Even as the Star Wars universe has expanded in recent years, it has also found ways to honor and restore classic elements from the history of the franchise. Returning characters and concepts have become more prevalent, with the restoration of a major villain even being the central conflict of the latest Star Wars film. Interestingly enough, though, the two biggest recent character resurrections actually had already been discussed by series creator George Lucas long before Disney began producing stories set in a galaxy far, far away.
While one character Lucas always said survived the original trilogy -- Boba Fett -- is finally set to make his official return to Star Wars, another power player Lucas claimed was definitely dead -- Emporer Palpatine -- made it back into the series first.
What Did George Lucas Say About Boba Fett?
Introduced in infamous Star Wars Holiday Special before making his live-action debut in The Empire Strikes Back, Boba Fett quickly became a fan favorite for his mercenary tactics and distinct look. However, the character seemingly died an inglorious death in Return of the Jedi, when a blinded Han Solo accidentally hit him during a fight and sent him careering into the open jaws of the man-eating Sarlac Pit. Many tie-ins from the Extended Universe tweaked the canon to allow Boba Fett to escape the Sarlac Pit, but the expulsion of the Extended Universe (now known as the Legends continuity) after the acquisition of Star Wars by Disney threw Fett's survival back into question.
It's important to remember though that before the end of the Extended Universe, even Lucas believed the character was still alive. During a Reddit AMA with Jonathan Rinzler, a Lucasfilm Historian, Rinzler was asked if George Lucas had ever privately commented on the chance that Boba Fett had actually survived his encounter with the Sarlac Pit. Rinzler responded that Lucas did confirm to him that he believed it was canon that Fett was eventually able to escape the Sarlac Pit and survive to fight another day.
This seems to have finally carried over to the new Star Wars universe, as these gels with recent reports about the presence of the character in the upcoming seasons of The Mandalorian. Reports suggest that Timothy Olyphant could be playing the small-town sheriff Cobb Vanth (who first appeared in the 2015 novel Star Wars: Aftermath), who while on Tatooine collected and even started wearing pieces of Fett's infamous armor. With the importance The Mandalorian has placed on the titular race of people and the connection they have with their armor, it wouldn't be surprising to see Fett trying to take back his as part of his return.
What Did George Lucas Say About Palpatine?
It's an especially interesting contrast to consider, especially with the recent resurrection of Emperor Palpatine still being fresh in the minds of many Star Wars fans. The ultimate villain of the original and prequel trilogies, the secret Sith Lord used the Clone Wars as a means to take control of the Galactic Republic and turn it into the Empire, which carried out his dark designs of control across the entire galaxy. However, the Rebellion was able to fight back against him and defeat his armies -- culminating in his own apprentice, Darth Vader, being swayed away from the Dark Side and throwing him over the side of a deep hole inside the second Death Star.
Palpatine's actor, Ian McDiarmid, revealed during an interview before the release of The Rise of Skywalker that when he had asked Lucas years earlier if the character could have survived his apparent demise, Lucas reportedly told McDiarmid that the character was "absolutely dead." At the time, Lucas also told McDiarmid that the only way Palpatine could ever come back after the events of Return of the Jedi would be if the character was cloned somehow.
That wasn't the case in the current canon when Palpatine did indeed return in The Rise of Skywalker, where he was revealed to be the true mind behind the machinations of Snoke and the corruption of Kylo Ren. It wasn't revealed that Palpatine had cheated death with the use of a clone, but rather he merely was revealed to have survived the final battle -- albeit in a vastly weakened state, to the point where his only hope came from forcing another to take on the legacy of the Sith so he may live on in at least some way. As popular characters, fans should have always expected both to still have a role to play in the continuing Star Wars saga. But at least one of them at least should have survived, and will finally clear up some questions about how.