The great Emperor Palpatine returns as promised in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. So how’d he pull it off? Well, we’d be honored if you would join us while we break this down.
Full spoilers about The Rise of Skywalker continue below.
Sheev Palpatine is back to his old tricks in The Rise of Skywalker, but was he ever really gone? The film vaguely explains how Palpatine accomplished his grand comeback, but there have been clues sprinkled all over the Star Wars canon for years that hinted at his master plan to return and give the galaxy the business all over again.
The Dead Speak!
When Kylo Ren finds him early in the movie, the artist formerly known as Emperor Palpatine appears to be a reanimated version of his dead self. So it would seem that he didn’t survive his fall at the end of Return of the Jedi. Bummer.
Source: IGN.com Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – Palpatine's Return Explained