Hell hath no fury like a fanboy scorned, something the Star Wars sequel trilogy discovered after the release of The Rise of Skywalker in 2019.
After the positively received films like — The Force Awakens and the controversial but successful The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker stood out like a sore thumb after only managing to garner a critics score of 56 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was ridiculed by fans and memed to death with the return of Palpatine, which was considered a particular low in the franchise for many.
But fans aren’t over the film yet, and a strong new theory may have just saved the saga. Posted to Reddit’s home of fan theories, /u/jedimasterashla has claimed that the divisive return of Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker isn’t exactly what it seems.
The idea of Palpatine clones has been tapped into during several Star Wars: Legends stories, but the cinematic debut of the trope may have taken place in Skywalker. The theory makes sense, given how utterly braindead Palpatine feels compared to his usual cleverly sinister persona. Palpatine, or the clone, and its inefficient use of lightning does feel a clue, given the Emperor has previously known that lightning can be fired back.
The Rise of Skywalker and the rest of the sequel trilogy could end up going the way of the prequels as fans grow up with the films. The prequels were ridiculed for 15 years before the age of internet memes gave it new life. Considering how fickle Star Wars fans are, they may end up being perceived as masterpieces by the time 2034 rolls around
Apart from debating the merits of Star Wars‘ past, fans also have plenty of upcoming content to look out for, with the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series debuting on Disney Plus on May 27.