For all the new Star Wars content being put out by Disney, fans sure do love arguing about events taking place in the first six movies. One of those debates involves Emperor Palpatine actor Ian McDiarmid and what really happened in Darth Sidious’ office on that ill-fated night.
McDiarmid first landed the Darth Sidious role in the '80s when he was cast as The Emperor in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, which led to him becoming an essential part of the Prequel Trilogy, as well as making a more controversial appearance in The Rise of Skywalker. Regardless of that, the Scottish actor and his iconic villains are still beloved by Star Wars fandom, which is why it was so interesting to hear his take on a defining moment for the franchise.
This took place during 2022's Star Wars Celebration event, where the Andor teaser was revealed, and the actor jumped on stage to answer a few questions. One fan asked whether his character threw the fight against Mace Windu or if Jedi Master Samuel L. Jackson had truly bested him. With regard to that, McDiarmid understands the contention about the matter, saying, “George thought about doing it a number of ways… He wanted to compromise Anakin in another way, which he did, and destroy Mace at the same time.” That just happened to call for Palpatine to feign defeat.
On this same occasion, McDiarmid also cleared any doubts that the disfigured face from Return of the Jedi is Darth Sidious’ true visage. McDiarmid claimed that George Lucas told him he “should think of [his] face as a mask” that comes off when he’s struck though not truly harmed by Mace Windu. Finally, McDiarmid also mentioned his favorite scene in Star Wars is the one where Palpatine starts to win over a young Anakin Skywalker by telling the story of Darth Plagueis the Wise, the one man in the galaxy known to beat death. Well, besides Palpatine himself a few years later.
McDiarmid's voice still shows up sporadically in Star Wars productions, as heard in Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 1, although with Disney making so much content nowadays some fans are hoping they can eventually see how a younger Darth Sidious rose to the senate or when he became a Sith Lord. Even so, the Emperor still has plenty of room to make appearances in The Bad Batch or some Obi-Wan Kenobi episodes.
In any case, Palpatine is one of the most despicable villains in film history, and to think the Emperor's first appearance in The Empire Strike Back wasn't played by McDiarmid but by Marjorie Eaton instead.
The Star Wars saga is now available on Disney Plus.
Source: Star Wars Celebration