The most controversial aspect of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker made this one line from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith the perfect foreshadowing. The Star Wars sequel trilogy remains divisive among Star Wars movies and TV shows, with many still considering all three to be among Star Wars’ worst movies, although The Rise of Skywalker in particular. There were admittedly problems with the sequel trilogy, but perhaps the single biggest criticism of all was the poorly explained resurrection of Emperor Palpatine.
This return was a true shock, not only because Palpatine seemed confirmed to be dead, but also because neither Star Wars: The Force Awakens nor Star Wars: The Last Jedi had given any indication that the story was headed in this direction. This is likely because a Palpatine resurrection wasn’t the original plan—after all, the trilogy changed hands multiple times, making one clear arc difficult. Even so, one small line from Revenge of the Sith has made this Rise of Skywalker twist seem as though it had been foreshadowed all along.
Revenge Of The Sith Confirms That Someone Isn’t Officially Dead Until There’s A Body
Palpatine Knows Yoda Isn’t Dead Because His Body Wasn’t Found
In Revenge of the Sith, Yoda and Palpatine had a final showdown that rivaled Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker’s battle on Mustafar in terms of a brilliant lightsaber fight. In the end, though, Yoda retreated from his duel with Palpatine, escaping through the vents once he realized he was unable to defeat the Sith Lord at that time. Unaware of where Yoda had gone or what had happened to him, Palpatine ordered his clone troopers to search for him.
It makes sense that Palpatine’s priority would be finding Yoda, dead or alive, as Yoda surviving would be—and was—a major threat to Palpatine’s ability to hold onto his newfound power. However, the clones reported back that there was “no sign” of Yoda’s body. In response, Mas Amedda said, “Then he is not dead.” Palpatine clearly agreed, as he then commanded the clones to double their search. This one minor comment from Mas Amedda is ironically the perfect foreshadowing of Palpatine’s inevitable return, even if the two were in no way connected at the time.
5:07
Related
Star Wars: Every Jedi Who Survived Order 66 (In Canon)
Clone Protocol Order 66 caused once-loyal Clone troopers in Star Wars to wipe out the Jedi, but a handful managed to survive this initial purge.
Mas Amedda And Palpatine Were Technically Right
Star Wars Has Repeatedly Proven That The “Dead” Can Come Back If There Was No Body
Seemingly, this exchange between Mas Amedda, Palpatine, and the clones established a rule in Star Wars—one that the franchise has since held tight to. Historically (now), if Star Wars hasn’t shown a character’s dead body, then they are fair game to bring back. This is most obviously true with Palpatine’s resurrection in The Rise of Skywalker, making this Revenge of the Sith moment all the more prescient, but Palpatine is far from the only Star Wars character to return after they seemed to have died.
If Star Wars hasn’t shown a character’s dead body, then they are fair game to bring back.
Also on this list of shockingly resurrected characters who ‘died’ in Star Wars canon are Boba Fett, Darth Maul, and even Asajj Ventress. In all three cases, their deaths seemed quite certain. Ventress didn’t die on screen in Star Wars, but her canon death occurred in the book Star Wars: Dark Disciple, written by Christie Golden. Darth Maul was famously cut in half by Obi-Wan in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and Boba Fett had seemed to meet a gruesome end in Return of the Jedi when he fell into the Sarlacc pit.
Purchase Star Wars: Dark Disciple on Amazon
Like Palpatine, these characters’ bodies were never shown on screen, leaving the door open for their return. Oddly enough, this comment from Mas Amedda in Revenge of the Sith therefore offered a justification for Palpatine’s return long before that twist was ever revealed in The Rise of Skywalker. The one technicality would be that Palpatine did die in Return of the Jedi; he just managed to return via Force-sensitive clones. Nevertheless, this one minor Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith scene ultimately became the perfect foreshadowing for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s big twist.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, released in December 2019, follows the surviving Resistance as they confront the First Order. The film continues the journey of Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron as they harness the power of past generations to engage in a climactic battle against the forces of tyranny.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is the sixth film in the Star Wars franchise and chronologically the third in the Skywalker Saga. Set three years after the events of Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker is tasked with keeping an eye on Chancellor Palpatine while other Jedi battle across the galaxy. In the background, however, a mysterious Sith lord begins to make their move to destroy the Jedi once and for all.
