There are major film franchises and then there's Star Wars. Generations grew up on the galaxy far, far away, which continues to expand with both movies and live-action TV shows that are streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Those who have watched the Star Wars movies in order know that plenty of moments have gone viral over the years, including Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron telling everyone that "somehow Palpatine has returned" in The Rise of Skywalker. And now the actor has shared the original of that line, which has been turned into countless memes over the years.
Palpatine's return in The Rise of Skywalker resulted in some eye rolls, as he somehow became the Big Bad of the entire Skywalker Saga despite being absent for the first two entires in the sequel trilogy. During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Isaac revealed how that infamous line of dialogue came together, saying:
Yeah, those were re-shoots. We had to do re-shoots. Yeah, because when I look at [it], I'm like, ‘The wig's pretty good.’ I’d cut my hair already and had come in. Yeah, man, those are like those surgical strikes where you like, come in and they’re like scrambling, trying to get everything going, you know? Yeah, that was like a new, obviously, like a new addition right at the end. So there was a lot of movement and flux throughout that whole thing. But had you asked me if, at that moment, I thought that was going to be [a viral line], I wouldn’t have known. I mean, I committed to the exasperation, that’s for sure.
There you have it. It turns out that line about Palpatine was a last-minute addition to The Rise of Skywalker that came together in reshoots. And while Oscar Isaac couldn't have predicted it going so viral, it sounds like he was using his real-life sense of exasperation to bring Poe's reaction to life. After re-watching the scene ahead of writing this story, I have to tip my hat to the actor for convincingly delivering the cringeworthy dialogue.
Despite its criticism, The Rise of Skywalker performed well at the box office. And even though things like Palpatine angered fans, there were some great moments in the blockbuster. And it should be fascinating to see how upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows continue with the narrative, especially in Daisy Ridley's developing Rey movie.
Star Wars took a few years away from theaters, but it'll return when The Mandalorian and Grogu is released May 22nd as part of the 2026 movie release list. We'll have to wait and see if Oscar Isaac ever returns as Poe Dameron.
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