Star Wars: Emperor Palpatine Actor Weighs in on Plagueis Backstory Impacting Rise of Skywalker

Star Wars Celebration kicked off in Anaheim today and saw a bunch of Star Wars’ biggest names in attendance. Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen showed up to celebrate their upcoming return as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Ian McDiarmid, who has been playing Emperor Palpatine in the franchise since the original trilogy, was also at the con today and spoke about his character during a panel. While the actor hinted he won’t be appearing in Obi-Wan Kenobi, he did talk about his history. In Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine shares the story of Darth Plagueis with Anakin and the Sith Lord’s ability to prevent death. During Celebration, McDiarmid was asked about Plagueis and the Star Wars books and whether or not they had any influence on Palpatine’s recent return in The Rise of Skywalker. 

“I didn’t. I mean, they’re terrific books, I’ve looked into them and so on, I haven’t read them in full, but in terms of not wanting it to influence the character. Although I think quite a number of things that have been written about the character, not of George’s gestation or J.J.’s or any of the other writers involved, have come from the ideas that these original authors had. But I wanted just to have the material that I knew. And, of course, I thought about it a bit but I didn’t want to incorporate things that haven’t really been incorporated into the movies. I should probably add ‘yet’ to that, because all sorts of things may happen — no, I’m not hinting — in years to come,” McDiarmid shared. 

Earlier this month, McDiarmid did tease that his “presence” will be felt in an upcoming Star Wars series, and it was assumed he was speaking of Obi-Wan Kenobi. However, there are plenty of other Star Wars shows in the works, and you never know where some classic characters might reappear. 

“There’s a certain show coming soon set right around the time I may have considered to be very active. Whether or not you will see my physical body, I cannot comment on. But you will certainly feel my presence,” McDiarmid shared during the Imperial Commissary Collectors Convention (via Star Wars News Net).

Star Wars Celebration is currently taking place in Anaheim, California. McDiarmid will be available for photos and autographs during all four days of the convention. You can learn more details here.