Viewers might have been surprised by the slap-dashed way that J.J. Abrams brought back Palpatine in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but it looks Star Wars fans might be able to learn more about the Sith Lord's motivations luring Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) into Exegol thanks to The Book of the Sith.
A Star Wars fan on Reddit has been trying to analyze the methods and motivations of Emperor Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker, and it seems like most of the answers to fans questions about Darth Sidious in the sequel trilogy can be found in the 2012 publication, The Book of the Sith. The book is a collection written in five parts by five fictional authors. The first comes from a female Sith Lord, the original author of the Sith Code Sorzus Syn. In a certain part of the book, she transcribes a prophecy of the Sith where "the Sith'ari will be free of limits. The Sith'ari will lead the Sith and destroy them. The Sith'ari will raise the Sith from the dead and make them stronger before."
Sound familiar? Because that's what Palpatine wanted to do with Rey and Ren in Episode IX. According to Reddit user kyloren711, Palpatine may have seen himself as this prophecied Sith'ari, feeling the need to be destroyed and to have Rey raise him from the dead to make the Sith stronger.
It's an interesting theory, to say the least, one that explains Palpatine's actions in the film. We only wish that it had been made more apparent in Lucasfilm's Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is currently screening in cinemas.
Read: Star Wars: Diego Luna's Son was 'Pissed' at the End of Rogue One