Emperor Palpatine actor teases possible Obi-Wan Kenobi appearance

We’re less than a month out from Obi-Wan Kenobi, the next Star Wars series set to premiere on Disney+. This one is getting a bit more hype than its predecessor The Book of Boba Fett, due in no small part to the fact that Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen are reprising their roles as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker from the prequel trilogy. The show will explore the period of darkness in the galaxy while the Empire is on the rise, Vader and his inquisitors are out hunting the last remnants of the Jedi, and Obi-Wan is getting his hermit game on among the sand dunes of Tatooine.

Given that Obi-Wan Kenobi is set around 10 years after Revenge of the Sith and will feature the return of some of the leads from the Star Wars prequel trilogy, fans are wondering who else might show up. This is a period of the Star Wars canon filled with familiar faces; we already know that Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse are returning as Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, and the list surely won’t end there.

LAS VEGAS – MAY 29: Actor Ian McDiarmid’s Emperor Palpatine character from the Star Wars series of films is shown on screen while musicians perform during “Star Wars: In Concert” at the Orleans Arena May 29, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The traveling production features a full symphony orchestra and choir playing music from all six of John Williams’ Star Wars scores synchronized with footage from the films displayed on a three-story-tall, HD LED screen. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Will Emperor Palpatine appear in Obi-Wan Kenobi?

The latest actor to stir the rumor mill is Ian McDiarmid, who played Emperor Palpatine in all three mainline Star Wars trilogies. Redditor hs1481 reported that while attending ICCCon in Nashville, McDiarmid dropped a fittingly cryptic hint about whether he’d be returning as the Emperor.

“There’s a certain show coming soon set right around the time I may have considered to be very active,” McDiarmid reportedly said. “Whether or not you will see my physical body, I cannot comment on. But you will certainly feel my presence.”

To be fair, Disney actually has a couple of shows coming down the pike that are set during the height of the Empire’s power: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, and season 2 of The Bad Batch. But if McDiarmid isn’t referring to Obi-Wan Kenobi here I’ll eat my hat. I don’t even own a hat, but I’ll buy one just to eat it.

Obi-Wan Kenobi will explore the evolving relationship between Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and his former master Obi-Wan, so it would make an awful lot of sense for Vader to consult his current master, Palpatine. And even if the Emperor doesn’t actually appear in the series, this is the time period where his totalitarian government is really stretching its legs, so feeling his “presence” is all but a given.

As McDiarmid said, however, even if he does appear in the show, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll see the actor in the flesh. The Emperor has appeared as a hologram in various films. The character’s first ever appearance in the saga was as a hooded hologram in The Empire Strikes Back. Might the Emperor’s appearance in Obi-Wan Kenobi mirror that early scene?

We’ll find out on May 27 when the first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi hit Disney+. After that, new episodes of the limited series will drop on Wednesdays.

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h/t Inverse

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