...maybe it was their shared blood that enabled her
to see his thoughts, but some how she could, and Rey saw
it then, how he'd done it, what he was about to do again"
CHAPTER 17
STAR WARS - THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, EXPANDED EDITION BY RAE CARSON
to see his thoughts, but some how she could, and Rey saw
it then, how he'd done it, what he was about to do again"
CHAPTER 17
STAR WARS - THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, EXPANDED EDITION BY RAE CARSON
NOTE: NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THIS STORY IS GETTING REVEALED IN THE CURRENT STAR WARS - DARTH VADER COMIC SERIES BY GREG PAK. ANY ADDITIONAL INSIGHT BASED ON THIS MATERIAL IS BOLDED.
It goes without saying that Sheev Palpatine was not a simple man. For most of his career, he masterfully played two parts in his quest for unlimited power: a public persona and his true persona as Lord of the Sith. Most of the Galaxy only saw his public persona as the revered Senator from Naboo or Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Senate or later, the feared Emperor of the first Galactic Empire. Even after his ascension to Emperor, not many knew the awful truth that he was actually the Sith Lord Darth Sidious or that his enforcer, Darth Vader, was his Sith Apprentice (Star Wars -Tarkin Ch 7, Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 54).
In light of Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker (TROS) and the preceding canon stories, it seems that he had a plan for each of the two hoods he wore at any given moment. He was a schemer and someone who was able to keep all of the pieces in the right position regardless of how convoluted his plans were. And they were all convoluted.
Palpatine's initial plan to engulf the Galaxy in conflict was started by accident. It would have happened eventually, but it was definitely accelerated when Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi stumbled upon Jango Fett's clones on Kamino. Palpatine, being ever resourceful, was able to manipulate his way through The Clone Wars ending with the destruction of the Jedi Order and the reorganization of the Republic into the Galactic Empire. All of this was largely done out in the open through his public persona.
Though he now was entirely in control of the Galaxy, Palpatine was no fool. The Galactic Empire was a tool that protected him so that he could perfect the work that began with his master, Darth Plagueis. Even he recognized at some point, this new Galactic Empire could fail at that task. The Contingency, Palpatine's plan if that Empire ever failed him, was a plan developed in the shadows. Like his true identity, this plan was largely kept from the even the upper echelons of the Imperial hierarchy save but a few. However, religious zealots known as the Sith Eternal, who worshiped the Sith and its Dark Lord (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 54), were fully aware of The Contingency and played a major part in its development. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 172-174)
The Contingency was more than dealing with a failed Empire. At its very core were all of Palpatine's most sought-after desires. The Sith Eternal were the instruments used to help make those desires a reality. Palpatine was a master of the dark side of the Force. In the same way, the Sith Eternal developed into masters of "cloning, dark science...secrets only the Sith knew." One thing is absolutely clear, Sheev Palpatine served no master. Everything he did or attempted to do was so that only HE would be on top at the end of it. Everyone else was a means to an end.
The following is meant to bring as much clarity as possible to The Contingency and the events leading up to TROS using as much Canon material as possible.
There has not been much revealed about Sith history in Canon. Most books, comics, and novels describing Sith history are in the Legends timeline, but we do know a little bit about them in Canon. One of the most well known concepts in all of Star Wars is the Sith "Rule of Two" first mentioned by Jedi Grand Master Yoda in Star Wars - The Phantom Menace (TPM). This tradition once thought to have been entirely created by Darth Bane, seemed to have always existed in some form throughout Sith history as Rey found out through the ancient Jedi texts she found on Ahch-To. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Junior Novelization) The Jedi text read "The Prime is one, but the Jedi are many. The Sith were Many but often emerge Ruled by Two. The Seeds of the Jedi have been Sown throughout the Galaxy, on Ossus, Jedha, Xenxiar, and Others. The Sith have no Seeds, since what they Bury does not Grow."
The Rule of Two seemed to have been inspired by the extremely powerful Force-bond known as a Dyad. In fact, on Exegol there are carvings in the old Sith tongue that described the nature of the Dyad which was nearly identical to the Sith doctrine of the Rule of Two. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 54) Despite where it drew its inspiration, Palpatine largely saw the Rule of Two as "a pale imitation, an unworthy but necessary successor to the older, purer doctrine of the Dyad." (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17).
A millenia before the Clone Wars, the Sith were all but extinct. Not only due to their ongoing war with the Jedi, but also because of their own in-fighting with each other. The continuous struggle for power within the ranks of the Sith Lords would often lead to the destruction of carefully-laid plans. This problem led the Sith Lord, Darth Bane, to adopt a strict interpretation of the Rule of Two for the Sith going forward. According to this new official doctrine, there would only be two Sith Lords at any one time: "a Dark Lord to embody the power, and an apprentice to crave it." No longer would the Sith operate out in the open, but they would scheme and plan from the shadows until they were ready to reveal themselves. (Star Wars.com Databank on Darth Bane and Star Wars - The Clone Wars, S6E13 "Sacrifice")
Despite Palpatine declaring to his failed apprentice Maul that the Rule of Two was "the first and only reality of the Sith" (Star Wars - The Clone Wars, S5E16 "The Lawless") there was plenty of evidence that he didn't strictly follow it. The timeline presented by the Clone Wars episode "The Lost One" suggested that both Darth Maul and Darth Tyranus (Count Dooku) were apprenticed to Palpatine at the same time, though it's not clear whether or not they knew about each other (which seemed a bit strange considering how cunning both were).
Palpatine also did not shy away from employing other Force-sensitive agents to further his cause. He allowed Darth Tyranus to train Asajj Ventress and Savage Oppress (even if Tyranus meant to use them to usurp himself as Dark Lord). (Star Wars - The Clone Wars) After the Galactic Empire rose from the ashes of the Republic, Palpatine and his new apprentice, Darth Vader, established the Inquisitorious, a group of fallen Jedi Knights, to hunt down and eliminate the Jedi remnant and Force-sensitive children. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith comic series, Star Wars - Rebels, Star Wars - Jedi, Fallen Order) Later yet, the Knights of Ren. (Star Wars - The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series, Star Wars - The Force Awakens, Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker)
Palpatine was very likely not the only Sith Lord to violate the Rule of Two and Force-sensitive agents weren't the only ones willing to serve the Dark Lords of the Sith. Others worshiped the Dark Lords as well, at some point this collective of like-minded people formed the cult known as the Sith Eternal.
The next section deals with a bit of speculation about some of the key background elements of TROS, namely the Sith Eternal cult and the Wayfinders. While speculative, some information can be gleaned from Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition by Rae Carson and Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary by Pablo Hidalgo.
While Darth Bane's Rule of Two was meant to focus the mission of the Sith by limiting the amount of LORDS at any one time, it seemed reasonable that he and later Sith Lords, would still utilize agents to further their goals from the shadows. The point was to "favor guile and conspiracy to bring down their opponents rather than brute force." (Star Wars.com Databank on Darth Bane) These willing participants would be the reigning Sith Lord's co-conspirators and in many cases, their eyes and ears to the Galaxy at-large. Most importantly, these Sith Eternal cultists would not pose any significant threat to the reigning Sith Lord. The Sith Troopers seen in TROS were devoid of Force sensitivity, it's likely that most of the Sith Eternal cultists shared that same trait. They seemed to largely serve the Dark Lord as technologists. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 174). Those Sith Eternal cultists that DID exhibit Force sensitivity may have been considered as a Sith Lord's apprentice if they were deemed powerful enough. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series)
At some point, a decision was made by a Sith Lord to move these cultists (and anyone who joined them) to an ancient Sith world deep in the Unknown Regions called Exegol (also known as Ixigul in some texts). Exegol was a world only accessible by two ancient Sith artifacts known as Wayfinders. Only two existed, one was given to the current Lord of the Sith and the other to their apprentice. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 4) According to Luke Skywalker's notes, the Wayfinders only needed to be used once and then the hyperspace routes could be saved in a standard navicomputer. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 52) One of the main reasons Exegol was chosen is that other Sith worlds such as Moraband (Korriban) were too well known to the Galaxy at-large. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 54)
Exegol was a planet steeped in Sith tradition. The old legend of Darth Sanguis' and Darth Noctyss' hunt for immortality took place on Exegol. Whether or not these events actually took place within the Canon is up for debate, but one interesting thing about the tale is that it contained an early form of the ritual that Palpatine was trying to employ with Luke Skywalker on the second Death Star and later, Rey, on Exegol itself. (Star Wars - Dark Legends "A Life Immortal")
In his pursuit of immortality, Darth Sanguis used the dark side and arcane science to turn himself into a despicable, horrific creature. It wasn't the intent of his experiments, but a cruel side effect. Later, Darth Noctyss in that same pursuit, arrived on Exegol to continue that same work. At some point, Noctyss felt as if she understood all that was involved and ritually killed Sanguis hoping to achieve immortality. As a result, she was cruelly deformed herself, realizing that the horrific Sanguis had tricked her into ending his life / misery and by doing so, took on the curse herself. Clearly there was more to the ritual than she realized. (Star Wars - Dark Legends "A Life Immortal")
We can't say much more about the Sith Eternal or their role throughout the millenium leading up to Palpatine's ascension as Galactic Emperor. We do know that they've been there for centuries as the group was responsible for excavating Exegol's giant fissures in "centuries past" as they believed there was some sort of "transportative vergeance...hidden in the rock." (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 55)
In the centuries following Darth Bane, the Sith Lords and their apprentices would bide their time in the shadows playing the long game. They would study the Force in hopes of unlocking its secrets and when one apprentice felt like they learned all they could, they'd turn on their master and usurp the mantle of Dark Lord. They very likely leveraged the Sith loyalists to gather information so as not to reveal themselves prematurely. Eventually, learning the secrets of the Force turned into learning the secrets of immortality.
Enter Darth Plagueis the Wise. Darth Plagueis had such a knowledge of the Force that he eventually learned the first steps towards immortality. (Star Wars - Revenge of the Sith) His sole mission was to coax the final secrets of the dark side and to do that, he believed he needed "two Sith, one to serve as bait for the dark side, the other to be the vessel." (Star Wars -Tarkin Ch 9). As per Sith tradition, Darth Plagueis found an apprentice with which he could share his knowledge and the Sith tradition: Sheev Palpatine of Naboo. Presumably, this knowledge would have included the Sith Wayfinder and information about Exegol and the Sith Eternal cult. In his efforts, Darth Plagueis attempted to bring the Rule of Two full circle and create a Dyad with his apprentice, hoping to leverage whatever power that would provide. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17) He failed.
Eventually, Palpatine realized that he had learned everything he could from Darth Plagueis including leveraging the dark side of the Force to transfer one's essence to another body (though there seemed to be some rules to go along with this). In a certain sense, despite having some semblance of respect, Palpatine felt like Plagueis' vision of mere immortality was small. Palpatine sought to "harness the powers of the dark side to reshape reality itself; in effect, to fashion a universe of his own creation. Not mere immortality...but influence of the ultimate sort." (Star Wars - Tarkin Ch 21) When the time came, knowing what his master was capable of, Palpatine killed him in his sleep as Plagueis would not be able to act "fast enough in his own moment of death." (Star Wars - The Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17)
After the death of Darth Plagueis, Palpatine really started putting his political plans in motion to take over the Galactic Republic. It seems likely that he would have really started leveraging the talents of the Sith Eternal cultists based on Exegol around this time. He would finally reveal himself to the Galaxy and he had a planet of loyal servants willing to help push his (the Sith) agenda forward. It's not entirely clear whether or not either of his apprentices prior to Darth Vader had knowledge of Exegol or the Sith Eternal cultists. Palpatine was juggling two apprentices for a short time, he likely didn't reveal information about Exegol to either of them. At some point, Palpatine had hidden the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder on Mustafar with an unusual creature known as the Eye of the Webbish Bog. Darth Vader obtained the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder from the Eye of the Webbish Bog shortly after the events in Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series) Vader later kept it at his Mustafarian castle grounds (once again guarded by the Eye of the Webbish Bog) because Kylo Ren found it there three decades later (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition)
The following will start to cross-over into the prequel trilogy, Star Wars - The Clone Wars, Star Wars - Rebels, and the original trilogy eras. The main beats of those stories speak for themselves and will not really be touched. It is important to know that the roots of The Contingency plan are planted 30 years before Star Wars - Return of the Jedi (that would be seven or eight years before the Clone Wars began).
