient life, which is somewhat how Anakin Skywalker was born. While his canon role was largely confined to the “Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise” that Palpatine later tells Anakin Skywalker, Darth. Plagueis’ origin was expanded upon in the 2012 Legends novel Star Wars: Darth Plagueis.
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McDiarmid then spoke about the scene in Revenge of the Sith where he officially transforms into Emperor Palpatine, and how he was dealing with a hoarse throat that made filming, along with some other distractions, rather tricky.
“For example, the scene at the opera. I’d already done a scene in the makeup in the morning. We went to that in the afternoon and my voice wasn’t in its best shape. It’s probably the most Palpatine had ever spoken in the movie. I was kind of hoarse, so I was worried about that, mainly because I had about four wind machines being driven at me in the scene where he’s turning into the monster,” he continued. “So I was a bit throaty, and we did it about 20 times on a Friday afternoon — not the best time to shoot when everyone wants to get off for the weekend. And, in addition to my throat and the fact it was late in the afternoon on a Friday, there was a birthday party for the first AD, and a man in a gold suit — i.e. Anthony Daniels — was busy getting the champagne ready just off the set on a trolley. Then at one point, a mobile phone went off and the person answered it. So all of that was going on just outside my vision. But oddly enough, when the pressure’s on, the concentration can be even more intense. In a strange way, it may have helped the scene.”
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith returned to theaters on April 25th for one week only. Theater chains hosting the anniversary screenings include AMC, Alamo Drafthouse, B&B, Cinemark, Fandango, Galaxy, Harkins, Marcus, Megaplex and Regal. Revenge of the Sith will be shown in multiple formats, including, for the first time, immersive and interactive 4DX. Per a press release, Revenge of the Sith‘s 4DX experience features “high-tech motion chairs that sync with over 21 effects, all designed to complement the narrative of the film,” from the film’s opening battle above Coruscant to the climactic clash between Anakin and Obi-Wan on the volcanic high grounds of Mustafar.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is now streaming on Disney+ and is playing in theaters from April 25 – May 2, ending its run just before Star Wars Day on May the Fourth. Let us know your thoughts on Palpatine and Darth Plagueis in the comments below!
