Star Wars Should Revive George Lucas’ Palpatine Prequel Series
Published Jun 22, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT
Josh is a film critic and journalist with over nine years of experience in the entertainment industry. Entering the field at just 17 years old, Josh went on to make his own website, The HoloFiles, and social media brand Star Wars Holocron, the most followed Star Wars fan account on Twitter/X.
A member of both the Chicago Indie Critics and the Hollywood Critics Alliance, Josh has covered major industry events including Star Wars Celebration and, most recently, CinemaCon for ScreenRant. His work has appeared in outlets such as Game Rant and Comic Book Resources (CBR), and he has been featured in publications including the BBC and The New York Times.
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In 2012, Star Wars creator George Lucas sold the franchise to the Walt Disney Company, marking an end of the era for the filmmaker. Lucas had been engulfed in a galaxy far, far away since the mid 1970s, and was still working on Star Wars projects up until the year it was sold.
At that time, Star Wars: The Clone Wars was the primary focus of the franchise, with Lucas intent on building out the prequel trilogy era with the animated series set between the events of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. However, Lucas was also quietly working on a few other ideas around the same time.
One was, of course, the sequel trilogy, which Lucas had some ideas for (such as a demoralized Luke Skywalker living as a hermit). Other rumors suggest that Lucas planned on bringing back Darth Maul in some capacity during the sequels, too. Another project was one that focused on another iconic villain — Emperor Palpatine.
At a panel with McDiarmid, Hayden Christensen, and Jimmy Smits at SpaceCon San Antonio this month, the Palpatine actor revealed that Lucas was interested in creating a live-action Palpatine prequel series. All these years later, this show still sounds like a promising idea that Lucasfilm should explore.
Palpatine’s Backstory Is Still (Relatively) Unexplained
via MovieStillsDBA primary reason why a Palpatine prequel series shows so much potential is the fact that the villain’s backstory is still relatively unexplained. The basics are known — Palpatine rose through the ranks of the Galactic Senate to then enact his plan to take down the Jedi and take control of the galaxy.
In Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine also hints at his origins as a Sith Lord, telling the infamous story of Darth Plagueis the Wise, his Master who trained him in the ways of the Dark Side of the Force. This aspect of his life in particular is unexplored in the Star Wars timeline, as although there are Legends books that tell this story, they are no longer canon.
Where Palpatine was as a child and the specifics of how he came into contact with the Dark Side are all mysteries as of right now. A prequel series could show the very beginnings of his journey, such as meeting Darth Plagueis and the push and pull that Sith often have with the Dark Side before they fully commit.
A Prequel Show Would Be An Excellent Companion Piece To The Skywalker Saga
When George Lucas stepped away from the franchise, Palpatine was a huge part of the Star Wars story overall. He was the one who pulled the strings throughout the (then) six films, even as he didn’t appear in A New Hope, for example. However, Palpatine’s role at the center of the Skywalker story has been cemented even more since Disney took over.
That’s in large part because of The Rise of Skywalker, which brought Palpatine back and made him a key player in not just the first six films of the Skywalker’s, but the entirety of the Saga as well. After all, it was Palpatine’s granddaughter that ultimately defeated him, thus taking down the Sith once and for all. It was also Palpatine that sewed the strings of discontent in the Skywalker family, such as Ben Solo’s pull to the Dark Side.
Therefore, with Palpatine playing such an integral role in the Star Wars story, it makes sense to give him some added backstory in a Disney+ prequel series. Doing so would also create an excellent companion piece for the Skywalker Saga, giving viewers a better understanding of Palpatine’s motivations and what drives him to change the Star Wars galaxy forever.
Movie(s) Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
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