During an appearance at ICCC, Ian McDiarmid was asked about possibly reprising his role as Emperor Palpatine to which he responded, “There’s a certain show coming soon set right around the time I may have been considered to be very active. Whether or not you’ll see my physical body I cannot comment on, but you will certainly feel my presence.”
McDiarmid’s comments seem like a very on the nose hint at Palpatine appearing in an upcoming series, but which one is the questions. The obvious answer seems to be Obi-Wan Kenobi, but from everything that’s leaked and from what I’ve heard, it would be a surprise to be sure to see a Palpatine cameo, even if it feels like a no brainer.
In my opinion a more viable option is Andor. Currently we know very little about the Rogue One spin-off, but I did previously report that I’d heard of an appearance from the Imperial Royal Guards and of course they’re heavily tied to the Emperor himself. It’s also worth noting that it’s been reported that Mas Amedda could be making an appearance, and during this time Amedda is the primary administrator of the imperial bureaucracy, leader of the Imperial Ruling Council, and acts as the public voice of Palpatine who is rarely ever seen publicly as he’s become extremely reclusive during this time period.
Another option is an animated series. McDiarmid says he cannot answer whether or not we’ll see his body, but that his presence will be felt. Initially I thought perhaps he’s hinting at a hologram appearance in one of the live-action shows, but what if he’s just done voice work for The Bad Batch season two? It’s the least exciting option for sure, but the actor has voiced Palpatine in Star Wars: Rebels previously so it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
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