Has Star Wars legend Ian McDiarmid finally confirmed his return in Obi-Wan Kenobi? The actor recently hinted that he might be making his way back to the Galaxy Far, Far Away for a cameo as the sinister Emperor Palpatine, and he continued to tease fans during a recent panel at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California.
"That is a disgraceful question, and one which I have no intention of answering," the actor quipped when asked if we'll see him in the recently launched Disney+ limited series (via SFFGazette.com). "All I would say about future speculation is, if you're expecting the Emperor to appear, soon in flesh and blood - don't get your hopes up."
So, it doesn't necessarily sound like we'll see him as Palpatine, meaning this could be a voice cameo or something along those lines (unless he was just playing deliberately coy on a physical appearance). Either way, it seems highly likely that McDiarmid was talking about Obi-Wan Kenobi, especially as that series features Darth Vader and takes place at the height of the Emperor's power.
Andor is another possibility given its setting, of course, though with The Mandalorian teasing Moff Gideon's apparent role in cloning Palpatine, there's every chance he'll show up in season 3, perhaps in Supreme Leader Snoke's body rather than his own.
We're excited to find out, especially as more Palpatine would be no bad thing. The villain was handled extremely poorly in The Rise of Skywalker, and could definitely do with being fleshed out the way he was in Star Wars Rebels. Hopefully, we'll have more concrete details to share with you soon.
What are your hopes for the Emperor in Obi-Wan Kenobi or any of the other Disney+ TV shows?