People have been wondering how Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will manage to bring back Emperor Sheev Palpatine after the film's first teaser was revealed last April. But is it possible that the answer had been in the previous villain of the current trilogy?
Several fans were understandably miffed when Supreme Leader Snoke was unceremoniously killed off in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. After all, everyone was led to believe that the new bad guy would play a larger role in the rest of the trilogy. However, a Rise of the Skywalker leak suggests that Snoke has already served his purpose, which was to ensure Palpatine's survival all these years.
The leak was previously posted on 4chan but has been reposted on Imgur. The post reveals details on how Palpatine had transferred part of his consciousness into a mysterious item (the MacGuffin, if you will) Snoke so he could rule the First Order. When Snoke was killed, the consciousness returned to the MacGuffin.
This is when the Knights of Ren step in, telling Kylo Ren about the MacGuffin. Although Kylo teams up with Rey to destroy the item, it is then revealed that Palpatine has already possessed a new host, which will be played by Matt Smith.
It's certainly an interesting idea now that we know Palpatine will be back. However, the leak was posted on 4chan back in February, long before Ian McDiarmid's return in The Rise of Skywalker was confirmed.
The leak might seem like a possibility at the moment. Nevertheless, we still recommend taking it with a grain of salt.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will premiere on December 20.
Related: Star Wars Video Games Get Massive Discounts to Celebrate May 4
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