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Dec 22, 2019 · With Palpatine's survival having been a secret in the decades between Return of the Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, it begs the question of exactly when Palpatine's son was born. Although that question is not definitively answered, the appearance made by Rey's parents in the movie does offer some hints about the timeline of Palpatine's fatherhood.
Feb 8, 2021 · Q: If Rey is Palpatine's granddaughter, who are her parents? — via email Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker dropped a major bombshell on the Star Wars universe: Emperor Palpatine ...
- Overview
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- Behind the scenes
- Appearances
"All you want is for me to hate, but I won't. Not even you.""
"My parents were strong. They saved me from you."
"Your Master, Luke Skywalker, was saved by his father. The only family you have here… is me."
―Rey and Darth Sidious
The Palpatine family, also known as the Palpatine bloodline or House Palpatine, was a dynastic noble human family originally from the planet Naboo in the Mid Rim Territories of the galaxy. A member of the family, Sheev Palpatine, rose to prominence through galactic politics. During the Republic Era, Palpatine represented the people of Naboo as a senator in the Galactic Senate prior to his election as Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic in 32 BBY. Unbeknownst to the public, Palpatine was Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith. The heir to Darth Bane's legacy, Sidious endeavored to finish the work of generations of Sith Lords by destroying their adversary, the Jedi Order, and restoring the Sith to power. He was the mastermind behind the Invasion of Naboo, the Separatist Crisis, and the Clone Wars—conflicts designed to facilitate Sidious' rise to power. In 19 BBY, Sidious systematically exterminated the Jedi for treason before claiming the title of Galactic Emperor, transforming the Republic into the Galactic Empire. From then on, Sidious ceased to live a double life; the name of Palpatine was largely forgotten during the Imperial Era, and the galaxy came to know him simply as "the Emperor."
Obsessed with eternal life, Sidious revived himself after his first death in 4 ABY. Through the dark side of the Force, he transferred his essence to a clone of his original body, although the new vessel proved unstable. Using the Emperor's genetic material, the Sith Eternal engineered various failed attempts to create a stronger host body. One byproduct of the Sith cult's experiments was Dathan, a strandcast engineered from Sidious' genetic template who was created in 12 BBY. Although Dathan was Sidious' clone and genetic son, he did not possess his father's strength with the Force. However, in 15 ABY, Dathan sired a Force-sensitive daughter, Rey, with his wife, Miramir. Sidious regarded his granddaughter as the ideal host for his spirit, but his plans were thwarted by Dathan and Miramir, who sold Rey to Unkar Plutt on Jakku to ensure her safety. Dathan and his wife were subsequently killed by Sidious' assassin, Ochi, in 21 ABY.
Origins
"It is an honor to be here for this momentous occasion. The pride I feel for this planet cannot be put into words. Eight hundred and forty-seven years ago Naboo joined the Republic. And tonight we celebrate that union." ―Sheev Palpatine Wealthy, influential, and ancient, House Palpatine was a dynastic, noble family that belonged to the affluent class of society. One of the oldest, most prestigious and influential houses among the Naboo people, their ancestral home was the Convergence in the Lake Country area on the planet Naboo, which was located in the galaxy's Mid Rim Territories. Naboo became a member world of the Galactic Republic in 867 BBY. The Naboo commemorated the union of their homeworld and the Republic through an annual event known as the Festival of Light. In 20 BBY, eight hundred and forty-seven years after Naboo was admitted to the Republic, the festival was hosted by Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine amidst the pan-galactic Clone Wars.
Reunion and destruction
"Long have I waited. For my grandchild to come home. I never wanted you dead. I wanted you here… Empress Palpatine. You will take the throne. It is your birthright to rule here. It is in your blood. Our blood."I haven't come to lead the Sith… I have come to end them." "As a Jedi?" "Yes." ―Darth Sidious and Rey Despite all of her training as a Jedi, the revelation of her blood ties to Sidious pushed Rey to give in to her impulses, including the impulse to avenge her parents. Sensing that she was closer than ever to succumbing to the dark side, Ren goaded Rey into fighting him in the wreckage of the second Death Star on Kef Bir. However, Sidious' plan was disrupted by the actions of Ren's mother, Leia Organa, who sacrificed her life to restore her son's persona as Ben Solo. During the Battle of Exegol, Sidious urged Rey to succeed him and become "Empress Palpatine." He used Rey's attachment to her friends as leverage in turning her to the dark side. Rey found her grandfather's power intoxicating and was tempted by his offer, believing the galaxy would have no choice but to accept salvation if she became the Empress. In truth, Sidious planned to transfer his spirit into Rey's body with the aid of a Sith ability he pilfered from Plagueis. With the help of a redeemed Ben Solo, however, Rey defied her grandfather by refusing to kill him in anger, affirming her commitment to the light. Angered at the sight of Solo and Rey standing together as Jedi, Sidious unleashed his power against them, and discovered the truth that Kylo Ren concealed from him—their nature as a dyad in the Force. Realizing the power of their bond could heal his clone body, Sidious restored his strength by almost completely draining both Solo and Rey of their life force. After becoming whole again, he declared his return as the one true Emperor, no longer requiring a host body. Nearly deprived of her power, Rey called on the spirits of all past Jedi to help her defeat Sidious. With their help, she turned the Emperor's newfound power against him, utterly destroying Sidious. The effort killed Rey, however, though Solo found that he had the power to save her from death by sacrificing his life.