Palpatine had a feeling that something awaited him in the Unknown Regions, an "origin of the Force, some dark presence formed of malevolent substance." (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Ch 35) He felt that it was important to seek it out in his efforts to obtain ultimate influence over the Force. While the Sith Wayfinders he possessed as his inheritance of the Sith legacy could lead him into the Unknown Regions, they would provide only specific coordinates to Exegol and the Sith Eternal.
A couple of years after Palpatine was elected chancellor, he and an advisor named Yupe Tashu (a dark side worshipper) arrived on the planet Jakku with excavation droids. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Life Debt Prelude "Three Decades Ago") The purpose of the excavation droids were to build an "observatory" with its eye toward the Unknown Regions. This observatory was the first of many such installations. The observatory was meant to house ancient Sith relics and calculate coordinates through the Unknown Regions using ancient navigational computers. As is shown in TROS and described in Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End the Unknown Regions are "a labyrinth of solar storms, rogue magnetosphere, black holes, gravity wells, and things far stranger." Additionally, the excavation droids were to bore a hole straight into the planet core for a far more nefarious purpose (if it ever came to it).
Palpatine and Tashu left Jakku aboard his personal yacht called the Imperialis. A boy named Galli from Jakku was found to have stowed away on the ship. Palpatine entrusted the protection of the Jakku Observatory to this boy. He was told to kill anyone who may have discovered the secret of what was being built there. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Life Debt Epilogue "Three Decades Ago")
Over the next few decades, the Unknown Regions were carefully plotted with the help of the observatories. The Empire would send out probe droids and if they returned, they'd have that much more added to the starcharts. Another large contributor to these navigational entries was the Chiss Grand Admiral Thrawn who, having originated in the Unknown Regions, had much to contribute. Whereas travel to the Unknown Regions before the work of the observatories was assuredly a death sentence because they didn't have appropriate routes, that no longer was the case. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Ch 35) As the routes were developed, Palpatine secretly sent Imperial scouts and material into the frontier to construct a network of labs, shipyards, and bases. These were supposed to have been used to expand the Empire after the rebellion was destroyed. (Star Wars - The Last Jedi Incredible Cross-Sections Introduction, Star Wars - The Last Jedi, Expanded Edition Ch 25) By the time, the Palpatine was killed at Endor, the computations had largely been completed. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Ch 35)
For ten years after their initial meeting, Galli protected the construction site on Jakku, occasionally checking in with Yupe Tashu. He eventually met Palpatine a second time aboard the Imperialis. This time he tasked Galli with The Contingency, the specific task of destroying the Empire if it ever failed to protect Palpatine and he died. He used a chess-like game called Shah-tezh to illustrate the plan. It essentially amounted to, if there was ever a checkmate, wipe the board clean and start anew. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Interlude "The Imperialis, Twenty-Five Years Ago") Galli was promoted into the Imperial Naval Intelligence service eventually rising to the rank of Admiral. He also received the name Gallius Rax. Unlike many within the Empire, Gallius Rax knew full well that Palpatine was a Sith Lord and while he had respected his cunning, he also thought Palpatine was mad. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Ch 35)
Before continuing Gallius Rax's story and the Aftermath story beyond the Battle of Endor, it's important to understand what Palpatine and likely, the Sith Eternal over the three decades after Palpatine became chancellor. Once again, the following will not touch on the major Star Wars story beats found in the films.
As was previously mentioned, one of Palpatine's goals was unlocking the keys to immortality (mostly so he could be around long enough to obtain ultimate influence over the Force). Though Darth Plagueis had learned the dark side talent of essence transfer and shared it with his pupil, there seem to be some rules associated with technique that Palpatine hadn't quite cracked. The most important of these rules would be finding a host that was suitably Force-sensitive enough to contain the power that an immeasurably strong Sith Lord like Palpatine would have. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 2) Secondarily, in order for the technique to be fully realized a potential host through their anger and hatred would have to kill Palpatine sort of echoing the Rule of Two (this will be explained more a bit later). Speculatively, Maul and Vader may have been perfect hosts for the technique if not for each of their failings on Naboo and Mustafar (respectively).
Palpatine also wasn't opposed to using science in conjunction with the dark side of the Force in order to supplant the apparent requirements of the ritual. Without a doubt, there were alternative motives to his interest in the Kaminoan cloning (Star Wars - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars - The Clone Wars) , Zillo Beast cloning (Star Wars - The Clone Wars, S2E18-19 "The Zillo Beast" and "The Zillo Beast Strikes Back"), Dr. Cylo cloning and genetic engineering programs. (Star Wars - Darth Vader comic series) In fact, some of the Kaminoan cloning equipment from the Clone Wars ended up on Exegol to help sustain Palpatine in his clone body. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 2) These are just a few of the examples of cloning experiments that we know of.
It seems Palpatine didn't merely send all of this scientific information to Exegol for the Sith Eternal to experiment with in isolation. In order to advance his agenda, he directed the Sith Eternal to secretly infiltrate parts of the Galaxy. In fact, Sith scientists were part of Director Orson Krennic's Imperial Military Department of Advanced Weapons Research. In a scientific effort towards finding immortality, these scientists developed Project Blackwing. They used science and Sith Alchemy to try and revive dead flesh. Something in the process went awry and a virus was accidentally created. This virus killed their hosts and essentially turned them into zombie-like creatures. The "Death Trooper" monniker was originally used to describe Imperial troopers that fell to this virus . It was later applied to the special troopers tasked with guarding Imperial dignitaries. (Star Wars - Commander mobile game, Star Wars - Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded)
Sith loyalists also infiltrated military equipment manufacturers (though it's unclear when). Sienar Fleet Systems and Kuat Drive Yards were two of the most well-known military equipment manufacturers in the Galaxy. They first developed equipment for the Republic and naturally continued their association after the formation of the Galactic Empire. At some point, Sith Eternal cultists began to influence the companies so much so that supplies and designs were funneled to Exegol in order to build the Sith Eternal fleet. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series) Following the signing of the Galactic Concordance that ended the Galactic Civil, these two companies reorganized in way that allowed them to avoid the New Republic arms restrictions and continued to sell arms to the nascent First Order (Star Wars - The Force Awakens Incredible Cross-Sections, Star Wars - The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary, Star Wars - The Last Jedi Visual Dictionary). The aforementioned cultists eventually sat on the executive boards of the reorganized Sienar-Jaemus and Kuat-Entralla which allowed them to continue their program of funneling supplies and designs to Exegol covertly as well . Like the Galactic Empire, the Sith influence on what became known as the First Order was largely unknown to most. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 173-174)
With the destruction of the Jedi Order and the Imperial military might to protect him, Palpatine was able to focus further on continuing his quest to become master of the Force. (Star Wars - Tarkin Ch 21) The Sith Eternal agents were doing their part, but there was so much more to learn from the dark side of the Force. He had a new powerful, if damaged, apprentice in Darth Vader to whom he promised unlocking the secrets of immortality (though after his failure on Mustafar, Vader likely became another tool to further Palpatine's goals).
In the two decades that followed his ascension, Palpatine sought to expand his overall mastery of the Force and explore anything he could that would help him either perfect Darth Plagueis' technique or find a new one. During this time, he largely removed himself from the public eye and secretly began to build up Exegol has his permanent seat of power. (The Star Wars Book Ch The Phantom Menace - Darth Sidious) He searched for some of the more hidden mysteries of the Force by locating other Jedi and Sith temples and accessing the ancient Sith shrine that existed below the former Jedi Temple (and current Imperial Palace) on Coruscant. (Star Wars - Rebels, Star Wars - Tarkin Ch 9) For thousands of years, the dark side seeped from this shrine clouding the judgment of the Jedi Order unbeknownst to them. At some point, he learned of the mythic World-Between-Worlds, a Force nexus that existed beyond all time and space. He wanted to unlock its secrets as a pathway towards ultimate power. He almost accomplished his goal using Sith sorcery before Kanan Jarrus' padawan, Ezra Bridger, was able to seal it off. (Star Wars - Rebels, S4E13 "A World Between Worlds). Finally, like his master, he sought to explore the mysteries of the Dyad and attempted to create one between himself and Darth Vader. He failed. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17) Despite setbacks, Palpatine's power in the Force was ever increasing.
Palpatine also used archaeology as a tool and collected Sith artifacts throughout the Galaxy which ended up being stored in observatories like those on Jakku (Star Wars - Aftermath series) and Pillio (Star Wars - Battlefront II) in the hopes of extracting arcane knowledge from Sith Lords past. One such artifact was owned by Lord Momin, an "artistic" Sith Lord who managed to transfer his essence into his own mask. Anyone who put the mask on would be controlled by the spirit of the Sith Lord. Darth Vader leveraged Lord Momin to design his castle on Mustafar (and Momin used that position to try and become corporeal again). (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith comic series, Star Wars - Lando Calrissian comic series) Clearly, there was much that Palpatine could learn from such an artifact. It's also likely that Palpatine added the Jedi Bogan Collection of Sith artifacts into his personal stores (Star Wars - Dooku, Jedi Lost)
But what of Darth Vader? How much did Palpatine's powerful apprentice truly understand of his master's machinations? The Star Wars - Darth Vader, Dark Heart of the Sith and Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series shows that Vader was wholly unaware of Exegol or the work being done there until after ESB. Shortly after confronting his son in Cloud City, Vader went on a campaign to discover and exact revenge on those who helped hide his son from him. In the process, he simply ignored Palpatine's summons and did everything to ensure Palpatine was unawares of what he was up to. During this journey, the circumstances surrounding his wife, Padme's, death became clearer to Vader realizing that the Emperor wasn't entirely truthful with him.
