It’s taken five years, but a massive clue finally explains Palpatine’s resurrection inStar Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker.Star Warsmovies have often tended to drop viewers in on the middle of a story, but Palpatine’s return inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkeris perhaps the biggest example to date. His resurrection seemed to be hand-waved away with a simple “Somehow Palpatine returned,” a line of dialogue that’s become a popular meme.
In truth, of course, there were lots of clues to Palpatine’s resurrection. What’s more, ever since,Star Warscomics, 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 inThe Mandalorianseason 3, and its origin became the focus ofStar Wars: The Bad Batchseason 3. Now, though,I’ve spotted a subtle but unlikely clue that appears to have pulled all the threads together at last.
Star Wars Has Focused On Palpatine’s Cloning Experiments… But There’s Still More
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 was the point of immortality if he lost his power, after all?These experiments began shortly after the Empire was established, as seen inStar Wars: The Bad Batchseason 3, but they were discontinued due to the interference of Clone Force 99. TheImperial Shadow Councilreactivated Project Necromancer after Palpatine’s death.
The cloning experiments are only half the story.
The cloning experiments are fascinating, but they’re only half the story. Palpatine probably intended to jump into his new host body by using the forbidden dark sideForce powerof essence transfer (the same ability that would have allowed him to possess Rey if she’d killed him inThe Rise of Skywalker). But Palpatine died on Endor, only to be resurrected over five years later in the Unknown Regions. His spirit would have been lost in the netherworld of the Force.How did the Empire draw Palpatine’s spirit back?I’ve been asking this question for five years.
Why Exegol Was Key To The Emperor’s Resurrection
George Mann’sDark Legendsis a fantastic anthology, telling in-universe legends that are supposed to have their root in fact. One of these short stories reveals that Exegol is a legendaryplanet rich in the Force, a so-called “vergence” where the barrier between life and the Force netherworld is unusually thin. It’s important to note that, since then, the Sith mentioned in this specific tale have become well-established in canon, so it makes sense that Palpatine’s resurrection was only possible at Exegol.
Again, though, this answer has always seemed incomplete to me. There have been countlessSith Lords inStar Warscanon, and almost every single one of them sought to unlock the secret of immortality. That’s precisely why Exegol was so precious to the Sith, because they believed its power could be used to grant them eternal life. Butwhy had no Sith Lord before Palpatine managed to come back from the dead at Exegol?
We Finally Know How Palpatine’s Agents Summoned His Spirit
The answer, surprisingly, is found elsewhere - specifically at Darth Vader’s castle on Mustafar. Mustafar, too, is a planet steeped in the dark side of the Force, and Vader hoped 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-deadSith heretic named Darth Mominwho had learned how to use architecture to amplify the power of the Force.
I’ve always wondered how that worked. So I was particularly excited when DK Publishing revealed the cover of their upcoming (and updated) reissue ofStar Wars: Complete Locations, due out in May 2025. The cover shows the interior of Darth Vader’s Mustafarian fortress, and I was delighted to zoom in and spot an enormous chunk of kyber crystal - bled red, turned to the dark side - that was clearly the key to amplifying the dark side. And here’s the exciting thing:we already know Palpatine had an even larger chunk of kyber at Exegol.
Charles Soule’s latestDarth Vaderrun is set shortly before the events ofReturn of the Jedi, and it’s seen Vader discover the true power of Palpatine when he found his way to Exegol. There, he discovered the largest chunk of kyber he had ever seen, bled red and turned to the Emperor’s will - so powerful its mere presence almost overwhelmed him. This, then, is the likely explanation for the Emperor’s resurrection; his cultists used the kyber 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 Kyber After Palpatine’s Resurrection?
But what happened to all this kyber by the time ofThe Rise of Skywalker? After all, there’s no trace of it in the Exegol citadel when Kylo Ren and Rey enter it. Surprisingly, the movie itself answered this question, because it revealed 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 Warshas confirmed these use Death Star technology. As anyone who’s seenRogue One: A Star Wars Storyknows,kyber is the key to Death Star superlasers.
It’s so wonderfully in-character for Palpatine. The vast amount of kyber stored at 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 are coming together so well.
This Even Explains The Jedi Voices In The Rise Of Skywalker
Even more excitingly, though, this theory explains another mystery fromThe Rise of Skywalker:How Rey heard so many Jedi voices, even those of Jedi who had not known how to become Force Ghosts. They were somehow able to communicate with her from the netherworld of the Force, offering her counsel and guidance, their spirits empowering her to stand against Palpatine. I’d initially assumed this, too, was because Exegol is a Force vergence; but again, it felt unsatisfying, because it didn’t make sense that they hadn’t manifested countless times before.
Now, though, we have an answer. Palpatine was never likely to bother putting right the damage he and his agents had done; they had torn a hole in the veil between life and death to draw the Emperor’s spirit back, and they hadn’t bothered to fix it. At Exegol, the spirits of all past Jedi took their stand against the resurrected Emperor, helping Rey in the triumphant conclusion ofStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. At last, after five years, I think everything has finally come together in one cohesive theory.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
Cast
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker concludes the Skywalker saga with Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron leading the Resistance against the First Order. As the final battle unfolds, they draw upon the wisdom and strength of previous generations to confront their adversaries. Released in 2019, the film concludes the sequel trilogy.
