Whether you think he should have returned in the sequels or not, Emperor Palpatine is one of the most important characters in all of Star Wars. Across all major eras during the Skywalker Saga, every major conflict can be traced back to Darth Sidious, the mastermind of the Clone Wars who destroyed the Jedi Order and built the Galactic Empire. It’s recently been revealed that a Palpatine series was once in development, though I’m confident it would have been set in the wrong time period.
Thanks to new comments from Palpatine actor Ian McDiarmid, it seems as though George Lucas once discussed developing a television series centered on Emperor Palpatine, exploring the Emperor’s earliest years consolidating power after the fall of the Republic. While it’s an idea with some solid potential, I can think of a much better premise and setting if a Palpatine series were to be made today.
Between so many shows set during the Dark Times, I don’t think it’s the right setting for a Palpatine series. Instead, I believe a Palpatine series would benefit most by going back even further, before the prequels themselves.
Ian McDiarmid Recently Revealed A Palpatine Series Was Once In Development
During a recent appearance with Hayden Christensen and Jimmy Smits at SpaceCon San Antonio, Ian McDiarmid revealed that George Lucas once discussed making a Palpatine-focused television series before he sold the Star Wars franchise to Disney:
“[George Lucas] was talking about, I think I can tell you now, a television series. At the time, we didn’t think about Star Wars in terms of a television series. Very speculative. We had lunch one day, and he said I’ve got this idea, and I hope you might want to be involved. We could sort of follow the Emperor’s progress, like Hitler’s, some of that. There might be an assassination attempt, and of course, it wouldn’t succeed. It sounded really exciting. And he also said that maybe you could direct one, and then I fainted. But sadly, that didn’t come to pass.”
According to the actor, the project would have explored Palpatine’s earliest days as Emperor between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, showcasing early struggles with the new Imperial rule and even assassination attempts.
It’s certainly possible that McDiarmid was recalling ideas tied to Lucas’s canceled Star Wars: Underworld series, which was famously intended to explore the criminal underworld and political landscape during the Empire’s rise, including arcs with Palpatine himself. Then again, perhaps Lucas was also toying with the idea of a full-on Emperor Palpatine show as well.
Either way, I don’t think The Dark Times between the prequels and the original trilogy would be the way to go if Lucasfilm ever decides to revisit the idea. After all, multiple Star Wars shows and projects have since been made set during the same time period under Disney. Likewise, there’s a far more compelling concept that could (and should) be used.
A Palpatine Series Should Happen (Just Not During The Dark Times)
In my mind, it would be far more interesting if Lucasfilm went much further back before The Phantom Menace.
In the official Star Wars canon, Palpatine’s early years as Darth Plagueis’ Sith apprentice remain one of the biggest untold stories. It would be darkly fascinating to see a young Sheev Palpatine gradually embrace the dark side of the Force, enter politics for the first time as Naboo’s senator, and eventually evolve into Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord who would bring the galaxy to its knees.
Likewise, this would also be an opportunity for Darth Plagueis to play a key role. Long considered to be one of the most fascinating Sith Lords, Darth Plagueis recently made his live-action debut in 2024’s The Acolyte. Despite the show’s divisive reception, his brief cameo appearance was widely seen as one of the show’s most exciting (and least divisive) reveals, leaving many Star Wars fans eager for more.
As such, A Palpatine prequel series could naturally explore Sheev and Plagueis’ twisted relationship, showing how Plagueis molded Palpatine into the galaxy’s greatest Sith Lord, while also training the man who would ultimately betray and kill him in his sleep. After all, a series starring both Sidious and Plagueis would have no choice but to bring Revenge of the Sith’s most iconic conversation full circle with “The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise.”
All things considered, if a Palpatine series is ever going to happen in the future, that’s the story worth telling.
- TV Show(s)
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The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
- Cast
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Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- Movie(s)
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Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.