One of the longest serving members of the Star Wars franchise is Ian McDiarmid, who appeared in the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy as the man pulling the strings behind the series’ main Star Wars villain, Darth Vader. Somehow, Emperor Palpatine returned in the sequel trilogy too, and Rey (Daisy Ridley) was revealed to be his granddaughter.
Speaking at the ‘Villains of the Sequel Trilogy’ panel attended by The Digital Fix at Star Wars Celebration, McDiarmid said that he’s always paid attention to the fandom and their ideas for the universe full of beloved characters; “Fans have great ideas, and often I hope that’s going to happen. I’m sure Lucasfilm pays a lot of attention to that too.”
“And then, of course, there’s the whole literature side — the books. And of course, over the years, that’s developed into a whole series of films and television programmes, all of which are to do with the backstory or back world, in comparison with the Star Wars movies. But that sort of indicates the enormous richness of George’s original idea.”
Rey finally defeated Palpatine at the end of The Rise of Skywalker, but now that it’s been announced that more Star Wars movies are coming starring Ridley, it wouldn’t be a total shock if he is resurrected once again. Much like in the MCU and DCU, characters are rarely ever truly dead in Star Wars either.
Star Wars has existed entirely on Disney Plus since 2019, with the Star Wars series The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi (starring Ewan McGregor from the prequel trilogy) and Andor (a spin-off from 2016’s Rogue One). Upcoming series include Ahsoka (featuring a live-action version of a beloved animated character), Skeleton Crew, and The Acolyte. A Lando Calrissian series (potentially starring Donald Glover) has been rumoured for some time, and is reportedly in development.
Check out our guide to the best Star Wars characters.