In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine rose from the dead when we learned that he had spent decades in a frail clone body plotting his return to power. Ultimately bested by Rey and Ben Solo, the villain's story finally appears to have ended, but that doesn't mean we've seen the last of him.
Talking during a panel at the Imperial Commissary Collectors Convention (via SFFGazette.com), actor Ian McDiarmid confirmed that he reprised the role for an upcoming Disney+ TV series.
"There’s a certain show coming soon set right around the time I may have considered to be very active," the actor teased, dropping quite the bombshell. "Whether or not you will see my physical body, I cannot comment on. But you will certainly feel my presence."
So, it doesn't sound like we'll necessarily see him as Palpatine, meaning this could be a voice cameo or something along those lines (unless he was just playing deliberately coy on a physical appearance). Either way, it seems highly likely that McDiarmid was talking about Obi-Wan Kenobi, especially as that series features Darth Vader and takes place at the height of the Emperor's power.
Andor is another possibility given its setting, of course, though with The Mandalorian teasing Moff Gideon's apparent role in cloning Palpatine, there's every chance he'll show up in season 3.
We're excited to find out, especially as more Palpatine would be no bad thing. The villain was handled poorly in The Rise of Skywalker, and could definitely do with being fleshed out the way he was in Star Wars Rebels. Hopefully, we'll have more concrete details to share with you soon.
In the meantime, keep checking SFFGazette.com for updates.
ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.