Eventually, Darth Vader returned to confront his master. Palpatine sensing weakness, unleashed his rebuke upon his wayward apprentice beginning a sick test to determine whether or not Vader was still worthy of being his apprentice. He used the Force to distort and rend Vader's cybernetic extremities from his body. And just as Palpatine found him, left him for dead on Mustafar and warned him not to use the Force to overcome the challenges ahead. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series)
On Musatafar, Palpatine sent a Sith cultist by the name of Ochi of Bestoon (whom had also hired some pirates to assist) to kill Darth Vader (which was nothing more than a test for Vader to tap into his pain and grow in the Dark Side of the Force). While attempting to kill Vader, the arrogant and loose-lipped Jedi killer began to reveal small details of something secret Palpatine was building further fueling Vader's rage. Ochi then trapped Vader in a cave where he was left for dead. In the cave and its surrounds, Vader encountered the Eye of the Webbish Bog where a back and forth ensued between the two. In the end, the Eye of the Webbish Bog gave Vader the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder that led the way to Exegol. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series)
Following his encounter, Darth Vader rescued Ochi of Bestoon from the pirates he had hired to help kill Vader. Utilizing the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder, they made their way through the Unknown Regions. On the way, Vader subjugated an a summa-verminoth-type creature in Unknown's Red Nebula. Finally, Vader and Ochi made it to the planet Exegol. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series)
Darth Vader approached Palpatine's Exegolian citadel (as seen in TROS) on the back of the subjugated creature only to be confronted by Palpatine himself who quickly dispatched the creature and all but invited Vader into the citadel. From afar, Palpatine reminded Vader that embracing pain was central to the Dark Side of the Force and the "scalpel of creation." As Vader and Ochi made their way into through the citadel, they came across vats of strandcasts / clones (including Snoke strandcasts) and a jar with a severed hand (the implication that it was Luke's hand and his DNA MAY have been involved in the bioengineering experiments). The fear in Ochi of Bestoon increased with every step. Along the way, vats of strandcasts / clones broke and Vader was attacked by their inhabitants. He defeated them and was then attacked by Sith Eternal cultists (Force-sensitive ones). In both cases, Palpatine implied that any one of them could take Vader's place at his side as a new apprentice. Vader killed all of the cultists by turning their daggers on them with the Force. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series)
After they encountered the strandcasts / clones and cultists, Darth Vader and Ochi of Bestoon stumbled upon a shipyard where the Xyston-class Star Destroyers (seen in TROS) are already well under construction. At this point they see hundreds of them already constructed and discovered the planet-killing capabilities of these secret capital ships. Vader mocked Palpatine by exclaiming these were just more monsters and machines. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series)
Finally, Darth Vader and Ochi of Bestoon came upon a chamber that contained a gigantic mound of kyber crystals. The source of Palpatine's weapons development for his secret Sith capital fleet. Within the chamber, the kyber crystals were being "bled" (similar to what the Sith do to imbue the Dark Side of the Force into their lightsaber crystals to get the red hue). The kyber was "alive" in a sense and all of the pain and suffering that was being enacted upon it impacted its surroundings severely injuring Vader and blinding Ochi. Palpatine mused why Vader had to, time and time again, re-learn that embracing pain was central to the tenants of the Sith and the Dark Side of the Force. Pain, fear, anger, power. Finally, Palpatine asked if Vader has finally chosen. Vader responded "Yes...My Master." (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series)
As the current (as of May 2021) Star Wars - Darth Vader comic series is still ongoing, there may be more to glean from it in the future. It does confirm a number of things:
1. The Xyston-fleet had been under construction far longer than the three decades between ROTJ and TROS
2. The Snoke clone template had been around longer than anticipated (more speculation further down on what that may mean)
3. More members of the Imperial hierarchy were part of the Sith conspiracy like Mas Amedda and Sly Moore
As it stands now, it introduced a couple of more questions:
1. If Darth Vader now knew about Exegol (and didn't have his mind wiped in some way), why did he not warn Luke on the second Death Star after his redemption OR when he was communing with Luke as a Force ghost (as confirmed by Star Wars - Secrets of the Jedi)?
2. To what extent, if any, was Luke's DNA used in Palpatine's bionengineering experiments after it was retrieved?
Now it's time to move onto the Battle of Endor and beyond.
Arrogantly, Palpatine purposely leaked the Death Star II plans to the Alliance to Restore the Republic in order to encourage them to gather all of their forces to the battle station so that they could be destroyed at once. (Star Wars - Return of the Jedi) Furthermore, Darth Vader would likely deliver to him a potential new apprentice who would be a suitable host for the essence transfer ritual. Like his father, Luke Skywalker was strong in the Force and impulsive. Not only that, he was young. A perfect host if Palpatine could only coax him to striking him down through his anger and hatred.
After he arrived on the Death Star II and after Darth Vader left to the sanctuary moon to collect Luke Skywalker, Palpatine summoned Gallius Rax. Given the conversation he had just had prior to his departure, Palpatine had sensed a weakness in Vader (something that was evident during the Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series). He sensed chaos...a shatterpoint. Depending on the outcome of the next few hours, Palpatine asked Gallius Rax if he was prepared to be The Contingency and do what would need to be done. If the time came, Palpatine said he would send Gallius Rax a sentinel to let him know it was time to activate The Contingency. As Gallius Rax left to prepare, he told his Emperor "You will win it., most assuredly." Palpatine responded with a vicious smile "One way or another. I will." (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Prelude "The Second Death Star Over Endor")
The Battle of Endor commenced and Darth Vader brought his powerful son, Luke Skywalker, before his Emperor per his directive. The Star Wars - Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition novel provides a whole new perspective to the early part of this battle. During his conversation with Rey on Exegol, Palpatine asked Rey to "raise your saber and strike me down." He then stated "I've made this very proposal before. But on that unfortunate day Luke Skywalker had his father to save him. You do not." (Star Wars - Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 16) When the Emperor was trying to bring out Luke's anger and hatred and to "strike me down," he ultimately wanted him to do it so that the ritual could occur and Palpatine could transfer his essence into Luke's body. In the ensuing lightsaber battle, ultimately Luke did not give into the anger and hatred Palpatine sought to draw out. Because like his father before him, he was a Jedi.
Palpatine, realizing Luke wouldn't give into his anger like his father had done (and thus could not complete the ritual), knew he had to die. He turned his Force lightning on the young Jedi. Then the "weakness" he had described to Gallius Rax came to fruition. For years, Palpatine had sensed "the flickering light in his apprentice." (Star Wars - Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17) Vader turned on Palpatine and threw him down the shaft. It's important to note that Darth Vader killed the Emperor not out of anger and hatred of him, but out of love for his son. This death would not produce an outcome where he could transfer into his apprentice's body because of it.
Calling on all the power of the Force, using the technique learned from his master, Palpatine thrust his consciousness / essence into an experimental clone body on Exegol. Palpatine's lifeless body fell down the shaft of the second Death Star. (Star Wars - Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17)
As had been previously been stated, the Sith Eternal likely received knowledge and material about various cloning projects and their scientists had been involved in researching other forms of immortality. However, it seems they did not quite unlock the secret of creating a new body that was capable of containing Palpatine's spirit (and thus subverting the requirements of the ritual). It was not for a lack of trying, the Sith Eternal scientists created all sorts of horrors to try and accomplish this task (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series), but they were never successful. One particular strandcast that was created from these experiments thrived, but Palpatine and his cult viewed him as a failure because he was utterly devoid of any Force sensitivity. However, they sent his "son" into the Galaxy hoping that he would eventually have a natural child that may have the power to contain Palpatine's spirit. 11 years later after the Battle of Endor, Rey would be born. For now, the essence transfer was imperfect and now the immense power of his spirit would eat away at this body. (Star Wars - Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17, Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg Timeline)
The Galactic Empire had failed to protect their Emperor and he died. Per Palpatine's instructions, Gallius Rax activated The Contingency. Red robed sentinels that bore the holographic face of the dead Emperor reported to an elect group of Imperial officials with their directives. The immediate goal (through Operation Cinder) was to lay waste to Imperial worlds (and worlds, like Naboo, that were of personal interest to the late Emperor). After that, Gallius Rax would gather most of the Imperial Remnant military to Jakku for one final stand-off with the New Republic. As part of this plan, he'd go as far as to leak information to the New Republic to help get the pieces in place. Finally, he'd destabilize the planet using the hole that was being excavated to the planet's core. The planet would be destroyed taking the failed Imperial Remnant and the New Republic forces with it. Gallius Rax would then escape to the Unknown Regions with an elect group of Imperial personnel (including Brendol Hux, his bastard son Armitage "General" Hux, and a group of child soldiers Hux had been training) using the previously mapped coordinates. and start the Empire anew. (Star Wars - Aftermath series, Star Wars - Shattered Empire comic series, Star Wars - Battlefront II, Star Wars - Alphabet Squadron series, Star Wars - Lost Stars)
A practical, real world reason why Palpatine would have wanted to destroy his own military is so that the New Republic wouldn't be able to use his own military machine against him when was finally able to strike back (which they had already started doing against the Imperial Remnant forces). This sort of thing has happened in plenty of real world wars. When one country or group has to retreat, they destroy their own equipment to avoid it falling in to the hands of their enemies if they couldn't take it with them. Palpatine no longer trusted the military that failed him save for his chosen elect, thus he wanted to destroy it.
Two people that Gallius Rax associated himself with throughout the Star Wars - Aftermath series were Yupe Tashu, Palpatine's dark side worshipping advisor and Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, a proud Imperial officer.
Yupe Tashu would go on to lead a group known as the Acolytes of the Beyond who very likely tangentially related to the Sith Eternal cult. Ochi of Bestoon, the Jedi hunter that had earlier become acquainted with Darth Vader and later, killed Rey's parents, was a member of the Acolytes of the Beyond who had at one point received Sith texts from Tashu. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 126) These Acolytes sewed chaos throughout the Galaxy searching for Sith relics and committing terrorists acts. They longed for the return of the Sith Empire. Tashu wanted to find this mystery source of dark side power that Palpatine was obsessed with finding in the Unknown Regions. He also fully believed that the Emperor was somewhere in the Unknown Regions waiting for them. It seems he was well aware and believed the full breadth of Palpatine's plan.
Gallius Rax seemed to be aware of it as well, but as he thought Palpatine and Tashu were mad, it doesn't seem he actually believed he'd find a reborn Emperor waiting in the Unknown Regions. He thought he was going to escape to restart the Empire for himself. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Ch 35) Without a doubt, if he had made it that far, Palpatine likely would have reconnected with him since Rax WAS The Contingency. Unfortunately, Rax would never have the opportunity to start his new Empire largely due to Grand Admiral Rae Sloane.
Grand Admiral Rae Sloane was a career Imperial officer and she believed in displaying strength in all situations. She worked with Gallius Rax to have the initial meeting of the Imperial Future Council on the planet Akiva. As the story goes on, she begins to distrust Rax as things aren't quite lining up. She is not privvy to the intricacies of The Contingency plan and after a series of events and investigations it leads her back to Jakku during the fabled Battle of Jakku. She realized that Rax's plan included blowing up the planet to destroy both Imperial Remnant and New Republic forces. Rax had help start the de-stabilization of the planet after he pushed a relatively mad Yupe Tashu adorned in dark side-infused Sith artifacts down the bore hole into the planet. The self-destruct mechanism was activated. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Ch 35)
Sloane turned on Rax for turning on the Empire and mortally wounded him. She was able to shut down the self-destruct mechnism. As he died, he bestowed The Contingency to her asking her to take the replica of Palpatine's yacht called the Imperialis to the pre-determined coordinates in the Unknown Regions. There the Emperor's flagship, the Super Star Destroyer Eclipse, would be awaiting them. She gathered Brendol Hux, Armitage Hux, and the child soldiers into the yacht and escaped to the Unknown Regions. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Ch 37) On the trip (which took months), Sloane beat Armitage Hux's abusive father into submission and ordered him to teach the younger Hux everything he knew about the Empire. Brendol Hux would go on to become the architect of Project Resurrection, the First Order child abduction / conditioning program. Sloane also realized that the coordinates they were taking to the rendezvous point were transmitted to other Imperials deemed worthy. Eventually, they joined her. The book Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End ends with Sloane saying to Brendol Hux "It's time to start over...That is our FIRST ORDER. To begin again. And to get it right, this time." (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Epilogue "The Unknown Regions")
It's clear that both Yupe Tashu as a Sith loyalist in the Empire and Gallius Rax as two of the few who knew Palpatine was a Sith Lord were privvy to the details of The Contingency. But as is evident in the Star Wars - Aftermath series, Rax did not buy into the mysticism that defined Palpatine, his Sith followers, or the apparent capabilities it had in prolonging Palpatine's life. Speculatively, if Gallius Rax had made to the Unknown Regions with the Imperial Remnant deemed worthy, it seems likely that Palpatine would have revealed himself to Rax squashing any sort of disbelief he may have had. As such, it's also likely that the First Order would have began fully integrated with the Sith Eternal cult on Exegol. But Gallius Rax didn't lead the Imperial Remnant into the Unknown Regions, Grand Admiral Rae Sloane did. Because he didn't believe the Emperor lived on out there (despite what he had been told), there was no benefit in sharing tall tales with Sloane when he pleaded with her to continue the escape to the Unknown Regions. Whereas, Palpatine would likely have had full control of what became known as the First Order under Rax, that was not the case under Sloane because she didn't have any insight to those details.
