The Rise of Skywalker novel explains things about Palpatine that probably should have been in the movie

The Rise of Skywalker novelization actually explains Emperor Palpatine’s return, but why doesn’t the movie do the same?

With the novelization of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker coming out this month, it feels as though the same debates fans had about the film are being rehashed on Twitter in regard to the novel. That’s because Rae Carson’s new book has the time and space to expand upon pieces of the movie that left fans with questions — and it certainly seems to have done so.

In fact, the novel even handles one plot point much better than the movie, and Star Wars fans have to question just why this is the case. According to those who have received ARCs of Carson’s The Rise of Skywalker, readers get an actual explanation for Emperor Palpatine’s return within its pages — you know, outside of “It’s just the Dark Side!”

The book shows Palpatine’s first meeting with Kylo Ren, and during the scene, the Sith Lord explains that he’s actually a clone. That’s right, the body fans see during The Rise of Skywalker isn’t the same one that was destroyed back in The Return of the Jedi. Seems like something the movie should have pointed out, doesn’t it?

Look, it’s amazing that Star Wars is now telling the same story using multiple platforms. Fans can get new insights from watching the movie, then reading the book, and then picking up the comic. But with any single story, there are major pieces that should be present in all versions — like the answer to a huge villain’s mysterious return perhaps.

From the moment Palpatine was included in the trailer for the film, fans kept repeating one question: Just how did he survive his assault from Darth Vader all those years ago? Without answering that question, Star Wars leaves itself a massive plot hole — and trying to fill that hole later on just doesn’t look good on the franchise.

Leaving out minor details about character relationships or backstories isn’t a huge deal if they don’t affect the plot of the story. It’s fun to explore those in-depth in another medium, but they’re not necessarily things we needed to dive into in the movie. But Palpatine’s return is quite literally one of the biggest plot points in the final Star Wars film, and the how of it just isn’t something you can come back to later. (Although I suppose we’re lucky Star Wars came back to it at all.)

Do you think The Rise of Skywalker movie should have included an explanation for Emperor Palpatine’s return? Why or why not?