It's no secret that Emperor Palpatine is back for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, 36 years after he apparently tumbled into oblivion during Return of the Jedi.
The ghoulish Sith Lord is portrayed by Scottish actor Ian McDiarmid and while attending this week's European premiere, he told Digital Spy that he never expected to be invited back into the Skywalker Saga.
Maybe director JJ Abrams just couldn't help himself?
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"I thought I was dead – no, I thought he was dead," McDiarmid laughed.
As Star Wars fans will recall, his villain was – in McDiarmid's words – "thrown down that chute to galactic hell" at the end of Episode VI, and after production had finished on that particular instalment, the actor questioned George Lucas on whether he'd ever return.
"And [George] said, 'No, he's dead' so I just accepted that, but then of course I didn't know I was going to be doing the prequels," he added.
"So in a sense he wasn't dead, because we went back to visit him when he was a young man.
"But I was totally surprised by this!"
And while Palpatine's body might not be what it was, McDiarmid teased that his mind is "even sharper".
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is out now in cinemas.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment.
In the film and TV universe, he kneels at the altar of Jim Carrey, Daniel Plainview, Mike Ehrmantraut and Paulie Walnuts.
Gabriella Geisinger is a freelance film critic and journalist, with a focus on J-drama & film, and the Japanese production industry. She was previously Locations Editor at Screen International and Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy. Her writing can also befound in Curzon, 1883, and more. A born and raised New Yorker, she loves coffee and the colour black, obviously.
