J.J. Abrams Originally Wanted a Clone Palpatine for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Ever since the novelization of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker revealed that Palpatine was a clone, fans have been freaking out. Some are okay with the move since The Rise of Skywalker did a poor job at explaining Palpatine's resurrection while others feel like this is poor damage control from both Disney and LucasFilm. As it turns out. J.J. Abrams wanted to introduce a Clone Palpatine as early as Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Speaking with CineFex (via ComicBook.com), Visual Effects Supervisor Roger Guyett revealed that Abrams wanted a Clone Palpatine that wasn't fully completed. This would result in a fairly weak version of Palpatine in a body that he loathes, which would have made The Rise of Skywalker feel less rushed. This is a fairly intriguing reveal and one that proves Disney and LucasFilm didn't plan this trilogy out as they should have.

"Ian was such a major part of the original films. J.J. wanted to bring him back to reveal that Palpatine wasn't completely destroyed in Episode VII. He created a clone of himself and, with the help of Sith loyalists, rebuilt himself to a fragmented and unstable state. When Kylo meets him, Palpatine is not fully formed, and he relies on tubes and mechanics, moving around this Sith laboratory on a mechanism that Kevin Jenkins designed."

While the Disney-produced Star Wars trilogy does have its moments, most of which were in The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens if we're being honest, the fact that they didn't outline this trilogy made for problematic viewing. The Rise of Skywalker isn't a horrible film by any means but it's a huge mess and one that Disney shouldn't repeat for their next Star Wars trilogy.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be coming to Blu-Ray on March 31. The Force Awakens is now available on Blu-Ray.

Read:Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Theory Suggests That Rey is Actually Possessed by Palpatine