I think if the “Somehow, Palpatine has returned” bit is going to be replaced with the group listening to something, a big fancy broadcast isn’t the way to go. Instead, we should hear Palpatine speaking with Pryde, distorted enough to sound like a secret recording but clear enough to recognize their voices. This places emphasis on the spy subplot and foreshadows both that someone high-ranking is the spy, as well as that Pryde’s loyalty lies with the Emperor and not the Supreme Leader. It also potentially works as a red herring. If we hear Richard Grant speaking in the spy message and then later see him as a new character in the First Order meeting, he and Hux eyeing each other suspiciously from across the table, then an observant audience member will likely come to one of two assumptions: either Hux is the spy (now foreshadowed instead of a random twist), or Pryde is (a red herring, making Hux’s reveal and death a bigger twist).
Edit: if we want to split Palpatine and Pryde’s conversation from later in the movie, and do a bit of sentence-mixing, we could do it like this:
Spy recording on Ajan Kloss:
Palpatine: “Send the ships to a world they know. Let it burn. The Final Order begins.”
Pryde: “Yes, my lord.”This gives context to Poe’s line, “He calls it the Final Order. In 16 hours, attacks on all free worlds begin.”
Then in the meeting after Leia’s death:
Palpatine: “The princess of Alderaan has disrupted my plan, but her foolish act will be in vain. Come to me on Exegol, General Pryde.”
Pryde: “As I served you in the old wars, I serve you now.”
Palpatine: “She will come. Her friends will follow.”
Pryde: “Yes, my lord.”This is the same “Yes, my lord” used twice, but it’s far enough apart and appropriate enough for the situation that I bet a casual audience member wouldn’t notice.
I think this is the best idea I’ve heard so far, if it can be done. The Fortnite message is a bit cheesy, admittedly, so this seems like a better alternative.
I just cannot stand “Somehow…Palpatine returned.” It sounds like something out of a fan fic.