Star Wars 9 Rise of Skywalker: JJ Abrams CONFIRMS Palpatine return – But Sith Force ghost?

Yesterday, the Star Wars Episode IX panel took place at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago. Following interviews with the cast, Kathleen Kennedy and director Abrams, the latter announced the teaser trailer would debut. And right at the end of the stunning footage, fans could hear Emperor Palpatine’s familiar evil laugh as Luke Skywalker uttered, “No one’s ever really gone.” Darth Sidious star Ian McDiarmid then appeared on stage and said, in Palpatine’s creepy voice, “Roll it again.”

The shocking return of Palpatine was later confirmed by Abrams to Empire’s James Dyer, who attended the panel.

Dyer tweeted: “In case there’s any lingering ambiguity from the trailer (and McDiarmid’s appearance at the panel!), I can 100% confirm that Palpatine is back in The Rise Of Skywalker as I just asked JJ.

“He’s thrilled – and slightly incredulous- that McDiarmid’s presence on set didn’t leak.”

McDiarmid shared the Star Wars 9 trailer on Twitter, adding the caption: “The dark side is stronger than ever. #EpisodeIX”.

During an interview with Yahoo, Lucasfilm president Kennedy revealed that Palpatine’s return in the Star Wars sequel trilogy had been in the works for a while.

She said: “This has been in the blueprint for a long time, yeah.

“We had not landed on an exactly how we might do that, but yes, it was always [to be in Episode IX].

On working with McDiarmid in The Rise of Skywalker, Abrams said: “[It] was one of the most wonderful experiences I’ve ever had.”

Abrams added: “He’s, like, a breathtakingly good actor. It’s gonna be a lot of fun for audiences.

But just how will Palpatine return when Darth Vader’s threw him to his supposed death in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi?

Perhaps he’s a Sith Force ghost, as concept art for The Force Awakens revealed is now possible – or what about one of our other theories?

Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker is released in UK cinemas on December 19, 2019.