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Ian McDiarmid says Emperor Palpatine is coming back… soon

May 3rd, 2022 by Marc Comments


While we’re all pacing the floor for the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series, not to mention the Cassian Andor show, one thing we do know is that both shows, taking place before the original Star Wars trilogy has the evil Emperor Sheev Palpatine lurking in the background, plotting, scheming and twisting Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader ever more towards the Dark Side.

And, with that knowledge, we have been wondering if perhaps we’ll see him in either show and honestly, my rationale behind this was that, if they have told us Hayden Christensen was returning as Vader, then why would they bother hiding Ian McDiarmid’s presence as Palpatine?

Well, it seems they may have done just that and we may be seeing him return fairly soon.

Appearing at the Imperial Commissary Collectors Convention, McDiarmid told fans that they should be prepared because he’s coming back… soon.

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

Hmmmmm… what could he mean by this?

We know that the Andor series will take place five years before the beginning of A New Hope and the end of Rogue One, while Kenobi takes place less than a decade after Revenge of the Sith, so not only is Palpatine around in both, he’s at his absolute peak power and he has his ultimate soldier, Darth Vader, scouring the universe and doing his bidding, so his appearance in either or both is definitely something we could imagine happening.

In February (here) McDiarmid said that he was set to re-appear in the near future too, commenting: “I think I have to accept that, thanks to my ungrateful granddaughter [Rey Skywalker], my annihilation was finally final. [But] of course, Vader is back in the new [Obi-Wan Kenobi] television series, so I suppose it’s not impossible that one day his mentor might be discovered once again skulking in the shadows.”

Add to this that in recent days Rupert Friend, who plays the Grand Inquisitor in Kenobi, said the show would be a joy for fans of the season and that there would be lots of familiar faces: “wonderful cameos from people I obviously can’t tell you, easter eggs galore.”

Oh, man, will Vader and Palpatine appear onscreen together again in the next few weeks? Or maybe the next few months when Andor arrives in August? There’s no way of knowing for now… but isn’t that where the real fun lies? You know it is…

Obi-Wan Kenobi begins 10 years after the dramatic events of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith” where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader. The series stars Ewan McGregor, reprising his role as the iconic Jedi Master, and also marks the return of Hayden Christensen in the role of Darth Vader.

Joining the cast are Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell and Benny Safdie. “Obi-Wan Kenobi” is directed by Deborah Chow and executive-produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Deborah Chow, Ewan McGregor and Joby Harold

Obi-Wan Kenobi arrives on May 25th 27th on Disney+.

Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….