A theme we’ve seen since the Skywalker saga concluded is a lack of information. ‘RoS’ went at a breakneck pace to tell so much that it left audiences in the dark about many plot elements. One of those elements revolves around the Emporer’s survival after the second Death Star was vaporized. Now, after the divisive film has been released, Disney is going back and gradually feeding those missing details. The info is coming via various supplemental materials. Some will appear in an upcoming comic book; the others are found in the novelization we mentioned above.
It’s one thing to learn that your family tree spawns from the galaxy’s greatest villain. It’s another to learn that your daddy was a failed clone of that same villain. That’s what we’re learning this week from the novelization of ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ courtesy of Screen Rant.
According to the “expanded” version of the story written by Rae Carson, Shiv Palpatine was a busy bee creating clones that probably resembled that one scene from ‘Alien: Resurrection.’ Some maybe had two heads or webbed feet. A few undoubtedly looked like Rip Taylor. One such cloned turned out to be an average Joe with no Force powers. This potential vessel also lacked Shiv’s dashing good looks. He was able to somehow leave Exogol and pursue an existence in the greater galaxy.
At the very least, we don’t have to picture zombie Palpatine performing some cringy Austin Powers-like courtship.
‘The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition’ will be available in hardcover form on March 17th.
I’m sort of checked out of ‘Star Wars’ at this point. I may come back when Lucasfilm and Disney find a storyteller to hold all of this together again. Where do you stand on the franchise at this point? Let us know in the comments.
