Actor Ian McDiarmid, who plays Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars franchise, says imagining his character having s*x is a “terrible idea”. When the actor sat down for an interview with Empire, he made some interesting revelations about his private life. McDiarmid addressed that revelation in the storyline, where the emperor was revealed to have a son and a granddaughter.
Emperor Palpatine, first introduced as an aging villain in Return of the Jedi, saw McDiarmid reprise the role in the prequel trilogy, portraying a younger version of the character. The actor returned as Palpatine in the 2019 film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Ian McDiarmid Weighed in on Rey Being Revealed to be Palpatine’s Granddaughter
Speaking to Empire about his unexpected return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Ian McDiarmid did agree how a “lot of people said it was ridiculous.” He also made comments on Palpatine being Rey’s grandfather and whether or not Palpatine had s*x.
He said it was obvious that Palpatine died at the end of Return of the Jedi, noting that George Lucas “thought he’d killed me, too.” However, director J.J. Abrams thought it would be a good idea to bring him back in The Rise of Skywalker. “I wasn’t going to argue with him,” McDiarmid said.
“I felt that Palpatine always had a plan B–probably a plan C, D, E, and F as well,” McDiarmid said. “And he was an expert in cloning, so…”
Some fans may have thought about whether Palpatine had ever engaged in sexual intercourse, considering how difficult it might be to even think. However, given the fact that he is the grandfather of Daisy Ridley’s Rey, fans might have thought that Palpatine must have experienced s*x at least once in his life. Ian McDiarmid confirmed as much in the Empire interview:
“Please don’t pursue that line too vigorously. But yes, he does [have sex],” McDiarmid explained. “It’s a horrible idea to think of Palpatine having sex in any shape or form. But then, of course, perhaps he didn’t. Maybe it’s all to do with midi-chlorians – and don’t ask me what those are. Never trust your granddaughter. That’s the T-shirt Palpatine got made. Shortly after his death.”
In the Star Wars novel Shadow of the Sith, written by Adam Christopher and published in June 2022, Palaptine’s many cloning experiments have been detailed. Rey’s father wasn’t a natural-born son of the Sith lord, but rather a strand-cast clone of him.
The Phantom Menace Returns to Theaters for its 25th Anniversary
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace will be returning to theaters for a limited time on May 3, 2024, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, The film was released back in 1999, that became one of the highest-grossing box office movies of its time.
While criticism was there, the movie proved to be a huge box office hit. With a budget of $115 million, it grossed over $1 billion. How George Lucas visualized The Phantom Menace proved to have a lasting effect, and fans think it still can bring audiences to theaters.
It’s the first Star Wars film to be released in theaters since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, and it’ll be the last until 2026 since Lucasfilm announced a Mandalorian movie starring Grogu.
The Rise of Skywalker is streaming now on Disney+
