Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker saw the much-hyped reappearance of Emperor Palpatine, but how exactly the Sith Lord returned is what's confusing to many viewers. Also known as Darth Sidious, Emperor Palpatine served as the overarching villain of George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy. Though Darth Vader took center stage in the original films and enjoyed a more iconic status in popular culture, The Emperor was very much the true mastermind. Played by Ian McDiarmid, The Emperor was first referenced by Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars. The character then appeared in the form of a hologram in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back before appearing fully in the concluding chapter, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
McDiarmid went on to reprise the role in Lucas' prequel trilogy. Set in the years before the emergence of the Empire, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace fleshed out the villain's origin story. Though first emerging as a humble Galactic Senator, the full scope of his machinations were further unfurled in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and then came into fruition in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Palpatine had a number of apprentices across the prequel trilogy, but it was his manipulation of Anakin Skywalker that truly allowed him to seize control. Promising Anakin a way to save Padmé Amidala's life, Palpatine anointed him Darth Vader and had him all but wipe out the entire Jedi order.
Emperor Palpatine's reign came to a dramatic end when Luke Skywalker confronted him aboard the second Death Star. Refusing to kill either of his enemies, Luke instead appealed to the good he still sensed within Darth Vader. The gambit paid off with Vader allowed himself to be pulled back to the light. Saving Luke from being ravaged by the Emperor's force lightning, Vader threw his former master into a reactor and to his seeming death. It was revealed, however, that the rumors of the Emperor's death were greatly exaggerated. Emperor Palpatine returned in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as the final villain of the Skywalker saga. But he wasn't himself, as he did die after Return of the Jedi. How he managed to return is what's curious.
What Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Reveals About Palpatine's Return
Unfortunately, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker revealed precious little about Palpatine's return. Star Wars' newest opening crawl announced that Palpatine is already known by people as being back. As a result, the film opens with both sides of the conflict attempting to ascertain Palpatine's whereabouts. Having found a Sith wayfinder, Kylo Ren tracked Palpatine to Exegol. Once there, Palpatine again does little to clarify how he survived the fall into the reactor or how he spent decades undetected. He does, however, confirm that Snoke had been little more than a clone puppet through which he spoke. Similarly, he had used both Snoke and Darth Vader's voice to turn Ben Solo into Kylo Ren.
Palpatine's Return Explained (By Star Wars Canon)
Though many were surprised by the idea of Palpatine's return, many elements of the story have often signposted it. In Lucas' prequel trilogy, Palpatine told Anakin of Darth Plagueis the Wise - a powerful Sith Lord who had achieved mastery over life and death. Though Darth Plagueis was ultimately betrayed by his apprentice and murdered in his sleep, it was implied that the methods of cheating death lived on. Ever since then, fans have speculated that Palpatine himself was the apprentice. As such, he would have had the dark side tools to ensure his survival or, at least, his resurrection. Given that Palpatine was shown in expanded material to be obsessed with conquering death, however, it would appear that Darth Plagueis had merely been an inspiration rather than a direct mentor.
One of the canon ways Palpatine sought to achieve immortality was through scientific means - specifically cloning. Given that Palpatine successfully created Snoke through such methods, it tracks that he may have been successful in transferring his consciousness into a clone of himself. In the old expanded universe, Palpatine already had many such spare bodies. Though Disney has largely disregarded that extended universe, it's still possible that J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio took inspiration from them when writing The Rise of Skywalker.
More in line with the style of the Star Wars franchise, however, would be that Force-related means were utilized. In that regard, there are numerous methods that Palpatine could have used. In Star Wars Rebels, it was established between the releases of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker that it was possible to access the world between worlds. Ezra Bridger was able to use the Force to do just that. Once there, a number of opportunities presented itself from the new realm, including seeing and interacting with the world across time. Palpatine was established as being aware of the realm, even once setting a trap there for Ezra. As such, it could be that Palpatine was able to access the world between worlds in order to escape death and venture to another point in time. And, from there, he could secretly build the First Order from the ashes of his Empire.
Equally, it was established in Chuck Wendig's Aftermath trilogy that some of Palpatine's followers believed that he was destined to return. With an advisor named Yupe Tashu leading the charge, some kind of ceremony was conducted in pursuit of that prophecy. Using a Holocron and a Sith mask belonging to Darth Momin - who himself had apparently returned from the dead - sacrifices were made. Following the ceremony, Yupe Tashu even stated that they would find their former master out there in the dark. The words more than echo the Unknown Regions and the hidden planet on which Kylo Ren first discovered Palpatine. Equally, this possibility would also lend itself to Palpatine's initially weakened state. Whatever the case, the signs are there that Palpatine's return might have been in motion the entire time.
Palpatine's Master Plan In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Palpatine's grand scheme in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is at once simplistic and oddly conflicting. On one hand, the former Emperor wants what he has always wanted: unlimited power. And to rule absolutely and unchallenged across the entire galaxy. To that end, it was revealed that Emperor Palpatine had a whole fleet of Star Destroyers. Whether these vessels were built during his reign as a failsafe or while he was in exile remains unclear. If it was the latter, that poses a whole range of new questions - especially as Palpatine didn't have the army needed to man and pilot them. Whatever the case, Palpatine's goal was clear: to unveil himself as the true architect of the First Order and establish a new, official Galactic Empire.
The other element of Palpatine's plan centered on Rey. New details revealed that Rey was Palpatine's granddaughter and that he'd previously tried to kill her. In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, however, Palpatine seemingly wanted Rey brought to him alive. Though he tasked Kylo Ren with doing so, Rey continuously escaped his grasp. The fledgling Jedi ultimately went to Palpatine of her own free will, intending to destroy him. Palpatine encouraged her to do so, to strike him down and assume her role as Empress Palpatine. This way, he and the rest of the Sith could live on within her. Rey refrained long enough for Ben Solo to return. Once they were together, Palpatine revealed that Ben and Rey were part of a Force Dyad. Stronger together than apart, Palpatine exploited their union to siphon the Force from them and into himself. The process began to restore him to his full, horrific glory. In the end, Palpatine wanted the Sith to live on, whether in himself or in Rey.
Did Palpatine Survive Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker?
The most obvious answer would be no. When Rey deflected the Emperor's energy back upon him, the resulting blast assuredly decimated her grandfather. Rey herself succumbed to the effects of the blast, seemingly sacrificing her life in service to the galaxy's continued freedom. It was only when the newly redeemed Ben Solo made it back to the scene was Rey able to survive. Returning Rey's earlier favor, Ben used his force energy to heal Rey. The act ultimately cost Ben his own life as, following a kiss from Rey, he joined the rest of the Skywalker family. Given the sheer effort that it took to resurrect Rey, it's highly likely that Palpatine was killed once and for all. Especially since there was nobody around to even attempt coming to the fallen Emperor's aid.
Then again, there was a time that Palpatine's death in Return of the Jedi seemed absolute and final. The fact Palpatine survived once leaves the door open for any number of returns. After all, it's repeatedly been proven that anything can happen in the world of Star Wars. Like Luke Skywalker himself said, nobody is ever truly gone and the extended canon is full of other ways for characters to return from seeming death. Furthermore, with all of the Sith living on inside Palpatine, it's certainly possible that their combined strength would be able to retain Palpatine's spirit. As such, there's always a chance that Emperor Palpatine may one day return to further torment the galaxy and a brave band of heroes. With plans for what comes next for the intergalactic saga still being decided by Disney, however, all fans can do is enjoy Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in its own right and speculate furiously until a companion novel potentially fills the gaps.