"Rian's answer to, 'What's the worst news that Rey could receive?' was that she comes from junk traders, and that's true. She does come from junk traders; we didn't contradict that. But when J.J. and I spoke, he said, 'Well, what's an even worse answer or elaboration of that news?' "
―Chris Terrio, on Rey's heritage
In the first eight films of the Star Wars saga, there were no hints or references to Sheev Palpatine having relationships or offspring. J.J. Abrams, director of The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker, hinted the revelation that Palpatine was Rey's grandfather in the ninth installment was an early idea when working on the seventh chapter. "That's not to say there was a bible and we knew what happens at every step," he said, "but when Larry Kasdan and I worked on The Force Awakens, we didn't do it in a vacuum."
After the release of The Force Awakens, Daisy Ridley, the actress who portrays Rey in the sequel trilogy, recalled feeling surprised that many saw the film and came away speculating about the identity of Rey's parents, explaining, "I thought a lot was answered in The Force Awakens. Then after the screening, I went for a drink with my agent and everyone, and we were chatting away and I realized that oh, in their minds it's not answered at all!" She later revealed that Obi-Wan Kenobi was considered as one of the possibilities for her grandfather. According to Ridley, Abrams went back and forth on Rey's lineage, even during the filming of The Rise of Skywalker, and making her a descendant of Kenobi was still in the mix. She said she wasn't clear on the final decision until the end of filming.
Rian Johnson, the director of The Last Jedi, opted to reveal that Rey did not come from a special bloodline. As a result, her parents were nobodies. In an interview, Johnson stated that it was a dramatic decision of "What is the toughest thing she could hear about her parents? What is the thing for her and for us what will make her have to stand on her own two feet and will make things the hardest for her?" After the release of The Last Jedi, Simon Pegg said "I know what J.J. kind of intended, well, at least what was sort of being chucked around. I think that's kind of been undone slightly by the last one. There was some talk about, you know, a kind of relevant lineage for her. But I honestly don't know, and I don't know if anybody knows. We shall see."
However, Abrams said he felt The Last Jedi's script "didn't get in the way of anything Larry and I talked about that I thought I'd get to. There were some very specific things we did get to do in this movie that we were laughing and going, 'Oh my god, we're finally doing that thing we talked about five years ago.'" He elaborated thematically that "one of the themes of the movie is that anyone can be anything regardless of where you're from, and I don't know if it resonates for everyone but I think there are quite a few people who appreciate that idea of not coming from a place that you're not particularly excited about following or proud of. And though I completely understand 'you're nobody' is a devastating thing, to me the more painful, the more shocking thing was the idea that you're from the worst possible place. And is that thing that you feel that you know is part of you somehow, that you're haunted by, is that your destiny? And the idea that there are things more powerful than blood, as Luke says, that thing was a really important thing to convey for us."
Non-canon appearances
•LEGO STAR WARS: Celebrate the Season — "Vader's Vacation" •LEGO STAR WARS: Celebrate the Season — "The Sith Witch of Mustafar"
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Little was known about the life of Dathan, but his origins could be traced back to the Imperial Era when the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious—publicly known as Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine — and his followers experimented with cloning on the planet Exegol for several years prior to the Sith Lord's demise at the Battle of Endor.
Feb 23, 2024 · Star Wars has finally revealed key details about Rey Skywalker's father who was still quite a mystery following The Rise of Skywalker. Named in later media as Dathan, the son of the Emperor was by no means a confirmation that Palpatine had sex at some point in the Star Wars canon.
- J.J. Abrams
- Carrie Fisher
Feb 25, 2024 · Triclops, as Palpatine’s son, would have been considered the heir to the Empire in the years following Return of the Jedi, which is exactly when the upcoming Mando-verse movie directed by...
Sheev Palpatine is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. He first appears on screen in The Empire Strikes Back (1980), in which he is credited as The Emperor, and is the overarching antagonist of the three film trilogies in the Skywalker Saga, in which he is portrayed by Ian McDiarmid.
