However controversial it may have been, the worst Star Wars movies, if not the single worst.
There were myriad Emperor Palpatine's resurrection. After he very clearly died in Return of the Jedi and had seemingly no role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens or Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Palpatine made a shocking (and rather confusing) return as the main villain in The Rise of Skywalker. The narrative holes with this plot twist aside, Palpatine's resurrection proved that one of the most fundamental beliefs of the Sith was incorrect the whole time.
The Sith Believe There Is Nothing After Death
This Is Why The Sith (Including Palpatine) Are So Obsessed With Immortality
One of the most significant differences between the Jedi and the Sith is their relationship with life, death, and immortality. One of the Star Wars is the ability to become a Force Ghost, but that power (at least that has been shown in canon so far) is solely achievable by the Jedi, as it can only be done in connection with the light side of the Force. There are now many Star Wars characters who have become Force Ghosts, including Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and others.
Jedi Force Ghosts Explained: Origin, Powers, Meaning & All Canon Reveals
Force Ghosts have been part of Star Wars lore since Obi-Wan's death in A New Hope - and canon has revealed a lot about how they really work.
Yet, unlike the Jedi, who actually do have this power and therefore can experience immortality, the Sith believe that there is nothing after death. During an interview with IGN, George Lucas' protégé and current Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm Dave Filoni explained this exact concept:
"Yeah, I think that’s pretty literal at that point. I think that what you understand about Maul is that he is still not nearly as powerful as Sidious. Perhaps in his time away and his own ambition, like a villain, he got carried away with himself. He’s not offering proper respect to his master, Sidious, and he’s going to pay the price for that. I think the Sith are all wrapped up in their own fear and their own anger. They don’t want to die because they think there’s nothing beyond death. I think it’s one of those moments where he really wonders if he’s going to die now, which is the worst thing that can happen to someone on the Dark Side because they don’t believe there is anything for them beyond it. Whereas the Jedi like to believe they become part of the cosmic Force, the Sith think they just slip off into the oblivion and that’s it, it’s over. So that is a big moment for Maul. Interestingly enough, we don’t just chop his head off. We kill just about everybody else, but not Maul."
This explains why the Sith, Palpatine included, became so obsessed with immortality, but Palpatine's resurrection has proven that the Sith had this all wrong.
Palpatine REALLY Died In Return Of The Jedi
Palpatine Was Truly Dead For Years
When Palpatine returned in The Rise of Skywalker, it was only minimally explained. In fact, in the movie, Poe Dameron famously said, "Somehow, Palpatine returned." Although there were comments mumbled about cloning, the movie did very little to provide a concrete explanation for how this incredible feat was accomplished. This left many to speculate about how exactly this had happened, including the timeline of his resurrection and cloning plans.
Initially, the prevailing theory was that, immediately following his death in Return of the Jedi, Palpatine's spirit was able to go directly into a clone body. Yet, Star Wars has since confirmed that Project Necromancer was in the works five years later. This means that Palpatine was really dead for at least five years following Return of the Jedi, and he was eventually brought back via this mysterious cloning technology. This therefore has fascinating implications for how life, death, and immortality actually work for the Sith—and suggests they had it all wrong.
The Sith Were Wrong All Along... But The Truth Is Even Worse
Star Wars Had Its Very Own Version Of Hell
Clearly, it wasn't true that there is nothing after death for the Sith, as Palpatine's soul was able to be brought back more than five years after his true death in Return of the Jedi. This suggests that Palpatine's soul must have gone somewhere, and it very likely was so much worse than the Sith's belief that there is nothing after death. Specifically, Star Wars has its very own version of Hell, called Chaos, and that is presumably exactly where Palpatine's spirit initially ended up.
It wasn't true that there is nothing after death for the Sith, as Palpatine's soul was able to be brought back more than five years after his true death in Return of the Jedi.
Chaos was initially introduced in Star Wars Legends, which described how horrifying this version of Hell was. Also known as "the Void," Chaos was said to contain the souls of all the fallen Dark Lords of the Sith, and it was inescapable, contained within six impenetrable gates. Like the real-life version of Hell, Chaos was known to torment the souls trapped within it, leaving them suffering for eternity.
Two Years Ago, Star Wars Secretly Revealed Palpatine's Return Was WAY Darker Than We Thought
Thanks to dark science and cloning, Emperor Palpatine cheated death, but the Star Wars TV shows made his return darker with a single line.
While "Chaos" hasn't been explicitly named or described in this way in Star Wars canon yet, at least on screen, there are many nods towards Star Wars' version of Hell. For one, multiple characters have made mention of 'Hell,' including Mae in The Acolyte and Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back. Given that, it seems safe to assume that the Sith had it all wrong in Star Wars, and that, as his resurrection in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker suggests, Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious' soul had actually gone to Hell following his death in Return of the Jedi.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
- Release Date
- December 18, 2019
- Runtime
- 142 minutes
- Director
- J.J. Abrams
Cast
General Leia Organa
Luke Skywalker
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Chris Terrio
- Producers
- Callum Greene, Jason McGatlin, Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan
Your comment has not been saved