In a surprising twist, Ian McDiarmid’s Star Wars character, Palpatine, returned in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. Speaking to Empire about his unexpected comeback, McDiarmid acknowledged how a “lot of people said it was ridiculous.” He also commented on Palpatine being Rey’s grandfather and whether or not Palpatine has sex.
He said it was obvious that Palpatine died at the end of Return of the Jedi, noting that George Lucas “thought he’d killed me, too.” However, director J.J. Abrams believed it would be a good idea to bring him back in The Rise of Skywalker. “I wasn’t going to argue with him,” McDiarmid said.
“I felt that Palpatine always had a plan B–probably a plan C, D, E, and F as well,” McDiarmid said. “And he was an expert in cloning, so…”
Also in the interview, McDiarmid discussed the Emperor’s oft-quoted “do it” line, saying fans should not read too far into this and take it as a reference to sex.
“Please don’t pursue that line too vigorously,” he said. “But yes, he does [have sex]. It’s a horrible idea to think of Palpatine having sex in any shape or form. But then, of course, perhaps he didn’t.”
Palpatine is eventually revealed to be the grandfather of Rey (Daisy Ridley). However, Rey’s father, Dathan, is a clone of the Emperor so Rey is not his genetic offspring.
“Maybe it’s all to do with midi-chlorians–and don’t ask me what those are,” McDiarmid said. “Never trust your granddaughter. That’s the T-shirt Palpatine got made. Shortly after his death.”
The Star Wars cinematic universe is set to expand with the next movie, The Mandalorian & Grogu in 2026. After that, we’re getting another movie featuring Ridley as Rey.
