There is little doubt that the return of Emperor Palpatine was one of the biggest surprises about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker earlier this year. Although the Sith Lord was supposedly killed in Return of the Jedi, it was revealed that he would be the main villain in Star Wars Episode 9. However, there were a few things that were some important things that were not shown in the film. For instance, the message from Palpatine at the heart of the plot was never heard in the movie.
At the start of Star Wars Episode 9, the opening crawl mentions that Emperor Palpatine issued a message announcing that he is still alive and has every intention to destroy the Resistance. The message immediately causes the Resistance to take up arms while Kylo Ren sets off to find the villain. Needless to say, it's an interesting message that happens to be an important part of the film. Unfortunately, director J.J. Abrams chose not to include the message itself in The Rise of Skywalker.
Not surprisingly, people have been curious about the message that got the Star Wars Episode 9 storyline started in the first place. Although it doesn't appear in the movie, Emperor Palpatine's broadcast was actually leaked in the most unlikely place. Fans who took part in the Fortnite Star Wars event just a week before the premiere of The Rise of Skywalker actually heard Darth Sidious' message while playing the game. It was a surprising Easter Egg from the film that nobody expected.
The message from Emperor Palpatine reads as follows. "At last the work of generations is complete. The great error is corrected. The day of victory is at hand. The Day of revenge. The day of the Sith!" he announces. You can hear it at the 0:24 mark in the video below.
Interestingly, the message was recorded by actor Ian McDiarmid, who played Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars Episode 9 as well as the prequel trilogy. For now, it is unclear why director J.J. Abrams had McDiarmid record the message although he had no intention of using it in The Rise of Skywalker. Nevertheless, it is good to know that the message exists and that it was powerful enough to push everyone to take action in the film.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is currently screening in theaters worldwide.