Palpatine also really didn't have a way at this point of militarily regaining control of this military remnant. Furthermore, somehow, he had learned of the birth of a young boy named Ben Solo, child of the "Princess of Alderaan" and grandson of Darth Vader (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Ch 38). Palpatine needed a way of regaining control of the nascent First Order. He also viewed Ben Solo with that "mighty Skywalker blood" as a new potential host for his Sith ritual.
Remember, the Sith Eternal spent years on cloning and genetic engineering experiments to try to perfect a clone body for Palpatine to transfer into. (Star Wars - Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17) Snoke was a product of this experimentation. There were Snoke strandcasts already on Exegol between ESB and ROTJ (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series). The entire reason for Snoke's existence was to act as Palpatine's proxy in the First Order AND manipulate, entice, and train Ben Solo so that he would be a suitable host some day for Palpatine. He was already the strong in the Force through his bloodline, he just needed to be drawn to the dark side. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 29)
Though Snoke was created by Palpatine and the Sith Eternal to tempt Ben Solo and eventually proxy Palpatine's rule (unbeknownst to them) of the First Order, he was not a literal puppet. He did have free will, but he acted truly as a proxy for Palpatine's will. He was subservient to Palpatine. Snoke suggested that he saw the rise and fall of the Empire. (Star Wars - The Force Awakens novel Ch 10) However, Snoke may not actually be aware of his true origins. (The Star Wars Book Ch Supreme Leader Snoke) It's entirely possible that Palpatine and the Sith Eternal manufactured a history for Snoke to believe of himself. Speculatively, as we know Snoke strandcasts existed between ESB and ROTJ, it's entirely conceivable that Snoke we came to know was created far earlier then that, explored the Unknown Regions at Palpatine's behest, and saw the rise and fall of the Empire.
Snoke appeared on the First Order scene rather unexpectedly. While the First Order had the necessary coordinates to navigate through the Unknown Regions, it was wholly unprepared to deal the terrors that dwelt there. It was Snoke (with the help of his purple-robed attendants) that arrived on the scene to help the First Order and he saved them from coming "perilously close to destruction." (Star Wars - The Last Jedi, Expanded Edition Ch 25) Over time, Snoke eventually became the Supreme Leader of the First Order side-lining or outright destroying Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, New Republic senator (and First Order operative) Ormes Apolin, and Brendol Hux. (Star Wars - The Last Jedi, Expanded Edition Ch 25) It should be noted that it seems Grand Admiral Rae Sloane was still around about a decade before the Star Wars - The Force Awakens, at least according to Star Wars - Phasma. It's unclear if her supreme leadership position had already been co-opted by Snoke at that point.
With the First Order saved, they were able to begin their rearmament programs at the secret bases planted through the Unknown Region per Palpatine's directive. The reorganized Sienar-Jaemus and Kuat-Entralla arms manufacturers, would provide supplies and develop much of the First Order military machine in the Unknown Regions away from the New Republic. (Star Wars - The Force Awakens Incredible Cross-Sections, Star Wars - The Last Jedi Incredible Cross-Sections) Not only that the Sith Eternal cultists on their executive board would CONTINUE TO (as they were doing so even before ROTJ) funnel supplies and material to Exegol as the Sith Eternal navy was being built at the same time. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 173-174). The First Order military largely developed independently of the Sith Eternal military, but some of the First Order designs such as the Dreadnaught at the beginning of Star Wars - The Last Jedi and later revisited in Star Wars - Resistance informed the design of the Sith Eternal's Xyston-class Star Destroyer (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 173).
Not only were the First Order and Sith Eternal fleets being developed at this time, the First Order's Starkiller Base initiative started based on experimentation undertaken by the Empire. Many worlds in the Unknown Regions were cored and destroyed in the development of Starkiller Base. The kyber-rich planet of Ilum was ultimately used as the weapon. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 20-21, Star War - Resistance)
During their military expansion, the First Order subjugated worlds in the Unknown Regions, kidnapping children and conditioning them with the utmost loyalty through Project Resurrection (Star Wars - Battlefront II). Unbeknownst to the general First Order military, many of the children they stole (those who showed the most potential) were taken by Sith Eternal spies within the First Order and transferred to Exegol to help form the legions of red-armored Sith Troopers. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 14)
Stealing children that were stolen from subjugated worlds was not the limit of the Sith Eternal's interference with the First Order military. Supreme Leader Snoke held a First Order military reserve that wasn't really unleashed until after the Starkiller Base was destroyed. Allegiant General Enric Pryde of the Star Destroyer Steadfast was among this group. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 51) An old Imperial veteran, he was aware of the Sith Eternal influence on the First Order (unlike most) and was actually fundamental in the development of the Sith fleet being constructed on Exegol. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 14)
Snoke was rarely seen in person and he left the military and propaganda efforts to their respective leaders within the First Order hierarchy. One thing that wasn't a secret is that he was immensely strong in the dark side of the Force, though his abilities were not explicitly of the Sith heritage. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 13) (The Star Wars Book Ch Supreme Leader Snoke) He had a more pressing purpose and that was the manipulation of Ben Solo. Judging from the Star Wars - The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series, he began to toy with Ben from a very early age. As part of his efforts, Snoke knew he had to "confuse Skywalker's path" as he viewed him as an instrument of the Cosmic Force and a threat. (Star Wars - The Last Jedi, Expanded Edition Ch 25) There is heavy implication in the Star Wars - The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series, that Snoke had some sort of confrontation with Luke at some point. The story of what that meant hasn't exactly been told yet. Regardless, Ben Solo's manipulation and transformation into Kylo Ren happened over years and it was expressly for the purpose of developing him into a suitable host for Palpatine.
As Snoke began to manipulate Ben Solo and the First Order (and secretly, the Sith Eternal) fleets were being developed, Palpatine became aware that the powerless strandcast, his "son," who was sent out into the Galaxy actually managed to have a child. She was born the same year that Luke Skywalker began training Ben Solo (19 years before the Starkiller Base incident). Palpatine and the Sith Eternal ordered Ochi of Bestoon, a member of the Acolytes of the Beyond, to kidnap Rey and bring her to Exegol. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Visual Dictionary Timeline) Like Ben Solo, she could very well be a suitable host for Palpatine's Sith ritual.
Ochi of Bestoon once had encountered Darth Vader on Mustafar (shortly after The Empire Strikes Back). During this encounter (orchestrated by Palpatine), an arrogant Ochi revealed a bit too much to Darth Vader about the something that Palpatine was "building." Eventually, Darth Vader encountered the Eye of the Webbish Bog and obtained the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder. He along with Ochi made their way to Exegol (this story is currently being told and we have yet to experience its conclusion).
It seems that Ochi lost track of the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder after his encounter with Darth Vader. Thus, the Sith Eternal must have revealed to Ochi where he could find the Sith Master's Wayfinder (in the Death Star II throne room wreckage) in order to bring Rey to Exegol. He etched the location using the Old Sith tongue on a custom dagger. Presumably, he must have felt it was safe since the Old Sith tongue had largely been abandoned and deemed illegal. Ochi of Bestoon eventually caught up with Rey's parents and murdered them. He was unable to locate Rey as she had already been abandoned on Jakku. He killed Rey's parents with that custom dagger, but Rey was lost to Palpatine (for now). (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker)
That same year Luke Skywalker began investigating a rising darkness and began his search for Exegol. He and Lando Calrissian, eventually pick up on a Sith relic hunter named Ochi of Bestoon because he drunkenly bragged about knowing where a Sith Wayfinder was. After pursuing Ochi, Luke and Lando lost his trail in the desserts of Pasanna and never recovered the Emperor's Wayfinder. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 126)
About six years before Star Wars - The Force Awakens, a number of events occur.
Senator Leia Organa was in the middle of a harsh political debate that divided the New Republic senate. The divide was largely about whether or not the New Republic senate should have a more authoritarian approach to governing. Former Imperial worlds were in favor of a stronger central authority / military and they were known as the Centrists. There is even admiration for what the Galactic Empire represented (law and order) save for its leadership. Some Centrists like Lady Carice Sindian were actually working for the First Order (who had not yet revealed themselves). The Populists (Leia's "party") had the opposite opinion. During this political crisis, dirty politics lead to the public revelation that Senator Leia Organa was the daughter of Darth Vader shattering the public trust in her. Additionally, while this was going on Leia found herself entangled with a group known as the Amaxine Warriors who were actually a secret First Order militia trying to get foothold in the Galactic underground. Due to political pressure, she resigned her post and formed a paramilitary Resistance because she knew a war was coming, but she wasn't quite sure with who yet. (Star Wars - Bloodline)
Ben Solo, having been so effectively manipulated by Snoke, finally left the fledgling Jedi order after believing he was responsible for the destruction of Luke's training temple and the murder of his students. During this time, he usurped the leadership the dark siders known as the Knights of Ren and joined the First Order as Supreme Leader Snoke's apprentice. As a result, Luke Skywalker went into exile on Ahch-To. (Star Wars - The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series)
Eventually, the political discontent boiled over with the support of Centrist leaders like Lady Carice Sindian, most (if not all), Centrists systems seceded from the New Republic and openly join the First Order, a military junta with the trappings of the Empire. The First Order now has a political and public face. (Star Wars - Bloodline, Star Wars Propaganda - A History of Persuasive Art in The Galaxy, Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Timeline). Over the next six years, a cold war existed between the New Republic and the First Order (Star Wars - Resistance)
During the events of Star Wars - The Force Awakens, both the First Order and the Resistance were looking to piece together a map leading to the exiled Luke Skywalker. Supreme Leader Snoke (and in-turn, Palpatine) were not interested in toying with Luke. They knew he was a threat and wanted him destroyed. Rey left Jakku for the first time since she was dropped several years before. Her mission was to return BB-8 to the Resistance. On Takodana, Rey's sensitivity to the Force became more prevalent as she heard the words of the late Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi "These are your first steps" through the Force after touching Anakin's lightsaber. In a conversation with Maz Kanata, she implored Rey not to focus on the past, but to turn her attention to what was before her. During their duel on the Starkiller Base, Rey and Kylo Ren realize there is something special about the other.
Rey arriving on the scene caused some sort of "awakening" in the Force. It was felt by Snoke and by Kylo Ren and undoubtedly by Snoke's master, Emperor Palpatine. It seems very likely that Palpatine realized that his "granddaughter" was still alive, but she still wasn't the primary host candidate for Palpatine. Kylo Ren was.
The Resistance successfully destroyed the Starkiller Base.
During the events Star Wars - The Last Jedi, Rey discovered a downtrodden Luke Skywalker that had cut himself off from the Force. Luke provided some valuable lessons on the nature of the Force, but also that not any one group "owned" the Force. It doesn't matter where you came from. Rey, along with a little nudge from Yoda's Force Ghost, help Luke understand that failure is okay, it's what we take away from that failure that really matters. Ultimately, it doesn't help to dwell on the past, but to look towards the future.
The connection Rey experienced with Ben Solo (something that according to Star Wars - The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series was there even before they knew each other) amplified quite a bit in Star Wars - The Last Jedi. So much so that Rey and Kylo Ren could interact with each other light years apart. When confronting Rey, Snoke arrogantly says he connected their minds. He was likely lying because he had no explanation for their combined strength and the maintained that connection even after his death. In that moment, Snoke (and in-turn, Palpatine) wanted Rey dead as she was a threat and represented a rejuvenation of the Jedi Order. However, Kylo Ren finally fulfilled the purpose that the Sith Eternal laid before him since almost the beginning and killed his master taking the Supreme Leader title. Finally, he was strong enough to be the host. But Palpatine wasn't ready to reveal himself yet, his secret Sith armada was not yet complete. Kylo Ren told Rey to let the past die and join him in ruling the Galaxy.
Luke used a Force technique to project himself across the Galaxy and save what was left of the Resistance from a First Order siege. He declared that he would not be the last Jedi. The Force Projection distracted the First Order forces long enough for the Resistance remnant to escape Crait. However, it took all of the life Luke had left to perform the feat. On Ahch-To, before a binary sunset, Luke Skywalker, a legend, became one with the Force.
