Ian McDiarmid’s Hilarious Take on Whether Emperor Palpatine Ever Had Sex

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Have you ever been curious about the romantic history of Darth Sidious? It’s not a topic typically explored in the Star Wars films. More than four decades after Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) perished aboard the second Death Star in 1983’s Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, his return as a mere remnant of the powerful Sith Lord from 2005’s Revenge of the Sith was revealed in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. This Emperor, kept alive by technology and devotion from his Sith followers on the planet Exegol, came back to life with few details provided, except for this reference to Sith: “The dark side of the force offers many powers that some view as… unnatural.

The information given pertains to Rey’s family background. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who is the grandson of Darth Vader, disclosed that Rey is actually the Emperor’s granddaughter and a Palpatine. This is because her father, Dathan (Billy Howle), was the Emperor’s son. The question then arises: Was the Emperor capable of natural reproduction?

In the conversation regarding Palpatine’s son during the 20th anniversary interview for “Revenge of the Sith” with Variety, I mentioned that there wasn’t any discourse about this topic. Instead, it was left to me to ponder the matter myself. There were hints in “The Phantom Menace” about midi-chlorians, which seemed related to Anakin’s birth. George Lucas preferred not to delve too deeply into that subject. However, we speculated that perhaps it was akin to a virgin birth, but one should be cautious using such terminology as it can lead to complexities.

McDiarmid further explained, “Often people wonder if such an abominable creature could engage in sexual activity. However, we’re not certain about it; imagining scenarios involving medical equipment is more plausible than conjuring up disturbing images of this monster being intimate with anyone.

Paternity of the Clones: How the Emperor’s Son Was Made

In Star Wars: The Phantom Menace released in 1999, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (played by Liam Neeson) hypothesized that Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) was conceived through the influence of midi-chlorians – tiny organisms present within all living cells that interact with the Force. Although The Rise of Skywalker didn’t clarify whether Emperor Palpatine reproduced sexually, a 2021 guidebook called The Secrets of the Sith revealed that Dathan was not born through midi-chlorians or conventional means of procreation.

Instead, Dathan wasn’t an exact clone like those from Jango Fett, but rather a modified genetic copy created using a designed template. This process is similar to how Clone troopers were made. In fact, this method was used to produce clones for both Snoke and Dathan. However, Dathan failed to become a suitable vessel for the dark spirit of the Sith Lord Palpatine after his death in “Return of the Jedi”.

Instead of Palpatine claiming his “son,” Rey was biologically born to Dathan and Miramir (Jodi Comer), not through any supernatural means. Unlike her biological father, Rey had midi-chlorians within her and displayed a strong connection with the Force, which is why Palpatine desired to possess her body in The Rise of Skywalker.

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2025-04-27 23:40