One seemingly minor detail inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerreinforces how weakEmperor Palpatinebecame since returning from the dead. WhileRise of Skywalkeronly hints at how Palpatine came back to life, modern canon lore has established that he used thedark side Force powerof essence transfer to move his consciousness into a new body following his death inReturn of the Jedi.
The body Palpatine inhabits inRise of Skywalkeris a frail cloned body that is intended to be only a temporary housing before Palpatine’s disembodied spirit can occupy another form. This idea of essence transfer, however, largely comes from theDark Empirecomics by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy, whichThe Rise of Skywalkeris heavily inspired by.
These comics - which are set in theStar WarsLegends continuity- saw Emperor Palpatine return from the dead multiple times by using essence transfer on cloned bodies, though these bodies were, at least initially, in their physical prime. In the modern canon, Palpatine’s cloned body was decrepit and decayed, forcing him to drain the Force energy of Ben Solo and Rey - although there’s a more prominent indicator of just how weak the emperor had become.
Quick Links
There is another, less obvious, indicator of Palpatine’s weakness inThe Rise of Skywalker: his need for bodyguards. In his original body (and in his youthful bodies in the original Legends continuity),Palpatine never truly needed guards, using the exceptionally deadly Imperial Royal Guards for show and deception. Palpatine is one of the galaxy’s deadliest lightsaber wielders and dark side practitioners of all time, yet he still surrounds himself with guards to create the impression that he is not a threat in a physical fight.
Despite their lack of necessity, the Emperor’s Royal Guards were among the galaxy’s deadliest non-Force-sensitive warriors in theStar WarsLegends continuity.
This was still the case inDark Empire, even when Palpatine’s cloned bodies decayed and weakened, butin the modern canon, the reborn Palpatine actually needed guards, at least for a time. Before revitalizing himself by using Force drain on Ben Solo and Rey, Palpatine would have struggled to defend himself in a physical confrontation. Due to this, Palpatine relied on proxies like Snoke and his multiple guards on Exegol.
By Rise Of Skywalker, He Was Reduced To The Knights Of Ren
While Snoke led theFirst Orderin Palpatine’s stead (and was guarded by the elite Praetorian Guards), the reborn Emperor’s main guards were the Sovereign Protectors. These blaster-equipped guards were formed from the deadliest of the Sith Eternal’s Sith Troopers, though they were swiftly defeated by Rey during the Battle of Exegol.
AsThe Rise of Skywalkeralso shows, Palpatine had additional guards in the form of theKnights of Ren. This small yet deadly cult of dark side users, who got their biggest spotlight inThe Rise of Skywalker, notably had different philosophical beliefs than the Sith Lords.
The Mandalorian and Grogu
