Something I’ve been thinking about, based on RogueLeader’s idea for Rey to receive a vision of the Death Star when she picks up the dagger on Kylo’s ship…

It feels (to me, at least) to be the perfect moment to reveal Palpatine’s return structurally (“structurally” as in, at this point of the movie - about a third to halfway through the film). It would mean that the stakes for the film are allowed to grow naturally as it progresses - we’d have been told about the Sith Fleet ahead of time, but now we know how the Fleet came to be. It’s not just introducing some dumb power spike (like “planet-destroying Star Destroyers”) that’s never relevant to the film again; it’s a raising of the stakes that actually has relevance, and changes the scope and urgency of the mission.

Plus, it makes Grandpa Palp’s return a legitimate twist, rather than a hasty retcon for the final film.

So, how would you go about doing it?

In the Exegol opening, cut out most of Palpy’s dialogue. Maybe keep some vague line like “Come to me” (“Huh, what? Who said that? That sounded like Palpatine!”), or just replace the whole thing with Sith Whispers. Cut to black with a little music sting as Kylo walks off camera, to investigate ~~Palpatine~~ something. (“Ooh, what’s he looking at? What’s on Exegol?” Mystery, baby; that’s what.) Fade in on Rey.
During the Resistance Intel Meeting, trim direct references to Palpatine. Focus on the discussions about the Sith Fleet on Exegol. “It’s gonna blow us all up if we don’t find it!”
Rey tells Leia they have to find a way to find a Way-Finder (God, this movie…) in order to “Find Exegol. ~~Find the Emperor.~~”
Kylo Boardroom Meeting is fine. They just talk about the Sith Cultists, the Fleet, and a mysterious “he.” (Who’s “he,” you ask? It’s a mystery, baby!!)
In the Pasaana Skype Call, replace Kylo’s line “Palpatine wants you dead” with the later “Wherever you are, you’re hard to find.” Or, heck, just have him stare at Rey menacingly. I don’t care.
Move Kylo’s Palpatine conversation back to right before Endor. Or overdub the scene completely. Have Kylo talk to himself, something like, “Please, Rey. Join me. Let me find you.” Or even call back to TFA, say “Grandfather, help me find her.”
Slot in a shot of the Emperor during Rey’s Dagger Vision, have his laugh linger in the air after the vision fades. She whispers a disbelieving “No…” in response.
Replace Kylo’s next line with the previously swapped out “Palpatine wants you dead.”
Re-add the scene of Palps raising the Sith Fleet out of the ground to right after Rey leaves Ahch-To. He’s preparing the Fleet to depart.

The rest of it should play out exactly the same, I’m pretty sure.

So, in summary, you’d get:

A better structured sense of building stakes.
A surprising, twist Emperor reveal that’s actually built towards and hinted at, rather than a quick, “Hello, boys! I’m baaaaaaack!” in the first five minutes.
Gives Palpatine’s return more personal stakes to Rey, as she’s the one who discovers it…instead of Hux?
Palpatine’s plan doesn’t contradict itself every other scene. (Kill her! Don’t kill her! Bring her to me! No, lure her here! Oh, she’s here anyway? Kill me! You won’t? Fine, kill her! No wait, I can just suck up her life force! Ha, I’m a genius!)
The Sith Fleet rising is now an actual source of tension, and is a visual representation of the Fleet being ready to depart. (Shit Poe, you’ve gotta take them down now!) No more “Okay boys, you in place? Great. Just hang out here for ~~16 hours~~ an arbitrary amount of time until I feel like launching the ships, cool? Maybe wait for like 20 minutes after the Resistance arrives. Then you can start leaving.”
Have Rey say “No…” to something actually significant while holding the Dagger, instead of *checks notes* repeating an echo of a vision of a memory of herself that the knife reminded her of? (God, this movie…)

I know that we’re trying to incorporate the Dagger-Vision angle for Ascendant, which is the first piece to all of this; but this felt like one of those “dramatic changes” that Hal probably wouldn’t jump on right away - hence my suggesting it here. But you never know, Hal…