Emperor Palpatine wasn’t originally in The Rise of Skywalker

“Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen,” said Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) in Return of the Jedi. Of course, he didn’t foresee that an upstart Jedi Knight named Luke Skywalker would turn his father Darth Vader, nee Anakin Skywalker back to the Light, and together they’d defeat him…or maybe he did.

By now, it’s no secret that Palpatine is returning in some form to feature in the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. We don’t know if it’s the original Palps or a Force Ghost or a clone or what, but we know he’s back.

Empire Magazine recently spoke to Colin Trevorrow, the guy who was originally going to direct the final movie in the Skywalker Saga before Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy fired him and brought back J.J. Abrams to finish the trilogy. “I’m not sure anyone who chooses the creative life should expect things,” he said, reflecting on that experience. “But I’m grateful to JJ for embracing some of our ideas. It’s exciting that fans will get to see the moments that felt essential to all of us.”

Somewhat surprisingly, Trevorrow reveals that Palpatine was not part of his original script. “Bringing back the Emperor was an idea JJ brought to the table when he came on board,” he said. “It’s honestly something I never considered. I commend him for it. This was a tough story to unlock, and he found the key.”

Even though Abrams brought some new takes, Trevorrow and his writing partner Derek Connolly are still receiving writing credits on The Rise of Skywalker, so some of their stuff must have stuck around. Can Trevorrow reveal what ideas of his Abrams kept?

"That’s not my place, especially right now. I know how hard this crew has worked over the past two years, a lot of them are working with us now on [Jurassic World 3]. I want to support them as they put this film out into the world. In the end, I’m just proud to have my name in space."

Episode IX isn’t the only Star Wars movie Trevorrow had a hand in. He also asked The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson to include something in Episode XIII. “I just asked Rian if he could include a little moment where Rey and Poe meet for the first time,” he said. “They’re such beloved characters, it felt right for them to have some history in the next movie. I thought the way he did it was perfect.”

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The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters in less than a month, on December 20. Not long now, folks.

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