Star Wars Actor Finally Addresses That Bizarre Palpatine Twist in Rise of Skywalker
Rey's father may technically be a clone, but that doesn't mean Emperor Palpatine was totally celibate, according to Star Wars actor Ian McDiarmid...
There’s no denying that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker certainly made some… interesting storytelling choices, especially with its main villain, who somehow returned to strike back at Rey and the Resistance. Not only does the movie reveal that Supreme Leader Snoke was just one of Emperor Palpatine’s clones all along, and that he’s been secretly preparing for the return of the true Empire and the Sith on Exegol, but we also get the biggest twist of all: Rey (Daisy Ridley) is his granddaughter.
The Emperor’s family tree is more complicated than that, though. Technically, Rey’s father, Dathan, is a failed clone of Palpatine rather than a biological child, but that hasn’t stopped fans from asking the big question: did the Emperor, in fact, have sex at some point during the saga? It’s a question that has haunted many, even if the answer is arguably to horrifying to truly ponder. Either way, actor Ian McDiarmid, Darth Sidious himself, has finally addressed the elephant in the room in an interview with Empire Magazine, and his answer does not disappoint.
“Please don’t pursue that line too vigorously,” he said when asked the question about his character’s more carnal urges before offering his take: “Yes, he does [have sex]. It’s a horrible idea to think of Palpatine having sex in any shape or form.” He unfortunately doesn’t commit to that stance, backtracking a bit for the second half of his answer. “But then, of course, perhaps he didn’t… Maybe it’s all to do with midi-chlorians – and don’t ask me what those are.”
Just tell us the truth, Ian!
The idea of Emperor Palpatine getting it on in his final form may be a “horrible idea,” as McDiarmid puts it, but this man was a politician for decades before becoming the shriveled Sith Lord that first fell to the Rebel Alliance. Sheev Palpatine convinced an entire galaxy to name him supreme chancellor and kept his true motives hidden from even the wisest Jedi Masters – obviously this man was a smooth talker who knew how to tell people exactly what they wanted to hear. Sure he seemed pretty focused on his plans to take over the entire galaxy, but what was he up to in his free time, when he wasn’t wearing the robes?
The reaction to this revelation has been somewhat mixed among Star Wars fans, as expected, but at least we now have someone on record suggesting Palpatine does indeed fuck.
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Brynna Arens (she/her) is a freelance writer who studies movies, TV, and pop culture through an intersectional feminist lens. She'll watch almost anything tbh, but it's…