Over the next year, Rey continued to train under the tutelage of Leia Organa who herself, trained under her brother Luke for a time. Rey also read a number of the ancient Jedi texts she took from the old tree library on Ahch-To to supplement her studies. An archaeologist within the Resistance ranks named Beaumont Kin helped her with the translations of some of the texts. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition, Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary)
During this training time, Rey did not partake in many missions. It was also a frustrating period for her. She began to let fear take over. Fear for the loss of her friends, fear that she wouldn't be a good enough Jedi, and fear that she would let her Masters down. This allowed a certain darkness to rise within her, something she didn't completely understand.
Meanwhile, the First Order military expansion across the Galaxy intensified. They had locked up communication pretty tightly by the Battle of Crait. The Resistance allies in the Outer Rim didn't come to their aid because the First Order had cut off communications and began rounding up Resistance sympathizers. Essentially, they never got the message. (Star Wars - Resistance Reborn) Supreme Leader Kylo Ren also committed First Order military resources to finding ancient Sith temples and artifacts so he could use them to increase his own dark side knowledge and power. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 2, Star Wars - Resistance) He also came to realize that Snoke was not the actual top of the First Order leadership pyramid, but he wasn't sure who he was subservient to. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 44)
A year after the event of Star Wars - The Last Jedi, the Sith Eternal and its thousands of planet-destroying Xyston-class Star Destroyers were ready to be unleashed. An arrogant Palpatine sent a threatening broadcast across the Galaxy in part to lure Kylo Ren. Not willing to suffer any challenge to his power, Kylo Ren searched the Galaxy to try and find the source of that message. Eventually, his search led to his grandather's castle on Mustafar where he located the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder. He immediately took the device and made his way to the ancient Sith planet Exegol where a decayed clone of Palpatine housed his immensely powerful spirit.
Palpatine revealed that he had created Snoke and that he had trained Kylo Ren well. Kylo Ren realized that Palpatine was barely being kept alive by old cloning technology from the Clone Wars. Regardless, almost immediately he threatened to kill Palpatine. Palpatine revealed his massive armada to Kylo Ren and offered it to him if he did but one thing. End whatever hope that the Jedi Order would return by killing Rey, his "granddaughter." Kylo Ren was Palpatine's current target as a host for the Sith ritual. He'd spent years manipulating and twisting him knowing full well that eventually he'd use his anger and hatred and mighty Skywalker blood to eventually kill him (which likely would have happened). If that occurred, Palpatine invoke the ritual and transfer his spirit into the body of his killer and take over.
Over the course of the film, Rey struggled with her growing darkness especially because Kylo Ren was trying to draw it out of her. The most spectacular example of this occurred on Pasanna when her frustration came to a head and she accidentally used Force lightning which destroyed a transport ship she thought Chewie was on (he wasn't). Eventually Kylo Ren revealed to her that they were Dyad in the Force which explained their strong connection. The two of them were bound after fashion by the Force itself. Whatever power that provided, it could be used to kill Palpatine. Kylo Ren also revealed that the darkness and power within Rey stems from the fact that she is genetically related to Palpatine, his "granddaughter." Rey rejects his offer.
After another fateful battle on the ruins of the second Death Star, both Kylo Ren and Rey felt Leia Organa reach out one last time in order to touch Ben Solo and bring him back. Rey mortally wounded Kylo Ren, but opted to heal him with the Force. She explained that she did want to take his hand when offered in Snoke's throne room, but only if it had been Ben's hand. A frustrated and saddened Rey stole Kylo Ren's TIE Whisper with the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder in it and left for Ahch-To to close herself off like Luke had (another example of not learning from the past). Ben Solo returned as Kylo Ren was redeemed by the acts of both his mother and Rey.
Sensing that the "Princess of Alderaan" had once again interfered with his plans, Palpatine realized that Kylo Ren was no longer suited to be his host due to his redemption. He retaliated by having Allegiant General Pryde destoy Kijimi with an advanced Xyston-class Star Destroyer. Not only that, he returned to Rey as the focus for a host body. She had not been his focus since Ochi of Bestoon lost track of her.
On Ahch-To, Luke appeared to Rey as Force ghost admonished her for repeating his own mistakes. He revealed that he and Leia both knew that she was a Palpatine. He reiterated the overall theme of the sequel trilogy and that's not to focus or let yourself be defined by the past. What matters is what you do now. Rey now understood she needed to confront her past (Palpatine) with the valuable lessons that her present masters bestowed upon her. With Luke's help, some repair work, and the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder Rey managed to fly Red 5 from Ahch-To to Exegol transmitting the coordinates and hyperspace routes to the Resistance fleet. (Star Wars - The Rise of SKywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 15)
Meanwhile, among the Death Star II wreckage, Ben Solo found a flyable Imperial-era TIE Scout to get to Exegol. (Star Wars - The Rise of SKywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 16)
While Rey confronted Palpatine in the citadel on Exegol's surface, the Resistance and Civilian fleet battled his Sith Eternal Navy above. Once again, Palpatine used lies and deceit to try and coax another Force-sensitive to cut him down using their anger and hatred so that he could invoke the Sith ritual and transfer his spirit into a suitable host. He promised that he never wanted her dead and that she had a birthright (which appealed to her longing of a family). He promised her she would be Empress (which appealed to her longing for control). He threatened to destroy the fleet and said that her parents were weak (which was meant to coax out her anger and hatred). He promised that doing so would be the only way to save her friends (which appealed to her longing for a purpose). He said very similar things to Luke on the second Death Star. As Palpatine made his grandiose comments to his Sith followers, Rey had a vision from the Force and saw Palpatine's true motive through the lens of what he did on the second Death Star. Palpatine was interested in one thing, preserving himself. If she gave in, he would win and would continue his tyrannical reign in her body. Just when Palpatine thought she would complete the ritual, she rejected his desire for her to hate and attacked his royal guards instead. Ben Solo defeated the Knights of Ren and joined Rey. (Star Wars - The Rise of SKywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17)
Palpatine seized both Rey and Ben Solo with the Force, but in doing so he absorbed some of the power that their Dyad provided. That power rejuvenated the Palpatine's decrepit clone body. The very thing that the Sith Rule of Two was modeled after and that he failed to manufacture through his master, Darth Plagueis and with his apprentice, Darth Vader prolonged his life through its power. It was clear this was the first time Palpatine knew that they were a Dyad in the Force.
Both Rey and Ben Solo were on the edge of death. Palpatine casted off Ben Solo into one of Exegol's fissures in final revenge (or so he thought) against the Skywalker bloodline. As Rey lay on the ground, exhausted and dying, she began to hear the voices of Jedi past, a manifestation of the Force that she had been trying to experience since beginning her training. In Chapter 18 of the Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition novelization there is an interesting line describing the experience "Presences filled her awareness, some recent, some ancient, SOME STILL ANCHORED TO THE LIVING IN A STRANGE WAY. Rey didn't understand. But she accepted." This line could suggest why the Force used Ahsoka's (who may very well not be dead) voice among the others to encourage Rey. The Force used the voices of the past to welcome Rey and help her understand the important place she holds among the Jedi. Anakin asked her to bring back balance as he once did. Obi-Wan Kenobi let her know that these were her final steps as a book-end to what he said to her on Takodana. Luke let her know that the Force would always be with her.
An inspired Rey was able to push beyond the anguish to confront her "grandfather" and in the end, she destroyed the last Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, by redirecting his Force lightning. Palpatine's power was so immense that upon his death, the energy that was released destroyed the citadel and his Sith Eternal followers (the implication seemed to be that they were all destroyed). As Anakin Skywalker originally killed the Emperor out of love for his son and NOT out of hatred for Palpatine, so to did Rey out of desire of love for and to protect her new family and friends. In this way, Palpatine could not utilize his Sith ritual to pass into her body.
Sheev Palpatine's efforts for ultimate influence over the Force and immortality was at an end.
I am not sure that Lucafilm's plan was always going to include Palpatine's return, but it sure seems to me that they developed the Canon stories in a specific way to possibly use that angle. Thanks for reading and May The Force Be With You!
It goes without saying that Sheev Palpatine was not a simple man. For most of his career, he masterfully played two parts in his quest for unlimited power: a public persona and his true persona as Lord of the Sith. Most of the Galaxy only saw his public persona as the revered Senator from Naboo or Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Senate or later, the feared Emperor of the first Galactic Empire. Even after his ascension to Emperor, not many knew the awful truth that he was actually the Sith Lord Darth Sidious or that his enforcer, Darth Vader, was his Sith Apprentice (Star Wars -Tarkin Ch 7, Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 54).
In light of Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker (TROS) and the preceding canon stories, it seems that he had a plan for each of the two hoods he wore at any given moment. He was a schemer and someone who was able to keep all of the pieces in the right position regardless of how convoluted his plans were. And they were all convoluted.
Palpatine's initial plan to engulf the Galaxy in conflict was started by accident. It would have happened eventually, but it was definitely accelerated when Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi stumbled upon Jango Fett's clones on Kamino. Palpatine, being ever resourceful, was able to manipulate his way through The Clone Wars ending with the destruction of the Jedi Order and the reorganization of the Republic into the Galactic Empire. All of this was largely done out in the open through his public persona.
Though he now was entirely in control of the Galaxy, Palpatine was no fool. The Galactic Empire was a tool that protected him so that he could perfect the work that began with his master, Darth Plagueis. Even he recognized at some point, this new Galactic Empire could fail at that task. The Contingency, Palpatine's plan if that Empire ever failed him, was a plan developed in the shadows. Like his true identity, this plan was largely kept from the even the upper echelons of the Imperial hierarchy save but a few. However, religious zealots known as the Sith Eternal, who worshiped the Sith and its Dark Lord (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 54), were fully aware of The Contingency and played a major part in its development. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 172-174)
The Contingency was more than dealing with a failed Empire. At its very core were all of Palpatine's most sought-after desires. The Sith Eternal were the instruments used to help make those desires a reality. Palpatine was a master of the dark side of the Force. In the same way, the Sith Eternal developed into masters of "cloning, dark science...secrets only the Sith knew." One thing is absolutely clear, Sheev Palpatine served no master. Everything he did or attempted to do was so that only HE would be on top at the end of it. Everyone else was a means to an end.
The following is meant to bring as much clarity as possible to The Contingency and the events leading up to TROS using as much Canon material as possible.
There has not been much revealed about Sith history in Canon. Most books, comics, and novels describing Sith history are in the Legends timeline, but we do know a little bit about them in Canon. One of the most well known concepts in all of Star Wars is the Sith "Rule of Two" first mentioned by Jedi Grand Master Yoda in Star Wars - The Phantom Menace (TPM). This tradition once thought to have been entirely created by Darth Bane, seemed to have always existed in some form throughout Sith history as Rey found out through the ancient Jedi texts she found on Ahch-To. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Junior Novelization) The Jedi text read "The Prime is one, but the Jedi are many. The Sith were Many but often emerge Ruled by Two. The Seeds of the Jedi have been Sown throughout the Galaxy, on Ossus, Jedha, Xenxiar, and Others. The Sith have no Seeds, since what they Bury does not Grow."
The Rule of Two seemed to have been inspired by the extremely powerful Force-bond known as a Dyad. In fact, on Exegol there are carvings in the old Sith tongue that described the nature of the Dyad which was nearly identical to the Sith doctrine of the Rule of Two. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 54) Despite where it drew its inspiration, Palpatine largely saw the Rule of Two as "a pale imitation, an unworthy but necessary successor to the older, purer doctrine of the Dyad." (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17).
