Another day, another Star Wars rumor. The galaxy far, far away generally keeps its cards close to the chest, with the generations of fans often attempting to fill in the blanks before each big release. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is just a few months away, and anticipation for the sequel has never been higher. Because so few trailers and footage have been released, the fandom is trying to glean the plot from the film's merchandise, and the latest rumor came courtesy of a Lego set with Snoke's Star Destroyer. The set has a hologram piece of a hooded figure, so many fans think that Emperor Palpatine might show up in The Last Jedi. But Star Wars story developer Pablo Hidalgo seems to have shot it down, via his Twitter. Check it out.
Well, that seems like a pretty cut and dry answer, courtesy of Pablo Hidalgo's Twitter. Emperor Palpatine is most likely not showing up in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Although Hidalgo didn't make any outright statement to the possibility, so it's all still a bit of a mystery.
That being said, it would be super surprising is Emperor Palpatine ended up being alive in the Star Wars franchise. Palpatine was the puppet master behind the evil deeds in both previous trilogies, and was able to gain immense power in the galaxy through fear tactics. But the end of The Return of the Jedi saw Palpatine finally get his. When Darth Vader was moved by his son's presence and had a change of heart, he lifted the old Sith Lord about his head and threw him from a great height in the Death Star. The super weapon was then destroyed, leaving little possibility that The Emperor could have survived the ordeal.
When Supreme Leader Snoke first appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, many fans believed that he was in fact a scarred version of Palpatine. This has since been debunked, as J.J. Abrams' goal was to bring in a bevy of new characters to the franchise, rather than simply relying on old ones. Aside from the trio of leads and the odd character like Admiral Ackbar, the new story seems to be focused on the new players in the universe, with even more newcomers being introduced when The Last Jedi arrives in theaters this December.
It should be interesting to see how Snoke is utilized in The Last Jedi, considering he's perhaps the most mysterious character in the current Star Wars trilogy. Hopefully we'll finally be able to see him in the flesh when the highly anticipated sequel arrives in theaters.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi will hit theaters on December 15th, 2017. In the meantime, check out our 2017 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
