Dathan Palpatine is a character from the Star Wars universe, who appears in the novel Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith, written by Adam Christopher and published in 2023. Dathan Palpatine is the cloned son of Emperor Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith. Dathan Palpatine is also the biological father of Rey, the protagonist of the sequel trilogy of Star Wars movies.
According to the novel, Dathan Palpatine was created by the Sith cultists on the planet Exegol, using the genetic material of Palpatine. Palpatine’s purpose was to create a body vessel to transfer his spirit and prolong his life. However, Dathan Palpatine turned out to be a failure, as he had no connection to the Force. Palpatine rejected him and called him “The Abomination”, but let him live in case his blood was useful in the future.
Dathan Palpatine managed to escape from Exegol with the help of Dathan, a slave manager of the Cult of the Eternal, who had raised him. Dathan Palpatine adopted the name of his savior and traveled across the galaxy, trying to hide from Palpatine and his agents. During his journey, he met Miramir, a woman whom he married and had a daughter, Rey. Rey turned out to have a great sensitivity to the Force, which aroused Palpatine’s interest, who sent Ochi of Bestoon, a Sith assassin, to capture them. Dathan and Miramir were killed by Ochi, but managed to hide Rey on the planet Jakku, where they hoped to return someday.
Dathan Palpatine was first mentioned in the movie Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi, where Kylo Ren tells Rey that her parents were nobodies who sold her for money. However, in the movie Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, it is revealed that Rey is the granddaughter of Palpatine, and that her parents left her to protect her. Dathan Palpatine briefly appears in a flashback, played by the actor Billy Howle.