A millenia before the Clone Wars, the Sith were all but extinct. Not only due to their ongoing war with the Jedi, but also because of their own in-fighting with each other. The continuous struggle for power within the ranks of the Sith Lords would often lead to the destruction of carefully-laid plans. This problem led the Sith Lord, Darth Bane, to adopt a strict interpretation of the Rule of Two for the Sith going forward. According to this new official doctrine, there would only be two Sith Lords at any one time: "a Dark Lord to embody the power, and an apprentice to crave it." No longer would the Sith operate out in the open, but they would scheme and plan from the shadows until they were ready to reveal themselves. (Star Wars.com Databank on Darth Bane and Star Wars - The Clone Wars, S6E13 "Sacrifice")
Despite Palpatine declaring to his failed apprentice Maul that the Rule of Two was "the first and only reality of the Sith" (Star Wars - The Clone Wars, S5E16 "The Lawless") there was plenty of evidence that he didn't strictly follow it. The timeline presented by the Clone Wars episode "The Lost One" suggested that both Darth Maul and Darth Tyranus (Count Dooku) were apprenticed to Palpatine at the same time, though it's not clear whether or not they knew about each other (which seemed a bit strange considering how cunning both were).
Palpatine also did not shy away from employing other Force-sensitive agents to further his cause. He allowed Darth Tyranus to train Asajj Ventress and Savage Oppress (even if Tyranus meant to use them to usurp himself as Dark Lord). (Star Wars - The Clone Wars) After the Galactic Empire rose from the ashes of the Republic, Palpatine and his new apprentice, Darth Vader, established the Inquisitorious, a group of fallen Jedi Knights, to hunt down and eliminate the Jedi remnant and Force-sensitive children. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith comic series, Star Wars - Rebels, Star Wars - Jedi, Fallen Order) Later yet, the Knights of Ren. (Star Wars - The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series, Star Wars - The Force Awakens, Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker)
Palpatine was very likely not the only Sith Lord to violate the Rule of Two and Force-sensitive agents weren't the only ones willing to serve the Dark Lords of the Sith. Others worshiped the Dark Lords as well, at some point this collective of like-minded people formed the cult known as the Sith Eternal.
The next section deals with a bit of speculation about some of the key background elements of TROS, namely the Sith Eternal cult and the Wayfinders. While speculative, some information can be gleaned from Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition by Rae Carson and Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary by Pablo Hidalgo.
While Darth Bane's Rule of Two was meant to focus the mission of the Sith by limiting the amount of LORDS at any one time, it seemed reasonable that he and later Sith Lords, would still utilize agents to further their goals from the shadows. The point was to "favor guile and conspiracy to bring down their opponents rather than brute force." (Star Wars.com Databank on Darth Bane) These willing participants would be the reigning Sith Lord's co-conspirators and in many cases, their eyes and ears to the Galaxy at-large. Most importantly, these Sith Eternal cultists would not pose any significant threat to the reigning Sith Lord. The Sith Troopers seen in TROS were devoid of Force sensitivity, it's likely that most of the Sith Eternal cultists shared that same trait. They seemed to largely serve the Dark Lord as technologists. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 174). Those Sith Eternal cultists that DID exhibit Force sensitivity may have been considered as a Sith Lord's apprentice if they were deemed powerful enough. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series)
At some point, a decision was made by a Sith Lord to move these cultists (and anyone who joined them) to an ancient Sith world deep in the Unknown Regions called Exegol (also known as Ixigul in some texts). Exegol was a world only accessible by two ancient Sith artifacts known as Wayfinders. Only two existed, one was given to the current Lord of the Sith and the other to their apprentice. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 4) According to Luke Skywalker's notes, the Wayfinders only needed to be used once and then the hyperspace routes could be saved in a standard navicomputer. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 52) One of the main reasons Exegol was chosen is that other Sith worlds such as Moraband (Korriban) were too well known to the Galaxy at-large. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 54)
Exegol was a planet steeped in Sith tradition. The old legend of Darth Sanguis' and Darth Noctyss' hunt for immortality took place on Exegol. Whether or not these events actually took place within the Canon is up for debate, but one interesting thing about the tale is that it contained an early form of the ritual that Palpatine was trying to employ with Luke Skywalker on the second Death Star and later, Rey, on Exegol itself. (Star Wars - Dark Legends "A Life Immortal")
In his pursuit of immortality, Darth Sanguis used the dark side and arcane science to turn himself into a despicable, horrific creature. It wasn't the intent of his experiments, but a cruel side effect. Later, Darth Noctyss in that same pursuit, arrived on Exegol to continue that same work. At some point, Noctyss felt as if she understood all that was involved and ritually killed Sanguis hoping to achieve immortality. As a result, she was cruelly deformed herself, realizing that the horrific Sanguis had tricked her into ending his life / misery and by doing so, took on the curse herself. Clearly there was more to the ritual than she realized. (Star Wars - Dark Legends "A Life Immortal")
We can't say much more about the Sith Eternal or their role throughout the millenium leading up to Palpatine's ascension as Galactic Emperor. We do know that they've been there for centuries as the group was responsible for excavating Exegol's giant fissures in "centuries past" as they believed there was some sort of "transportative vergeance...hidden in the rock." (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 55)
In the centuries following Darth Bane, the Sith Lords and their apprentices would bide their time in the shadows playing the long game. They would study the Force in hopes of unlocking its secrets and when one apprentice felt like they learned all they could, they'd turn on their master and usurp the mantle of Dark Lord. They very likely leveraged the Sith loyalists to gather information so as not to reveal themselves prematurely. Eventually, learning the secrets of the Force turned into learning the secrets of immortality.
Enter Darth Plagueis the Wise. Darth Plagueis had such a knowledge of the Force that he eventually learned the first steps towards immortality. (Star Wars - Revenge of the Sith) His sole mission was to coax the final secrets of the dark side and to do that, he believed he needed "two Sith, one to serve as bait for the dark side, the other to be the vessel." (Star Wars -Tarkin Ch 9). As per Sith tradition, Darth Plagueis found an apprentice with which he could share his knowledge and the Sith tradition: Sheev Palpatine of Naboo. Presumably, this knowledge would have included the Sith Wayfinder and information about Exegol and the Sith Eternal cult. In his efforts, Darth Plagueis attempted to bring the Rule of Two full circle and create a Dyad with his apprentice, hoping to leverage whatever power that would provide. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17) He failed.
Eventually, Palpatine realized that he had learned everything he could from Darth Plagueis including leveraging the dark side of the Force to transfer one's essence to another body (though there seemed to be some rules to go along with this). In a certain sense, despite having some semblance of respect, Palpatine felt like Plagueis' vision of mere immortality was small. Palpatine sought to "harness the powers of the dark side to reshape reality itself; in effect, to fashion a universe of his own creation. Not mere immortality...but influence of the ultimate sort." (Star Wars - Tarkin Ch 21) When the time came, knowing what his master was capable of, Palpatine killed him in his sleep as Plagueis would not be able to act "fast enough in his own moment of death." (Star Wars - The Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17)
After the death of Darth Plagueis, Palpatine really started putting his political plans in motion to take over the Galactic Republic. It seems likely that he would have really started leveraging the talents of the Sith Eternal cultists based on Exegol around this time. He would finally reveal himself to the Galaxy and he had a planet of loyal servants willing to help push his (the Sith) agenda forward. It's not entirely clear whether or not either of his apprentices prior to Darth Vader had knowledge of Exegol or the Sith Eternal cultists. Palpatine was juggling two apprentices for a short time, he likely didn't reveal information about Exegol to either of them. At some point, Palpatine had hidden the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder on Mustafar with an unusual creature known as the Eye of the Webbish Bog. Darth Vader obtained the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder from the Eye of the Webbish Bog shortly after the events in Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series) Vader later kept it at his Mustafarian castle grounds (once again guarded by the Eye of the Webbish Bog) because Kylo Ren found it there three decades later (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition)
The following will start to cross-over into the prequel trilogy, Star Wars - The Clone Wars, Star Wars - Rebels, and the original trilogy eras. The main beats of those stories speak for themselves and will not really be touched. It is important to know that the roots of The Contingency plan are planted 30 years before Star Wars - Return of the Jedi (that would be seven or eight years before the Clone Wars began).
Palpatine had a feeling that something awaited him in the Unknown Regions, an "origin of the Force, some dark presence formed of malevolent substance." (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Ch 35) He felt that it was important to seek it out in his efforts to obtain ultimate influence over the Force. While the Sith Wayfinders he possessed as his inheritance of the Sith legacy could lead him into the Unknown Regions, they would provide only specific coordinates to Exegol and the Sith Eternal.
A couple of years after Palpatine was elected chancellor, he and an advisor named Yupe Tashu (a dark side worshipper) arrived on the planet Jakku with excavation droids. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Life Debt Prelude "Three Decades Ago") The purpose of the excavation droids were to build an "observatory" with its eye toward the Unknown Regions. This observatory was the first of many such installations. The observatory was meant to house ancient Sith relics and calculate coordinates through the Unknown Regions using ancient navigational computers. As is shown in TROS and described in Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End the Unknown Regions are "a labyrinth of solar storms, rogue magnetosphere, black holes, gravity wells, and things far stranger." Additionally, the excavation droids were to bore a hole straight into the planet core for a far more nefarious purpose (if it ever came to it).
Palpatine and Tashu left Jakku aboard his personal yacht called the Imperialis. A boy named Galli from Jakku was found to have stowed away on the ship. Palpatine entrusted the protection of the Jakku Observatory to this boy. He was told to kill anyone who may have discovered the secret of what was being built there. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Life Debt Epilogue "Three Decades Ago")
Over the next few decades, the Unknown Regions were carefully plotted with the help of the observatories. The Empire would send out probe droids and if they returned, they'd have that much more added to the starcharts. Another large contributor to these navigational entries was the Chiss Grand Admiral Thrawn who, having originated in the Unknown Regions, had much to contribute. Whereas travel to the Unknown Regions before the work of the observatories was assuredly a death sentence because they didn't have appropriate routes, that no longer was the case. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Ch 35) As the routes were developed, Palpatine secretly sent Imperial scouts and material into the frontier to construct a network of labs, shipyards, and bases. These were supposed to have been used to expand the Empire after the rebellion was destroyed. (Star Wars - The Last Jedi Incredible Cross-Sections Introduction, Star Wars - The Last Jedi, Expanded Edition Ch 25) By the time, the Palpatine was killed at Endor, the computations had largely been completed. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Ch 35)
For ten years after their initial meeting, Galli protected the construction site on Jakku, occasionally checking in with Yupe Tashu. He eventually met Palpatine a second time aboard the Imperialis. This time he tasked Galli with The Contingency, the specific task of destroying the Empire if it ever failed to protect Palpatine and he died. He used a chess-like game called Shah-tezh to illustrate the plan. It essentially amounted to, if there was ever a checkmate, wipe the board clean and start anew. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Interlude "The Imperialis, Twenty-Five Years Ago") Galli was promoted into the Imperial Naval Intelligence service eventually rising to the rank of Admiral. He also received the name Gallius Rax. Unlike many within the Empire, Gallius Rax knew full well that Palpatine was a Sith Lord and while he had respected his cunning, he also thought Palpatine was mad. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Ch 35)
Before continuing Gallius Rax's story and the Aftermath story beyond the Battle of Endor, it's important to understand what Palpatine and likely, the Sith Eternal over the three decades after Palpatine became chancellor. Once again, the following will not touch on the major Star Wars story beats found in the films.
As was previously mentioned, one of Palpatine's goals was unlocking the keys to immortality (mostly so he could be around long enough to obtain ultimate influence over the Force). Though Darth Plagueis had learned the dark side talent of essence transfer and shared it with his pupil, there seem to be some rules associated with technique that Palpatine hadn't quite cracked. The most important of these rules would be finding a host that was suitably Force-sensitive enough to contain the power that an immeasurably strong Sith Lord like Palpatine would have. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 2) Secondarily, in order for the technique to be fully realized a potential host through their anger and hatred would have to kill Palpatine sort of echoing the Rule of Two (this will be explained more a bit later). Speculatively, Maul and Vader may have been perfect hosts for the technique if not for each of their failings on Naboo and Mustafar (respectively).
