It took five years, but a massive clue finally explained Palpatine’s resurrection Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker
. Star Wars Movies often tend to drop viewers in the middle of a story, but Palpatine’s return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is perhaps the greatest example to date. His resurrection seemed to be hand-waved off with a simple “Really Palpatine has returned,” a line of dialogue that became a popular meme.
In truth, of course, there were a lot of clues to Palpatine’s resurrection. What’s more, since then, Star Wars Comics, novels and even TV shows have enjoyed exploring the story of how the Emperor came back from the dead. The so-called “Project Necromancer” was name-dropped in The Mandalorian Season 3, and its beginning became the focus of Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3. Now, however, I saw a subtle but unlikely clue that seems to have pulled all the threads together.
Star Wars focused on Palpatine’s cloning experiments…but there’s more to it
So far, the focus has really been on the pseudo-science of cloning force-sensitives. Project Necromancer was all about creating a clone body for the Emperor, but naturally Palpatine wanted it to be strong in the Force; What’s the point of immortality if he lost his power, after all? The experiments began shortly after the empire was founded, as seen in Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3, but they were discontinued due to the interference of Clone Force 99. The Imperial Shadow Council reactivated Project Necromancer after Palpatine’s death.
The cloning experiments are only half the story.
The cloning experiments are fascinating, but they are only half the story. Palpatine probably intended to jump into his new host’s body by using the forbidden Dark Side Force power of essence transfer (the same ability that would have allowed him to possess Rey if she had killed him in The Rise of Skywalker). But Palpatine died on Endor, only to be resurrected over five years later in the Unknown Regions. His spirit would be lost in the netherworld of the Force. How did the Empire retrieve Palpatine’s spirit? I have been asking this question for five years.
Why Exegol was key to the Emperor’s resurrection
George Mann Dark legends is a fantasy anthology, telling in-universe legends that are supposed to have their roots in reality. One of the short stories reveals that Exegol is a legendary planet rich in the Force, a so-called “vergence” where the barrier between life and the Force netherworld is unusually thin. It is important to note that since then, the Sith mentioned in this specific story have become well-established in canon, so it makes sense that Palpatine’s resurrection was only possible in Exegol.
Again, however, this answer has always been incomplete to me. There were countless Sith Lords in Star Wars Canon, and almost every one of them sought to unlock the secret of immortality. This is precisely why Exegol was so dear to the Sith, as they believed that its power could be used to grant them eternal life. But Why did no Sith Lord before Palpatine manage to come back from the dead in Exegol?
We finally know how Palpatine’s agents summoned his spirit
The answer, surprisingly, is found elsewhere – specifically in Darth Vader’s castle on Mustafar. Mustafar, too, is a planet steeped in the dark side of the Force, and Vader hopes to use the power of a Force vergence there to tear through the veil between life and death and bring back his beloved Padmé. Palpatine provided him with a tool to help, the helmet of a long-dead Sith heretic named Darth Momin who had learned how to use architecture to increase the power of the Force.
I’ve always wondered how that works. So I was particularly excited when DK Publishing revealed the cover of their upcoming (and updated) reissue of Star Wars: Complete LocationsDue out in May 2025. The cover shows the interior of Darth Vader’s Mustafarian fortress, and I was delighted to zoom in and see a huge piece of kyber crystal – blurred red, turned to the dark side – which was clearly the key to Amplifying the dark side. And here’s the exciting thing: We already know that Palpatine has an even bigger chunk of money in Exegol.
The Last of Charles Soule Darth Vader Flow is set shortly before the events of Return of the JediAnd Vader was seen discovering Palpatine’s true power when he found his way to Exegol. There he discovered the largest piece of cedar he had ever seen, bleeding red and turning to the Emperor’s will – so strong that its presence almost overwhelmed him. This is then the possible explanation of the emperor’s uprising; His cultists used the quiver to amplify the dark side at the Force vergence of Exegol, successfully tearing apart the veil and allowing Palpatine’s spirit to return.
What happened to the caves after Palpatine’s resurrection?
But what happened to all this Kiber by the time of The Rise of Skywalker? After all, there is no trace of it in the Exegole Citadel when Kylo Ren and Rey enter it. Surprisingly, the movie itself answered that question, as it revealed that the Emperor had assembled a vast fleet of Xyston-class Imperial Star Destroyers – equipped with superlasers capable of destroying entire planets. After some initial confusion, Star Wars Has confirmed the use of Death Star technology. Like anyone who’s seen Rogue One: A Star Wars Story know, Cyber ​​is the key to Death Star superlasers.
It’s so wonderfully in-character for Palpatine. The vast amount of copper stored in Exegol was first used to draw his spirit back from the dead, and then was torn apart and used to power the weapons of his massive fleet. All the pieces come together so well.
This even explains the Jedi voices in The Rise of Skywalker
Even more exciting, however, this theory explains another mystery The Rise of Skywalker: How Rey heard so many Jedi voicesEven the Jedi who didn’t know how to become Force Ghosts. They are somehow able to communicate with her from the netherworld of the Force, offering her advice and guidance, their spirits empowering her to stand against Palpatine. I’d initially assumed that this, too, was because Exegol is a Force Vergence; But again, it felt unsatisfying, because it didn’t make sense that they hadn’t appeared countless times before.
Now, however, we have an answer. Palpatine is never likely to bother to repair the damage he and his agents have done; They tore a hole in the barrier between life and death in order to withdraw the emperor’s spirit, and they didn’t need to fix it. In Exegol, the spirits of all past Jedi took their stand against the resurrected Emperor, aiding Rey in the triumphant conclusion of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Finally, after five years, I think that everything has finally come together in one coexistence theory.