'Rise Of Skywalker' Twist Is Not What George Lucas Wanted

“Star Wars” Rise of Skywalker” has finally hit theaters and initial reactions are very mixed, with some people loving the conclusion of the 40-year long saga and others criticizing some of the choices the finale made. One of the choices that is receiving mixed reactions is the return of a longtime villain, Emperor Palpatine.

Unfortunately, this revelation completely goes against what godfather and creator of Star Wars himself George Lucas established with his films.

According to Digital Spy, Lucas went on record to say that Palpatine is as good as dead with no chance of resurrection in a conversation with his portrayer, Ian McDiarmid. While his death was largely the point of the final “redemption” arc for Darth Vader, McDiarmid stated that Lucas personally told him the villain was dead.

Naturally, when both he and Lucas learned the evil emperor was making his return, they were both shocked.

However, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said that bringing Palpatine back for the final trilogy was always the plan, according to Screen Rant, despite what Lucas himself had established in prior films. Since Lucasfilm was sold to Disney in 2012, the new trilogy almost immediately began pre-production, ushering in the idea for this climactic return.

Not only was it not what Lucas had intended, but the majority of people working towards the final trilogy also had no idea of the intention to bring him back -- even the writers and directors of the first two films, “The Force Awakens,” and “The Last Jedi.” It wasn’t until “The Rise of Skywalker” when they were told to bring him in. Unfortunately, this meant that they weren’t able to set up his return in any shape or form in the first two films, making his appearance a bit too jarring and “deus ex machina” for Star Wars fans -- and Lucas himself.

Lucas hasn’t yet officially expressed his opinion on the final outcome of this saga.