Ian McDiarmid Talks About the ‘Star Wars’ Palpatine Show That Never Happened

Ian McDiarmid has played Emperor Palpatine for 42 years. He first appeared in Return of the Jedi in 1983 and has been part of the Star Wars saga ever since. In a new interview, McDiarmid talked about his long journey as the Emperor and a Star Wars show about Palpatine that never got made.

There was once talk about a series focused on Palpatine’s past. However, McDiarmid shared that he had never been told much about it. “Just the story of Darth Plagueis the Wise,” he said. “It’s fairly obvious that my character murdered Plagueis on his road to becoming Palpatine. But beyond that, no.”

McDiarmid explained that working with George Lucas meant you didn’t get many details about your character’s history. “With George, you didn’t discuss anything really. You turn up and you shoot,” he said. Lucas focused on casting the right actor and then letting them perform.

Even though the Palpatine series never happened, McDiarmid said he loved playing the character. In The Rise of Skywalker, Palpatine returned once again. Some fans did not like bringing him back, but McDiarmid felt it made sense. “This man who was horribly maimed thought maybe one day it might happen to him, and we’ve got to have a plan B,” he explained.

He also laughed about Palpatine’s unknown family history. In The Rise of Skywalker, Rey was revealed to be his granddaughter. When asked how Palpatine had children, McDiarmid said, “There was never any discussion of any of that. It was up to me to work it out in my head.”

Over the years, McDiarmid has become a legend to Star Wars fans. But he stays humble. “I went to a restaurant up in Scotland, and I asked for a table. The man said, ‘I just never expected the emperor of the universe to walk into our restaurant.’ So that was amusing. It’s absurd,” he said.

Though the Palpatine show was never made, McDiarmid is proud to have played one of the greatest villains in movie history. “Playing the role has been a tremendous pleasure, all thanks to George — to be part of the first giant story told on film,” he said.

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