Oscar Isaac Breaks Down the Origin of “Somehow Palpatine Returned” in STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

Few lines in modern blockbuster history have stuck in fans’ minds quite like “Somehow, Palpatine has returned.” Love it or hate it, it became one of the most talked-about moments in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and now Oscar Isaacis finally shedding light on how it all came together.

Isaac, who played Resistance pilot Poe Dameron across the sequel trilogy, recently sat down with Josh Horowitz on Happy Sad Confused and got candid about the infamous bit of dialogue that sparked years of debate among Star Wars fans.

According to Isaac, the line wasn’t part of some long-planned narrative thread. It came together late in the game during additional filming.

He explained, “Yeah, those were reshoots. We had to do reshoots. When I look at it now, I’m like, ‘The wig’s pretty good.’ I had already cut my hair and everything.

“Those are like surgical strikes where you come in and try to make sense of it all while they’re scrambling to get everything done. That line was a new addition right at the end.”

That last-minute scramble might explain why the line landed the way it did. The Rise of Skywalker already had a lot riding on it, tasked with wrapping up the entire Skywalker saga while juggling shifting creative decisions. Isaac’s comments hint at a production trying to pull all the threads together under pressure.

It’s kind of wild to realize that such a pivotal moment came together so late in the process. Isaac describing the production rushing to piece things together gives the scene a completely different context.

The Rise of Skywalker builds its entire conflict around Palpatine being back, yet the explanation never really lands in a satisfying way. Instead, the film throws out a quick acknowledgment through Poe, almost as if it knows the audience is asking the same question.

The intention may have been to hand things off to a more detailed explanation from Beaumont Kin, but what actually sticks is Poe’s reaction. That bit of frustration ends up doing more of the heavy lifting than the exposition itself.

What’s interesting is how much of the franchise has since tried to fill in those gaps. Over the last several years, multiple Star Wars stories have circled back to the idea, adding layers that weren’t there before. Star Wars: The Bad Batch leans into it with Project Necromancer, laying groundwork for how something like Palpatine’s return could even happen.

The Mandalorian touches on similar ideas, pulling Grogu into the mix because of his connection to midi-chlorians and their potential use. It’s a clear effort from Lucasfilm to tie everything together across the timeline, but revisiting it this often also puts a spotlight on how unclear it felt when audiences first heard that line.

In the end, bringing Palpatine back was one of the worst creative choices that J.J. Abrams could’ve made for Star Wars.

Even with the mixed reception, Isaac approached the moment with full commitment. He said, “There was a lot of movement and flux throughout the whole process.

“Had you asked me at that moment if I thought that was going to be the one that everyone would remember… I wouldn’t have known. But hey man, I committed to the exasperation!”

Looking back, it’s clear the actor understands the unexpected legacy of the line, even if it wasn’t meant to become such a lightning rod for criticism.

Isaac also took a moment to reflect on the earlier days of the sequel trilogy, especially working on Star Wars: The Force Awakens. That experience, for him, still stands as the high point of the journey.

“My favorite part was the experience of doing the first one,” he stated. “It was so wild. There was so much excitement, and everything was new.”

He continued, “The singularity of that thing was amazing; getting to meet JJ, becoming close with him, John, and Daisy, and reuniting with Adam because he had done Llewyn Davis with me. It was all just such an exciting moment.”

That sense of discovery clearly left a lasting impression, even as the trilogy evolved in unexpected and disappointing ways.