Palpatine also wasn't opposed to using science in conjunction with the dark side of the Force in order to supplant the apparent requirements of the ritual. Without a doubt, there were alternative motives to his interest in the Kaminoan cloning (Star Wars - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars - The Clone Wars) , Zillo Beast cloning (Star Wars - The Clone Wars, S2E18-19 "The Zillo Beast" and "The Zillo Beast Strikes Back"), Dr. Cylo cloning and genetic engineering programs. (Star Wars - Darth Vader comic series) In fact, some of the Kaminoan cloning equipment from the Clone Wars ended up on Exegol to help sustain Palpatine in his clone body. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 2) These are just a few of the examples of cloning experiments that we know of.
It seems Palpatine didn't merely send all of this scientific information to Exegol for the Sith Eternal to experiment with in isolation. In order to advance his agenda, he directed the Sith Eternal to secretly infiltrate parts of the Galaxy. In fact, Sith scientists were part of Director Orson Krennic's Imperial Military Department of Advanced Weapons Research. In a scientific effort towards finding immortality, these scientists developed Project Blackwing. They used science and Sith Alchemy to try and revive dead flesh. Something in the process went awry and a virus was accidentally created. This virus killed their hosts and essentially turned them into zombie-like creatures. The "Death Trooper" monniker was originally used to describe Imperial troopers that fell to this virus . It was later applied to the special troopers tasked with guarding Imperial dignitaries. (Star Wars - Commander mobile game, Star Wars - Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded)
Sith loyalists also infiltrated military equipment manufacturers (though it's unclear when). Sienar Fleet Systems and Kuat Drive Yards were two of the most well-known military equipment manufacturers in the Galaxy. They first developed equipment for the Republic and naturally continued their association after the formation of the Galactic Empire. At some point, Sith Eternal cultists began to influence the companies so much so that supplies and designs were funneled to Exegol in order to build the Sith Eternal fleet. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series) Following the signing of the Galactic Concordance that ended the Galactic Civil, these two companies reorganized in way that allowed them to avoid the New Republic arms restrictions and continued to sell arms to the nascent First Order (Star Wars - The Force Awakens Incredible Cross-Sections, Star Wars - The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary, Star Wars - The Last Jedi Visual Dictionary). The aforementioned cultists eventually sat on the executive boards of the reorganized Sienar-Jaemus and Kuat-Entralla which allowed them to continue their program of funneling supplies and designs to Exegol covertly as well . Like the Galactic Empire, the Sith influence on what became known as the First Order was largely unknown to most. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 173-174)
With the destruction of the Jedi Order and the Imperial military might to protect him, Palpatine was able to focus further on continuing his quest to become master of the Force. (Star Wars - Tarkin Ch 21) The Sith Eternal agents were doing their part, but there was so much more to learn from the dark side of the Force. He had a new powerful, if damaged, apprentice in Darth Vader to whom he promised unlocking the secrets of immortality (though after his failure on Mustafar, Vader likely became another tool to further Palpatine's goals).
In the two decades that followed his ascension, Palpatine sought to expand his overall mastery of the Force and explore anything he could that would help him either perfect Darth Plagueis' technique or find a new one. During this time, he largely removed himself from the public eye and secretly began to build up Exegol has his permanent seat of power. (The Star Wars Book Ch The Phantom Menace - Darth Sidious) He searched for some of the more hidden mysteries of the Force by locating other Jedi and Sith temples and accessing the ancient Sith shrine that existed below the former Jedi Temple (and current Imperial Palace) on Coruscant. (Star Wars - Rebels, Star Wars - Tarkin Ch 9) For thousands of years, the dark side seeped from this shrine clouding the judgment of the Jedi Order unbeknownst to them. At some point, he learned of the mythic World-Between-Worlds, a Force nexus that existed beyond all time and space. He wanted to unlock its secrets as a pathway towards ultimate power. He almost accomplished his goal using Sith sorcery before Kanan Jarrus' padawan, Ezra Bridger, was able to seal it off. (Star Wars - Rebels, S4E13 "A World Between Worlds). Finally, like his master, he sought to explore the mysteries of the Dyad and attempted to create one between himself and Darth Vader. He failed. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17) Despite setbacks, Palpatine's power in the Force was ever increasing.
Palpatine also used archaeology as a tool and collected Sith artifacts throughout the Galaxy which ended up being stored in observatories like those on Jakku (Star Wars - Aftermath series) and Pillio (Star Wars - Battlefront II) in the hopes of extracting arcane knowledge from Sith Lords past. One such artifact was owned by Lord Momin, an "artistic" Sith Lord who managed to transfer his essence into his own mask. Anyone who put the mask on would be controlled by the spirit of the Sith Lord. Darth Vader leveraged Lord Momin to design his castle on Mustafar (and Momin used that position to try and become corporeal again). (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith comic series, Star Wars - Lando Calrissian comic series) Clearly, there was much that Palpatine could learn from such an artifact. It's also likely that Palpatine added the Jedi Bogan Collection of Sith artifacts into his personal stores (Star Wars - Dooku, Jedi Lost)
But what of Darth Vader? How much did Palpatine's powerful apprentice truly understand of his master's machinations? The Star Wars - Darth Vader, Dark Heart of the Sith and Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series shows that Vader was wholly unaware of Exegol or the work being done there until after ESB. Shortly after confronting his son in Cloud City, Vader went on a campaign to discover and exact revenge on those who helped hide his son from him. In the process, he simply ignored Palpatine's summons and did everything to ensure Palpatine was unawares of what he was up to. During this journey, the circumstances surrounding his wife, Padme's, death became clearer to Vader realizing that the Emperor wasn't entirely truthful with him.
Eventually, Darth Vader returned to confront his master. Palpatine sensing weakness, unleashed his rebuke upon his wayward apprentice beginning a sick test to determine whether or not Vader was still worthy of being his apprentice. He used the Force to distort and rend Vader's cybernetic extremities from his body. And just as Palpatine found him, left him for dead on Mustafar and warned him not to use the Force to overcome the challenges ahead. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series)
On Musatafar, Palpatine sent a Sith cultist by the name of Ochi of Bestoon (whom had also hired some pirates to assist) to kill Darth Vader (which was nothing more than a test for Vader to tap into his pain and grow in the Dark Side of the Force). While attempting to kill Vader, the arrogant and loose-lipped Jedi killer began to reveal small details of something secret Palpatine was building further fueling Vader's rage. Ochi then trapped Vader in a cave where he was left for dead. In the cave and its surrounds, Vader encountered the Eye of the Webbish Bog where a back and forth ensued between the two. In the end, the Eye of the Webbish Bog gave Vader the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder that led the way to Exegol. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series)
Following his encounter, Darth Vader rescued Ochi of Bestoon from the pirates he had hired to help kill Vader. Utilizing the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder, they made their way through the Unknown Regions. On the way, Vader subjugated an a summa-verminoth-type creature in Unknown's Red Nebula. Finally, Vader and Ochi made it to the planet Exegol. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series)
Darth Vader approached Palpatine's Exegolian citadel (as seen in TROS) on the back of the subjugated creature only to be confronted by Palpatine himself who quickly dispatched the creature and all but invited Vader into the citadel. From afar, Palpatine reminded Vader that embracing pain was central to the Dark Side of the Force and the "scalpel of creation." As Vader and Ochi made their way into through the citadel, they came across vats of strandcasts / clones (including Snoke strandcasts) and a jar with a severed hand (the implication that it was Luke's hand and his DNA MAY have been involved in the bioengineering experiments). The fear in Ochi of Bestoon increased with every step. Along the way, vats of strandcasts / clones broke and Vader was attacked by their inhabitants. He defeated them and was then attacked by Sith Eternal cultists (Force-sensitive ones). In both cases, Palpatine implied that any one of them could take Vader's place at his side as a new apprentice. Vader killed all of the cultists by turning their daggers on them with the Force. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series)
After they encountered the strandcasts / clones and cultists, Darth Vader and Ochi of Bestoon stumbled upon a shipyard where the Xyston-class Star Destroyers (seen in TROS) are already well under construction. At this point they see hundreds of them already constructed and discovered the planet-killing capabilities of these secret capital ships. Vader mocked Palpatine by exclaiming these were just more monsters and machines. (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series)
Finally, Darth Vader and Ochi of Bestoon came upon a chamber that contained a gigantic mound of kyber crystals. The source of Palpatine's weapons development for his secret Sith capital fleet. Within the chamber, the kyber crystals were being "bled" (similar to what the Sith do to imbue the Dark Side of the Force into their lightsaber crystals to get the red hue). The kyber was "alive" in a sense and all of the pain and suffering that was being enacted upon it impacted its surroundings severely injuring Vader and blinding Ochi. Palpatine mused why Vader had to, time and time again, re-learn that embracing pain was central to the tenants of the Sith and the Dark Side of the Force. Pain, fear, anger, power. Finally, Palpatine asked if Vader has finally chosen. Vader responded "Yes...My Master." (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series)
As the current (as of May 2021) Star Wars - Darth Vader comic series is still ongoing, there may be more to glean from it in the future. It does confirm a number of things:
1. The Xyston-fleet had been under construction far longer than the three decades between ROTJ and TROS
2. The Snoke clone template had been around longer than anticipated (more speculation further down on what that may mean)
3. More members of the Imperial hierarchy were part of the Sith conspiracy like Mas Amedda and Sly Moore
As it stands now, it introduced a couple of more questions:
1. If Darth Vader now knew about Exegol (and didn't have his mind wiped in some way), why did he not warn Luke on the second Death Star after his redemption OR when he was communing with Luke as a Force ghost (as confirmed by Star Wars - Secrets of the Jedi)?
2. To what extent, if any, was Luke's DNA used in Palpatine's bionengineering experiments after it was retrieved?
Now it's time to move onto the Battle of Endor and beyond.
Arrogantly, Palpatine purposely leaked the Death Star II plans to the Alliance to Restore the Republic in order to encourage them to gather all of their forces to the battle station so that they could be destroyed at once. (Star Wars - Return of the Jedi) Furthermore, Darth Vader would likely deliver to him a potential new apprentice who would be a suitable host for the essence transfer ritual. Like his father, Luke Skywalker was strong in the Force and impulsive. Not only that, he was young. A perfect host if Palpatine could only coax him to striking him down through his anger and hatred.
After he arrived on the Death Star II and after Darth Vader left to the sanctuary moon to collect Luke Skywalker, Palpatine summoned Gallius Rax. Given the conversation he had just had prior to his departure, Palpatine had sensed a weakness in Vader (something that was evident during the Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series). He sensed chaos...a shatterpoint. Depending on the outcome of the next few hours, Palpatine asked Gallius Rax if he was prepared to be The Contingency and do what would need to be done. If the time came, Palpatine said he would send Gallius Rax a sentinel to let him know it was time to activate The Contingency. As Gallius Rax left to prepare, he told his Emperor "You will win it., most assuredly." Palpatine responded with a vicious smile "One way or another. I will." (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Prelude "The Second Death Star Over Endor")
The Battle of Endor commenced and Darth Vader brought his powerful son, Luke Skywalker, before his Emperor per his directive. The Star Wars - Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition novel provides a whole new perspective to the early part of this battle. During his conversation with Rey on Exegol, Palpatine asked Rey to "raise your saber and strike me down." He then stated "I've made this very proposal before. But on that unfortunate day Luke Skywalker had his father to save him. You do not." (Star Wars - Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 16) When the Emperor was trying to bring out Luke's anger and hatred and to "strike me down," he ultimately wanted him to do it so that the ritual could occur and Palpatine could transfer his essence into Luke's body. In the ensuing lightsaber battle, ultimately Luke did not give into the anger and hatred Palpatine sought to draw out. Because like his father before him, he was a Jedi.
