The latest poster for new poster for Star Wars 9 at the D23 fan expo; where most Star Wars posters are a montage of different heads, this one was a suspenseful image of a dueling Rey and Kylo Ren overshadowed by the Emperor's visage.
This is actually the first official look viewers have had of the Emperor in the Sequel Trilogy; while Palpatine's voice has been heard in the trailers, his face has yet to be seen. Attention initially focused on the fact Hot Toys Palpatine action figure. But, in all the excitement over the Emperor's face, one important detail has been missed.
The center of the poster is a dazzling flare of blue light, with Rey stood at one side of the energy burst and Kylo Ren at the other, and with streams of blue fire heading up towards the Emperor's face. It's a very familiar effect, eerily reminiscent of the blast of Force energy released when Palpatine apparently died in a chunk of Death Star wreckage, as shown in the latest Star Wars 9 trailer. That suggests the similarity is no coincidence, and the two energy releases are somehow connected.
Lucasfilm has confirmed they had a lot more of the Sequel Trilogy originally planned out than many viewers believed - and they'd always Star Wars Rebels; there, Ezra gained access to a mysterious realm called the World Between Worlds, that could be used to transcend time and space. The Emperor was eager to access the World Between Worlds, but was blocked from doing so.
At this stage, it's impossible to say what the blue flare of light really means; it could be connected to the World Between Worlds, but it could also be linked to Nightsister magic, which the Emperor trained in. Whatever the truth may be, though, that mysterious burst of energy seems to link the Emperor's death with his return - and that means it's probably important.
