Scrapped Star Wars TV Series Would Have Chronicled Emperor Palpatine's Rise

Twenty-six episodes were planned. No. George Lucas wanted to explore the darkest corners of Palpatine's past, drawing eerie parallels with the ascent of Adolf Hitler, which is both fascinating and unsettling, considering the complexities of Palpatine's character and the implications of such a narrative on our understanding of the Star Wars universe. Ian McDiarmid, the actor behind Palpatine, spilled the details at Spacecon 2026.

It was a lunch meeting. You'll hear about this in interviews. Lucas pitched the concept, it's a story of Emperor Palpatine's rise, with key moments like an assassination attempt that obviously wouldn't kill him. The excitement was real, for sure. Lucas even thought McDiarmid could direct, which is a big deal. It's we've seen projects like this before, they get hyped, then they've just got too many issues. The costs were a problem, it's a vast project, and that's what stopped it, we've got a good idea of what could've been.

About the Scrapped Series and Star Wars Underworld

It's the real feel. This project is similar to Star Wars Underworld. You'll notice the gap. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith to Episode IV: A New Hope is key. With at least 60 episodes planned, Underworld was a crossover for Lucas, we've got scripts, lots of them, but they've never made it to production, it's worth mentioning that the leak of test footage showed a gritty Coruscant, the galactic capital planet, in a way that's harder to find in other Star Wars projects, with Underworld being one of those projects you'll still be thinking about, for the honest look it gave us, even if it was just a brief glimpse.

It's a shame. Underworld had potential. The budget was huge, you'll note - $40 million per episode, which is massive. They've said it would've been like making a Star Wars film. Rick McCallum, the producer, thinks it's one of the great disappointments of our lives, and that's saying something, for him, it's key. The technology, at the time, was the issue, with each episode needing a lot of resources, similar to a Star Wars movie, which is worth mentioning.

Imagining Palpatine's Rise as a Dark Warning

It's over. The Star Wars TV series are done. You'll see Ahsoka next year. That's it. The spending is low now. Projects like The Acolyte and The Book of Boba Fett didn't do great, so they've scaled back. In theaters, The Mandalorian and Grogu didn't kill it at the box office, which is key. They're counting on Star Wars: Starfighter to bring it back, we've got our fingers crossed for that one.

"[George Lucas] was talking about, I think I can tell you now, a television series... We could sort of follow the Emperor's progress, like Hitler's, some of that. There might be an assassination attempt, and of course it wouldn't succeed." — Ian McDiarmid on George Lucas's pitch

What This Means for Fans and the Franchise's Future

You'll get a real feel for the darker side. It's about Palpatine. The scrapped Star Wars series is worth mentioning. We've seen cautious moves from the franchise lately, with Star Wars Underworld being a key example of what could have been - it's a story of power, corruption, and the challenges of making it work financially, which is harder than it sounds, and they've had to make some tough calls.

It's real. We've got Ahsoka coming. Star Wars: Starfighter too. The real feel of these shows is worth mentioning. You'll think of what could've been with that Palpatine series, it's key to understanding the Star Wars universe. They've had Star Wars Underworld in the works as well, for a crossover that would've been worth seeing, with honesty from the creators about the project's potential, in the Star Wars galaxy, which is full of unexplored territories, we've got a lot to look forward to.