In many ways, Palpatine’s return isn’t terribly surprising. As we’ve explored in the past, it was basically inevitable director J.J. Abrams would revive this ultimate villain, given how much The Force Awakens and his other films trade on a reverent nostalgia for the past. Depending on whom you ask, that nostalgia-fueled approach either helped or hindered The Force Awakens. Plus, considering how much the Star Wars franchise prizes storytelling symmetry, it makes sense that the overarching villain of the first six movies would return for one last hurrah in Episode IX.