When it was revealed that the Emperor would be returning for the third and final film in the Sequel Trilogy, most thought he'd return as a ghost. That possibility is still distinct and much more likely than what the last shot of the trailer suggests, but still, it's worth noting how it looks as though a fully robed Palpatine is floating towards Rey in a new throne while Kylo watches on in disbelief.
Is this actually the Emperor in physical form? A clone body his spirit has inhabited? Or a hologram complete with a robe for added effect?
It's still impossible to tell at this stage, but Palpatine's inclusion in The Rise of Skywalker is shaping up to be one of the most fascinating things about the film. Alive or dead, everyone's sure happy to see him.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
