Most theories assume Palpatine’s essence still exists akin to Voldemort in Harry Potter, and he’s looking for a host body to possess. So we know he’ll also return in some capacity. “Imagine going into a derelict Death Star wreckage, with Sidious’ haunting the hallways by appearing on holograms, his voice everywhere, controlling the doors, security systems, machinery, etc.,” the theory from redditor u/MasterofFalafels reads, leading to an important question: “Could Palpatine be A.I.?”ĭuring the official Rise of Skywalker trailer, Rey and her companions look out at the wreckage of a Death Star in the ocean (we don’t know if this is Yavin 4, Endor, or somewhere else entirely) and the screen turns black as we hear Sheev Palpatine’s laughter. Could Palpatine have uploaded his consciousness into some kind of artificial intelligence network before he died, and that’s how he returns in Episode IX? One fan thinks it’s possible, and their convincing new theory sounds like the stuff of nightmares.
Emperor Palpatine wanted to live forever in Star Wars, and after seemingly dying in Return of the Jedi, he may have achieved immortality in a more transhumanist way than most of us have theorized.
