Palpatine’s Return and Anakin’s Injuries: 5 Scariest Scenes in Star Wars History
A saga with darker turns
Created by George Lucas in the 1970s, Star Wars is approaching its fiftieth anniversary next year. Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling, is set to mark the occasion.
Insiders say the Shawn Levy-directed film will favor action and adventure over dense lore, with a lighter tone. Earlier entries and projects have taken different approaches, from the sequel trilogy’s serious moments to Andor’s political-thriller style.
Palpatine returns on Exegol
The opening sequence of The Rise of Skywalker reveals that Emperor Palpatine is alive. Kylo Ren arrives on Exegol beneath a storm-filled sky before entering the Emperor’s lair.
Palpatine’s voice carries through the base’s empty corridors. When Ren reaches him, the Emperor appears scarred and deformed, with a look likened to a horror creature.
Anakin’s painful transformation
In Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan Kenobi defeats Anakin Skywalker in a lightsaber fight on Mustafar, then leaves him behind, believing he is dead. Palpatine senses his apprentice is in danger and takes him to Coruscant.
Droids operate on Anakin as he screams in pain. Close views of his injuries show the damage caused by the lava, giving the sequence a body-horror quality.
Key points
- Star Wars: Starfighter is planned as a lighter action-and-adventure film.
- The Rise of Skywalker opens with Kylo Ren discovering Palpatine on Exegol.
- Revenge of the Sith shows droids operating on Anakin after his defeat on Mustafar.