Palpatine's return has been turned into countless memes, but Ian McDiarmid has defended the choice.

Star Wars actor Ian McDiarmid likes the idea of an Emperor Palpatine prequel series... but wouldn't necessarily star in one.

There have been a number of rumors that Emperor Palpatine might be making an appearance in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which premieres tomorrow. But Ian McDiarmid appeared to clarify those rumors today by telling audiences not to get their hopes up for a "flesh and blood" appearance.

One of the most controversial decisions J.J. Abrams made in crafting Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was in bringing back Emperor Palpatine. Abrams defended his choice previously by noting that Rise of Skywalker was intended to conclude not just this new sequel trilogy of Star Wars movies, but the entire Skywalker Saga. To that end, he argued, Palpatine had a presence in the Prequel Trilogy and the Original Trilogy, so it stood to reason he should have a place in this new trilogy—even if it’s tacked on at the end. But for those wondering about George …

After all these years, Palpatine is up to his old tricks again.