BURBANK, CA–Newly leaked plot details have confirmed fans’ suspicions: the villainous Emperor Palpatine will return again in next year’s highly anticipated release The Mandalorian and Grogu. This will be the first theatrical Star Wars film since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, which was also the last time Emperor Palpatine returned.

The film will feature the titular Mandalorian, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) delivering the fan-favorite line “Somehow, Palpatine returned,” with no further explanation or acknowledgement of this phenomenon given in the plot. Similarly, Ryan Gosling is expected to speak the line in 2027’s Star Wars: Starfighter.

Director Jon Favreau explained the decision to bring back the classic villain. “Well, we killed off our other villain, Moff Gideon in season three of the show. So, just like Rian and J.J. in the movies, we kinda had no choice but to bring back a classic big bad. And Palpatine it was.”

In that vein, the film will also feature the Mandalorian and baby Grogu trying to foil Palpatine’s plans to construct the third Death Star. (Or is it the fourth one now? We can never keep track.)

Not all Lucasfilm executives feel the same about the decision, though. “I didn’t think we really needed things like a villain or a plot for this one,” said writer Dave Filoni. “We’ve already got Baby Grogu–the most merchandizable Star Wars character there is–and Pedro Pascal, who’s starring in every Hollywood movie of 2026. What more could people want?”

The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters in May.