Star Wars Cutting The Sequels’ Plan For Palpatine Looks Even Better Now

Emperor Palpatine returned in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker but, somehow, things could’ve been worse for that story. After the backlash to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Lucasfilm entered fan-service mode to end the Skywalker Saga. J.J. Abrams returned to the franchise and brought the Sith Lord with him, revealing how he had continued to influence galactic events – and Ben Solo’s life – despite his apparent death in Return of the Jedi. It was also revealed that Rey is Palpatine’s granddaughter; her father is a failed clone of the Emperor.

Those were just some of the decisions that led to The Rise of Skywalker being negatively received (it has 51% on Rotten Tomatoes), and it remains the most recent new Star Wars movie to hit theaters. That’s going to change in the next couple of years – first with The Mandalorian and Grogu in 2026, followed by Star Wars: Starfighter in 2027 – and the future plans only highlight how Palpatine’s return could’ve been more damaging. Most recently, it was reported that Matt Smith will play the villain in Starfighter, meaning he’ll get to face off with Ryan Gosling’s new hero. However, that wouldn’t have been possible if other plans for Palpatine had happened.

Matt Smith Was Rumored To Play Palpatine In The Rise of Skywalker

Smith’s casting in The Rise of Skywaker was first reported by Deadline back in August 2018, leading to one of the most mysterious parts of Star Wars’ sequel trilogy. Smith’s casting was never officially confirmed by Lucasfilm, but he was added to a cast list on Disney’s UK website in April 2019, before being removed a month later.

Rumors at the time claimed Smith would play Palpatine in a final duel with Rey and Kylo Ren; the actor initially denied his involvement, but in subsequent years confirmed he would’ve played a “transformative” part [via the Happy Sad Confused podcast], and played coy when asked if he was indeed supposed to have played a younger Palpatine.

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Some reports suggested that Smith would’ve been a character whose body was simply a host vessel for Palpatine. Other theories included Palpatine being de-aged by his power, such as when he uses Force drain on Rey and Kylo. Whatever the specifics, it seems pretty likely that the former Doctor Who star was set to play some version of Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker, before plans changed and he was cut from the movie.

A Younger Palpatine Would Have Been A Mistake

It’s difficult to fix Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, because a big part of the problem is his emergence in the movie with no direct setup from Star Wars: The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi. When it comes to Smith’s role, as great an actor as he is, it’s hard to imagine a younger version of Palpatine making things any better.

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If the Emperor had to return, then it was right for Ian McDiarmid to reprise the role, which at least offers a sense of tying together the entire Skywalker Saga – albeit that was an idea better in theory than its execution – and honors just how iconic he was in the part over the decades. Adding Smith-as-Palpatine into the mix, either alongside or instead of McDiarmid, would’ve just made things even more convoluted and been yet another controversial element.

Starfighter Makes It Even Better That Matt Smith Never Played Palpatine

Smith, as he’s shown in projects like House of the Dragon, Last Night in Soho, and, in a way, The Crown, excels at characters with a dark side, which should mean he’s perfect for a Star Wars villain. He’s shown he can be chilling and rageful, yet there’s always a complexity to them as well, and so it’s exciting to have him going against Gosling in Starfighter. That almost certainly wouldn’t have been possible had he played Emperor Palpatine six years ago (and assuming this villain isn’t Palps coming back again!).

Star Wars needs more new villains. It can’t just keep relying on bringing out Palpatine, Darth Vader, and Maul, as great as those characters are (and as much as Disney seemingly wants to test that theory), nor characters who simply feel like retreads of them. Whatever form of villain Smith takes in Starfighter – which is a little hard to predict, with plot details under wraps and an unexplored part of the timeline (it takes place a few years after The Rise of Skywalker) – he can hopefully deliver a fantastic new big screen bad guy, something that’s long overdue in a galaxy far, far away.

The Mandalorian and Grogu will release on May 22nd, 2026. Star Wars: Starfighter flies into theaters on May 28th, 2027.