The return of Emperor Palpatine in the final Star Wars movie has been criticized for years, but looking back, there is actually precedent for this return in one specific place. Star Wars has long been a series full of parallels and poetry in its storytelling. Within George Lucas's original six movies, the poetic structure of events is incredibly clear, with both deliberate callbacks and more subtle parallels.

In the newer Star Wars films, whether some fans like it or not, this tradition has continued. Luke Skywalker's death poetically parallels Obi-Wan Kenobi's. The Millennium Falcon's arrival at Exegol parallels its arrival at the Death Star in A New Hope. In this same vein, the death and return of Emperor Palpatine in many ways reflects the death and return of Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Darth Maul's Death Is A Mirror Of Palpatine's

Fallen Sith Risen Again

For years, audiences have noticed the many parallels between The Phantom Menace and Return of the Jedi. Within George Lucas's vision of Star Wars, they were the first and last films, and because of that, they had many similarities. The crowning achievement of these parallels is that the Battle of Naboo and the Battle of Endor are similar in almost every way. A ground battle consisting of natives of the planet, a space battle where a ship flies into a large space station, an infiltration crew in a facility, and a lightsaber duel ending with the "death" of a Sith.

At the end of the Battles of Naboo and Endor, a Sith is specifically plunged into a bottomless chasm, presumed completely dead. After this defeat, in both films, a young Jedi Knight cradles his dying father-figure, in a shot that is almost exactly the same layout-wise, only flipped, as one is the beginning and one is the end. In the years since, both Palpatine and Maul have had a similar fate beyond this "death."

Somehow, Darth Maul Returned

The Clone Wars Brings Maul Back

Years after his death, The Clone Wars brought back Darth Maul by revealing that his bisection and fall were not as deadly as they first seemed. Maul returned, with at first spider-like robotic legs, later more normal legs, and returned to the galactic playing field seeking revenge on Obi-Wan Kenobi and even Palpatine. This return from the dead was unprecedented, but happened because of his Sith anger, and how that dark side power gave him the strength to survive getting cut in half and falling at terminal velocity.

Overall, Maul's return from the dead didn't make all that much more sense than Palpatine's return. After all, Palpatine wasn't cut in half before his descent. Lucas just loved the character that he created in Darth Maul, and wanted to bring him back. The benefits of this are not to be ignored either, as Maul's characterization and storylines in The Clone Wars and later Rebels are some of the best and coolest the animated Star Wars galaxy has to offer.

Darth Maul's Resurrection Makes Palpatine's Even Better

Both Fallen Sith Returned From Their Pits

After Maul's return from the dead, the image of the fallen Sith at the end of the parallel battle was shifted a bit. Maul's death was no longer final, like Palpatine's was intended to be by Lucas. In this way, the return of Palpatine, whether it be in the 1990s Dark Empire comics by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy or in J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, restores this parallel in a way. Both Sith fall, and both return with little explanation, seeking revenge against the forces that brought them down.

Yes, both stories have their holes. Any time a character is brought back from the dead, this happens, and nowhere is it more clear than in the sequel trilogy's seemingly impromptu resurrection of Palpatine for its final film. As evidenced by Maul, however, Star Wars has always been built on those types of storytelling decisions. "Cool" wins out over logical in most scenarios, and since Palpatine's return, there have been lots of fascinating stories told involving it.

The Mandalorian and Star Wars: The Bad Batch have been building up to Palpatine's efforts to create Force-sensitive clones. Adam Christopher's novel Shadow of the Sith deals with Palpatine's return and the influence of Exegol during the New Republic era as well. Star Wars has a long history of finding interesting gaps to tell stories in, and redefining established story beats with these new stories. Now, the story of Palpatine's resurrection is not just a new story, but connects back to a key parallel George Lucas originally weaved into Star Wars with The Phantom Menace.