TestingOutTheTest said:
On that topic, how he survived is explained, and this explanation relies on inference.That’s the thing. It needs more than a “Somehow Palpatine returned” and some half-assed possibilities brought up immediately later for the audience to suspend disbelief. If it were for inference one could make endless headcanons or possible explanations to fill in the blanks, maybe with reasoned and solid arguments, but it doesn’t make up for the fact they didn’t explain how Palps survived in a satisfactory way that doesn’t require reading a novelisation or visual dictionary. And the audience deserves better than that.
Palpatine being brought back could have been a fine plot development but for another sequel trilogy that set up his looming presence accordingly. The way they included him is an ass pull, no matter how many retcons they introduce.
“I am your father” was an ass-pull as well. Set-up is absolutely not a requirement in storytelling.
In fact, both having no set-up is exactly the reason why both of them worked (it’s just one was ruined by trailers and promotional material). Had there been no confirmation or indication from Lucasfilm of Palpatine’s return up until we walk into the theater and the movie plays, the name-drop in the crawl would’ve been the “I am your father” of our generation (aside from Thanos’ victory in Infinity War).
And it is more than a “Somehow, Palpatine returned” as well as “Dark science. Cloning. Secrets only the Sith knew.” It is an inference from the movie. Palps’ plan is to possess Kylo Ren/Rey because his body is rotting and failing and has to be supported by a life support machine. He explicitly states he’d died before, and we see his physical body explode in RotJ. We see he can create lifeforms, including Snoke, and his current body is identical to his original - it’s a “clone”.
And how is the inferred explanation not satisfying, exactly? It raises the stakes for Rey and/or Kylo Ren - will they be possessed, or no? Will Palpatine be back in full form, finally abandoning his rotting failure of a clone body, or no?