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Emperor Palpatinemay have return to the crowing filmdom inStar Wars : The cost increase of Skywalker , but theStar Warscomics beat the movies to the punch well over thirty years ago . Although no longer in official canyon , one comical book subsequence to the original trilogy was the first to bring the Emperor back as a clone .
Released in 1991,Star Wars : Dark Empirewas one of the first comicsproduced by Dark Horse Comics after they acquired the license from Lucasfilm . descend from the originative squad of writer Tom Veitch and artist Cam Kennedy , Dark Empirewould be followed by two sequels : Dark Empire IIandEmpire ’s End(with creative person Jim Baikie ) , effectively imprint a trilogy on its own .
Released around the same period as Timothy Zahn’sHeir to the Empire , Dark Empirejoined that well - deal novel as a new piece ofStar Warsmedia at a time when the enfranchisement had been torpid for some year .
“Somehow, Palpatine Has Returned”
Dark EmpireBrought the Emperor Back Years BeforeRise of Skywalker
It may be hard to believe now , but theStar Warsbrand was about as numb as it start in the late eighties and early nineties . Marvel Comics let their license to make comics conk after scratch theirStar Warsseries in 1986 . live for acquiring licensed properties such asAliensandPredator , Dark Horse Comics picked up theStar Warscomic license in 1991 , withDark Empiremaking waves as an official subsequence to the Original Trilogy . TheDark Empiretrilogy would inaugurate many concepts that theSequel Trilogy would later explore , including acloned version of Emperor Palpatine .
An earlier reading ofDark Empirewas actually incline by Veitch and Kennedy to Marvel before they lose theStar Warslicense in the eighties
Set six years after the effect ofReturn of the Jedi , the account come across Luke Skywalker absorbed into a secret energy tempest after sense a disturbance in the Force . He then awakens onboard an Imperial prison ship , where Luke is shocked to get wind a younger version of Palpatine . It turns out theEmperor was able to transfer his awareness to a clone eubstance before meeting hisultimate end on the second Death Star . Even sorry for Luke , the cloned Palpatine warns the surviving Jedi that he ca n’t be killed , as he ’ll simply transfer into another clone body if Luke strikes him down .
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In an even bigger twist , the clonedPalpatine offersLuke the luck to become his apprenticeand learn the ways of the Dark Side of the Force . see no other selection , Luke hesitantly agrees , all the while strategizing on how practiced to prevent the Imperials from returning to power in the galaxy . Luke studies the Dark Side under Palpatine to better understand his Church Father , and finds that while there is great power in the darkness , it also make out with a great sadness and fearfulness that arises out of closing off ; something that Luke take down he senses within Palpatine himself .
The Clone Palpatine in Dark Empire is Formidable
The Younger Version of the Emperor Can Duel Luke with Lightsabers
While there ’s something to be said for the creepy , zombie - esque Palpatine clone seen inRise of Skywalker , thecloned Emperor Palpatine inDark Empireis a much more formidable antagonist , as he poses a forcible threat toLuke by being able-bodied to duel with a lightsaber . This was long before the Prequel Trilogy would show Palpatine ’s acquirement with a lightsaber inRevenge of the Sith , so getting to see a younger interlingual rendition of the Emperor crossing lightsabers with Luke inDark Empirewas a rarefied kickshaw forStar Warsfans .
The cloned Emperor Palpatine was popular enough to be turned into an action figure : first by Kenner in 1998 , and afterward by Hasbro as a part of a two - pack with Luke in 2008
In addition to the clone variant of Emperor Palpatine , theDark Empiretrilogy also include several ideas that would reappear during the Sequel Trilogy . TheDark Empireseries was one of the first times Leia was take care exert a lightsaber , where she used it to duel Luke himself while he was under the sway of Palpatine . A major secret plan point inDark Empirealso concerns Palpatine hiding by a dowery of the Imperial army insecret within the Deep Core of the galax , which would by and by be echoed in Palpatine ’s hidden Sith army in Exegol inRise of Skywalker .
Of course , most of the expound Universe ofStar Warswas picture null - and - void following Lucasfilm ’s acquisition by Disney in 2012 . Although it ’s now considered “ Legends ” and no longer in official continuity , it ’s interesting to take care back at the original clonedEmperor Palpatineseen inStar Wars : Dark Empirecompared to the later version figure inThe Rise of Skywalker .
The senator for Naboo , Palpatine rose to world power and influence during the dying solar day of the Republic . In realism , his public persona was just a masque ; he was really Darth Sidious , greatest of the Sith Lords , and he used his political science and Machiavellian cunning to bring down both the Republic and the Jedi . Palpatine ruled his Galactic Empire for decades , until he was betrayed by his learner , Darth Vader . Even this was n’t enough to stop the Emperor , however , as he was resurrected by his following - only to be overcome once again .
The senator for Naboo, Palpatine rose to power and influence during the dying days of the Republic. In reality, his public persona was just a mask; he was really Darth Sidious, greatest of the Sith Lords, and he used his political skills and Machiavellian cunning to bring down both the Republic and the Jedi. Palpatine ruled his Galactic Empire for decades, until he was betrayed by his apprentice, Darth Vader. Even this wasn’t enough to stop the Emperor, however, as he was resurrected by his followers - only to be defeated once again.
The senator for Naboo, Palpatine rose to power and influence during the dying days of the Republic. In reality, his public persona was just a mask; he was really Darth Sidious, greatest of the Sith Lords, and he used his political skills and Machiavellian cunning to bring down both the Republic and the Jedi. Palpatine ruled his Galactic Empire for decades, until he was betrayed by his apprentice, Darth Vader. Even this wasn’t enough to stop the Emperor, however, as he was resurrected by his followers - only to be defeated once again.
