Even Palpatine Himself Was Surprised By The Infamous Star Wars Episode IX Plot Twist
It seems that not only the audience was surprised by his return in Episode IX.
In addition to various announcements of new projects, Star Wars Celebration 2023, which took place in London last Friday, brought fans some panels with their favorite actors — as well as a chance to discuss all things Star Wars.
During one of them, Ian McDiarmid, who portrayed Supreme Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious, gave his perspective on the iconic villain's journey throughout the saga.
Recalling his first portrayal of the Sith Lord in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983), he said that each time his character returned to the screen, it was a surprise for the actor.
When Ian was brought back to play Palpatine in Episode I – The Phantom Menace, before he shed his disguise and became the Evil Emperor, McDiarmid didn't even know it was the same character until the first day of shooting.
Nevertheless, he did not disappoint, with fans citing his performance as one of the best in the often-criticized prequel trilogy.
With his charming facade, Sheev Palpatine managed to fool even those in the audience who were not as familiar with the character as more dedicated fans, making his transformation in Episode III one of the most powerful moments in the trilogy.
Regarding his highly controversial surprise return in Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, Ian had this to say:
"He had a plan B. And plan B was downstairs in the bowels of Exegol with this very sophisticated scientific team who are slowly giving him life.
And they'd been doing most of the work...they created a lot of Snokes before they got to this clone that Snoke became...and I was so stunned to find out when I arrived, that I'd been responsible for him and, in fact, every direct or in direct evil action in the whole of the saga, was my fault."
It seems that the whole plot twist was a bit ridiculous even for Ian, coming out of nowhere to take the place of Andy Serkis' Snoke.
Many fans were frustrated with such a sudden turn of events, which was only recently given some sort of foreshadowing in The Mandalorian TV series and the second season of The Bad Batch.
Fortunately, Serkis got a chance to show off his acting talent with the role of Kino Loy in the Andor TV series, sending shivers down fans' spines with a powerful monologue that was one of the best moments of the show's first season.