One of the characters at the very center of the Skywalker saga “pulling all the strings” from the shadows, it was almost inevitable for Sheev Palpatine to return in its capstone movie Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Whether fans agreed or disagreed with the reasoning behind his presence, there wasn’t any doubt that it was a highlight of the movie. Watching Ian McDiarmid once again inhabit a character he’d been playing since the early ’80s in Return of the Jedi and right up through the Prequel Trilogy was one of the most assuring things in an otherwise divisive entry.
Palpatine seemed to meet his final demise during the climactic battle with Rey, but that hasn’t stopped fans from wondering if it was truly the last time they would see the powerful Sith in the Star Wars franchise. After all, in the words of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, “No one’s ever really gone.” These fan theories ruminate on Palpatine’s destiny after Episode IX.
He Could Appear In Acolyte Or Another Disney+ Series
Disney plans on releasing several new Star Wars series onto its streaming platform over the next couple of years, including one focused almost exclusively on the Sith called Acolyte. While purportedly a female-centric series, other known Sith could appear as tertiary characters.
There’s been some discussion surrounding if any big names in the Sith Order will surface, especially given the time period the series takes place in. Many fans want to see a young Palpatine learning from Darth Plagueis, and the basis for the tale of Darth Plagueis The Wise. It’s also just as likely he could appear in The Mandalorian leading up to the events in The Rise of Skywalker.
He Could Appear In Rian Johnson’s Planned Trilogy
There have been many starts and stops to Rian Johnson’s upcoming Star Wars trilogy, but it’s currently still planned to be released through Disney in the coming years. While fans haven’t found out what characters or events will be the focus of its plot, there’s chatter that it could involve a certain Sith lord in his formative years.
A theory from Redditor Barkle11 suggests it could involve an era before the Prequel Trilogy, perhaps concerning a young Count Dooku training Qui-Gon Jinn, or a young Sheev Palpatine beginning to lay the plans for his grand takeover of the galaxy and the return of the Sith Order.
His Death Could Be Fixed In The Comics
While Palpatine may have been killed off in The Rise of Skywalker, some fans like Redditor Electricboa believe that Palpatine could be resurrected in the comics to be given a proper send-off that’s part of a course-correct for the movie, and one that includes the presence of Anakin Skywalker, the original Chosen One meant to fulfill the prophecy.
For many fans, the absence of Anakin in the Sequel Trilogy, especially as a Force Ghost, was sacrilegious. Given Kylo Ren’s obsession with Darth Vader, it only made sense that Anakin could have appeared to him on several occasions, or intervened with Rey during her climactic duel with Palpatine on Exegol.
He Possessed Rey
When Obi-Wan Kenobi famously warned Darth Vader, “If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine,” the old Jedi Master opened up the concept that there were strange aspects to killing a Force user, such as a transference of energies from one to another.
Sheev instructed Rey to strike him down with her lightsaber, as part of a solemn ritual that would allow him to use her body as a vessel for all the Sith. Knowing what that would entail, Rey resisted his proposal, only to go back on her better instincts and dispose of him anyway. This had led to a discussion that implies Palpatine could have possessed her in the ultimate victory, living on under her new assumed alias of Rey Skywalker.
He Could Replace The Final Order With Something Else
The Empire has proven resilient, and from the ashes of the Emperor’s Final Order, another Empire could rise again. Once again, Palpatine could return to helm a different sort of totalitarian government, even if it doesn’t look exactly the way the Empire has looked before
Redditor Cl0ake suggests that given that the galaxy is “right back where it started after the Battle of Endor” in the Sequel Trilogy, Palpatine could have another version of himself somewhere else, building another fleet and preparing to dominate the galaxy yet again.
He Could Come Back Younger
It’s possible that the next Palpatine seen will resemble something from Star Wars: Dark Empire, a series of comic books that debuted nearly a decade before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was released. Part of Star Wars Legends, it involved Luke Skywalker coming across a youthful version of Emperor Palpatine on the mysterious planet Byss.
This Palpatine had dozens of bodies at his disposal to use as vessels for his resurrection, and he explained that he’d died “many times,” with his recent demise on the second Death Star just one known occasion. With the death of that body, a new cloned one was activated, perpetuating a seemingly endless cycle.
He Could Inhabit An Object
While Palpatine used an organic life form in his resurrection, he could just as easily have used something else. In Star Wars Legends, Sith lords obsessed with immortality would frequently look for whatever they could to achieve it, even if that meant channeling their essence into an inanimate object.
In comics like Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith, it’s clear that Sith can achieve immortality by imprinting their consciousness to objects, even if they aren’t alive physically. Redditor UnfavorableSpiderFan postulates that Palpatine’s essence could still be trapped somewhere in the rubble of his throne on Exegol.
He Had Other Locations Where He Transferred His Essence
As the official novelization of The Rise of Skywalker explains, Palpatine used the Sith ability of Force essence transference when he was hurtled down the Death Star’s reactor shaft in Return of the Jedi, allowing him to project his life force into a cloned body on Exegol. The body seen is his desperate attempt at retaining his power in the galaxy, brittle and deteriorating.
While his primary vessel was shown to be on Exegol, he could just as easily have been sent somewhere else. When that body was destroyed by Rey using the combined essence of all the Jedi, she may not have destroyed the only Palpatine in existence.
His Soul Is Floating Somewhere In The Galaxy
Absent a corporeal vessel to inhabit, such as a Snoke abomination, or Rey Skywalker, Palpatine’s “soul” or life-force would have nowhere to go. Unlike the Jedi, the Sith didn’t want to become one with the Force and transform into a Force ghost when their time in the physical plane was finished.
Redditor Atalkingpizzabox posits that Palpatine is still alive after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker but powerless, unable to inhabit a clone body or any other Force-sensitive individual. His inability to possess a body doesn’t make him less of a threat, however, as Sith lords were known to try to inhabit unsuspecting visitors to their final resting places in Star Wars Legends.
He’ll Return Once Again Because Balance Wasn’t Achieved
A prominent debate in the Star Wars fandom community centers around whether or not Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, or really any Skywalker has ever “brought balance to the Force” as they have been told they would. Balance may not even be possible with the absence of complete evil.
Palpatine may return using an entirely different aspect of Sith alchemy, on yet another secret Sith world, because many fans think the Prophecy of the Chosen One was inherently flawed and he could be inhabiting a different clone body because balance in the Force means he can never die. This means he could just be endlessly resurrected as a different Sith entity, thus perpetuating the hero myth of another Chosen One trying to defeat him and bring balance to the Force.
