The Rise of Skywalker Novelization Reveals How Palpatine Returned

More than two months after its release, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker still has fans divided. But there doesn’t seem to be a more charged topic of conversation than the matter of Emperor Palpatine’s return. Some viewers were happy to see Ian McDiarmid back in the Star Wars saddle again. However, others believed his resurrection came out of nowhere and, because Darth Vader failed to kill him in Return of the Jedi, this effectively nullified Anakin Skywalker’s redemption. Some fans also took issue with the filmmakers’ decision not to explain how Palpatine came back in the first place. Fortunately, the movie’s official novelization aims to clear that up when it hits bookstores in a few weeks.

Via ScreenRant, Lucasfilm Publishing is selling advance copies of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s novelization at C2E2. And because we’re living in the age of social media, patrons at the Chicago convention are currently posting selections online. In her transcription of the film’s opening scene where Kylo Ren locates Palpatine’s fortress on Exegol, author Rae Carson reveals how the Sith Lord survived after being tossed down a reactor shaft right before the second Death Star was destroyed. Apparently, the answer is simple: his spirit took up residence in a clone body. You can take a look at this passage (courtesy of Twitter user Star Wars Theory) below.

Retweet this. PALPATINE WAS A CLONE IN RISE OF SKYWALKER according to an early copy of the episode 9 novelization. pic.twitter.com/00a6QoAcIK — Star Wars Theory (@SWTheory66) February 29, 2020

Needless to say, this explanation probably won’t do anything to silence The Rise of Skywalker’s most vocal critics. A few of the movie’s detractors have already complained that they shouldn’t have to buy any supplementary material in order to understand plot points that the film itself should have done a better job of explaining. This was the response to The Rise of Skywalker’s visual dictionary, which provided a few of its own answers to popular fan questions. Among other details, it offered further evidence to suggest that Jannah was actually Lando Calrissian’s long-lost daughter.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s novelization will arrive on March 17.

What do you make of the book’s explanation behind Palpatine’s resurgence? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!

Recommended Reading: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – The Visual Dictionary

