“Somehow Palpatine returned.” Those words from Poe Dameron in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker may live in infamy online, but the fact of the matter is it was impressive that the former leader of the Galactic Empire survived that fall in Return of the Jedi. Palpatine resurfaced in the final Skywalker Saga movie as the puppet master behind the events of the Sequel Trilogy, although he was looking worse for wear. The Rise of Skywalker never explicitly stated why Palpatine was in such a weakened state, but now that answer has finally been revealed, and Darth Vader factors into it.