Palpatine, realizing Luke wouldn't give into his anger like his father had done (and thus could not complete the ritual), knew he had to die. He turned his Force lightning on the young Jedi. Then the "weakness" he had described to Gallius Rax came to fruition. For years, Palpatine had sensed "the flickering light in his apprentice." (Star Wars - Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17) Vader turned on Palpatine and threw him down the shaft. It's important to note that Darth Vader killed the Emperor not out of anger and hatred of him, but out of love for his son. This death would not produce an outcome where he could transfer into his apprentice's body because of it.
Calling on all the power of the Force, using the technique learned from his master, Palpatine thrust his consciousness / essence into an experimental clone body on Exegol. Palpatine's lifeless body fell down the shaft of the second Death Star. (Star Wars - Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17)
As had been previously been stated, the Sith Eternal likely received knowledge and material about various cloning projects and their scientists had been involved in researching other forms of immortality. However, it seems they did not quite unlock the secret of creating a new body that was capable of containing Palpatine's spirit (and thus subverting the requirements of the ritual). It was not for a lack of trying, the Sith Eternal scientists created all sorts of horrors to try and accomplish this task (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series), but they were never successful. One particular strandcast that was created from these experiments thrived, but Palpatine and his cult viewed him as a failure because he was utterly devoid of any Force sensitivity. However, they sent his "son" into the Galaxy hoping that he would eventually have a natural child that may have the power to contain Palpatine's spirit. 11 years later after the Battle of Endor, Rey would be born. For now, the essence transfer was imperfect and now the immense power of his spirit would eat away at this body. (Star Wars - Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17, Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg Timeline)
The Galactic Empire had failed to protect their Emperor and he died. Per Palpatine's instructions, Gallius Rax activated The Contingency. Red robed sentinels that bore the holographic face of the dead Emperor reported to an elect group of Imperial officials with their directives. The immediate goal (through Operation Cinder) was to lay waste to Imperial worlds (and worlds, like Naboo, that were of personal interest to the late Emperor). After that, Gallius Rax would gather most of the Imperial Remnant military to Jakku for one final stand-off with the New Republic. As part of this plan, he'd go as far as to leak information to the New Republic to help get the pieces in place. Finally, he'd destabilize the planet using the hole that was being excavated to the planet's core. The planet would be destroyed taking the failed Imperial Remnant and the New Republic forces with it. Gallius Rax would then escape to the Unknown Regions with an elect group of Imperial personnel (including Brendol Hux, his bastard son Armitage "General" Hux, and a group of child soldiers Hux had been training) using the previously mapped coordinates. and start the Empire anew. (Star Wars - Aftermath series, Star Wars - Shattered Empire comic series, Star Wars - Battlefront II, Star Wars - Alphabet Squadron series, Star Wars - Lost Stars)
A practical, real world reason why Palpatine would have wanted to destroy his own military is so that the New Republic wouldn't be able to use his own military machine against him when was finally able to strike back (which they had already started doing against the Imperial Remnant forces). This sort of thing has happened in plenty of real world wars. When one country or group has to retreat, they destroy their own equipment to avoid it falling in to the hands of their enemies if they couldn't take it with them. Palpatine no longer trusted the military that failed him save for his chosen elect, thus he wanted to destroy it.
Two people that Gallius Rax associated himself with throughout the Star Wars - Aftermath series were Yupe Tashu, Palpatine's dark side worshipping advisor and Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, a proud Imperial officer.
Yupe Tashu would go on to lead a group known as the Acolytes of the Beyond who very likely tangentially related to the Sith Eternal cult. Ochi of Bestoon, the Jedi hunter that had earlier become acquainted with Darth Vader and later, killed Rey's parents, was a member of the Acolytes of the Beyond who had at one point received Sith texts from Tashu. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 126) These Acolytes sewed chaos throughout the Galaxy searching for Sith relics and committing terrorists acts. They longed for the return of the Sith Empire. Tashu wanted to find this mystery source of dark side power that Palpatine was obsessed with finding in the Unknown Regions. He also fully believed that the Emperor was somewhere in the Unknown Regions waiting for them. It seems he was well aware and believed the full breadth of Palpatine's plan.
Gallius Rax seemed to be aware of it as well, but as he thought Palpatine and Tashu were mad, it doesn't seem he actually believed he'd find a reborn Emperor waiting in the Unknown Regions. He thought he was going to escape to restart the Empire for himself. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Ch 35) Without a doubt, if he had made it that far, Palpatine likely would have reconnected with him since Rax WAS The Contingency. Unfortunately, Rax would never have the opportunity to start his new Empire largely due to Grand Admiral Rae Sloane.
Grand Admiral Rae Sloane was a career Imperial officer and she believed in displaying strength in all situations. She worked with Gallius Rax to have the initial meeting of the Imperial Future Council on the planet Akiva. As the story goes on, she begins to distrust Rax as things aren't quite lining up. She is not privvy to the intricacies of The Contingency plan and after a series of events and investigations it leads her back to Jakku during the fabled Battle of Jakku. She realized that Rax's plan included blowing up the planet to destroy both Imperial Remnant and New Republic forces. Rax had help start the de-stabilization of the planet after he pushed a relatively mad Yupe Tashu adorned in dark side-infused Sith artifacts down the bore hole into the planet. The self-destruct mechanism was activated. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Ch 35)
Sloane turned on Rax for turning on the Empire and mortally wounded him. She was able to shut down the self-destruct mechnism. As he died, he bestowed The Contingency to her asking her to take the replica of Palpatine's yacht called the Imperialis to the pre-determined coordinates in the Unknown Regions. There the Emperor's flagship, the Super Star Destroyer Eclipse, would be awaiting them. She gathered Brendol Hux, Armitage Hux, and the child soldiers into the yacht and escaped to the Unknown Regions. (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Ch 37) On the trip (which took months), Sloane beat Armitage Hux's abusive father into submission and ordered him to teach the younger Hux everything he knew about the Empire. Brendol Hux would go on to become the architect of Project Resurrection, the First Order child abduction / conditioning program. Sloane also realized that the coordinates they were taking to the rendezvous point were transmitted to other Imperials deemed worthy. Eventually, they joined her. The book Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End ends with Sloane saying to Brendol Hux "It's time to start over...That is our FIRST ORDER. To begin again. And to get it right, this time." (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Epilogue "The Unknown Regions")
It's clear that both Yupe Tashu as a Sith loyalist in the Empire and Gallius Rax as two of the few who knew Palpatine was a Sith Lord were privvy to the details of The Contingency. But as is evident in the Star Wars - Aftermath series, Rax did not buy into the mysticism that defined Palpatine, his Sith followers, or the apparent capabilities it had in prolonging Palpatine's life. Speculatively, if Gallius Rax had made to the Unknown Regions with the Imperial Remnant deemed worthy, it seems likely that Palpatine would have revealed himself to Rax squashing any sort of disbelief he may have had. As such, it's also likely that the First Order would have began fully integrated with the Sith Eternal cult on Exegol. But Gallius Rax didn't lead the Imperial Remnant into the Unknown Regions, Grand Admiral Rae Sloane did. Because he didn't believe the Emperor lived on out there (despite what he had been told), there was no benefit in sharing tall tales with Sloane when he pleaded with her to continue the escape to the Unknown Regions. Whereas, Palpatine would likely have had full control of what became known as the First Order under Rax, that was not the case under Sloane because she didn't have any insight to those details.
Palpatine also really didn't have a way at this point of militarily regaining control of this military remnant. Furthermore, somehow, he had learned of the birth of a young boy named Ben Solo, child of the "Princess of Alderaan" and grandson of Darth Vader (Star Wars - Aftermath, Empire's End Ch 38). Palpatine needed a way of regaining control of the nascent First Order. He also viewed Ben Solo with that "mighty Skywalker blood" as a new potential host for his Sith ritual.
Remember, the Sith Eternal spent years on cloning and genetic engineering experiments to try to perfect a clone body for Palpatine to transfer into. (Star Wars - Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17) Snoke was a product of this experimentation. There were Snoke strandcasts already on Exegol between ESB and ROTJ (Star Wars - Darth Vader, Into the Fire comic series). The entire reason for Snoke's existence was to act as Palpatine's proxy in the First Order AND manipulate, entice, and train Ben Solo so that he would be a suitable host some day for Palpatine. He was already the strong in the Force through his bloodline, he just needed to be drawn to the dark side. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 29)
Though Snoke was created by Palpatine and the Sith Eternal to tempt Ben Solo and eventually proxy Palpatine's rule (unbeknownst to them) of the First Order, he was not a literal puppet. He did have free will, but he acted truly as a proxy for Palpatine's will. He was subservient to Palpatine. Snoke suggested that he saw the rise and fall of the Empire. (Star Wars - The Force Awakens novel Ch 10) However, Snoke may not actually be aware of his true origins. (The Star Wars Book Ch Supreme Leader Snoke) It's entirely possible that Palpatine and the Sith Eternal manufactured a history for Snoke to believe of himself. Speculatively, as we know Snoke strandcasts existed between ESB and ROTJ, it's entirely conceivable that Snoke we came to know was created far earlier then that, explored the Unknown Regions at Palpatine's behest, and saw the rise and fall of the Empire.
Snoke appeared on the First Order scene rather unexpectedly. While the First Order had the necessary coordinates to navigate through the Unknown Regions, it was wholly unprepared to deal the terrors that dwelt there. It was Snoke (with the help of his purple-robed attendants) that arrived on the scene to help the First Order and he saved them from coming "perilously close to destruction." (Star Wars - The Last Jedi, Expanded Edition Ch 25) Over time, Snoke eventually became the Supreme Leader of the First Order side-lining or outright destroying Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, New Republic senator (and First Order operative) Ormes Apolin, and Brendol Hux. (Star Wars - The Last Jedi, Expanded Edition Ch 25) It should be noted that it seems Grand Admiral Rae Sloane was still around about a decade before the Star Wars - The Force Awakens, at least according to Star Wars - Phasma. It's unclear if her supreme leadership position had already been co-opted by Snoke at that point.
With the First Order saved, they were able to begin their rearmament programs at the secret bases planted through the Unknown Region per Palpatine's directive. The reorganized Sienar-Jaemus and Kuat-Entralla arms manufacturers, would provide supplies and develop much of the First Order military machine in the Unknown Regions away from the New Republic. (Star Wars - The Force Awakens Incredible Cross-Sections, Star Wars - The Last Jedi Incredible Cross-Sections) Not only that the Sith Eternal cultists on their executive board would CONTINUE TO (as they were doing so even before ROTJ) funnel supplies and material to Exegol as the Sith Eternal navy was being built at the same time. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 173-174). The First Order military largely developed independently of the Sith Eternal military, but some of the First Order designs such as the Dreadnaught at the beginning of Star Wars - The Last Jedi and later revisited in Star Wars - Resistance informed the design of the Sith Eternal's Xyston-class Star Destroyer (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 173).
Not only were the First Order and Sith Eternal fleets being developed at this time, the First Order's Starkiller Base initiative started based on experimentation undertaken by the Empire. Many worlds in the Unknown Regions were cored and destroyed in the development of Starkiller Base. The kyber-rich planet of Ilum was ultimately used as the weapon. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 20-21, Star War - Resistance)
During their military expansion, the First Order subjugated worlds in the Unknown Regions, kidnapping children and conditioning them with the utmost loyalty through Project Resurrection (Star Wars - Battlefront II). Unbeknownst to the general First Order military, many of the children they stole (those who showed the most potential) were taken by Sith Eternal spies within the First Order and transferred to Exegol to help form the legions of red-armored Sith Troopers. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 14)
Stealing children that were stolen from subjugated worlds was not the limit of the Sith Eternal's interference with the First Order military. Supreme Leader Snoke held a First Order military reserve that wasn't really unleashed until after the Starkiller Base was destroyed. Allegiant General Enric Pryde of the Star Destroyer Steadfast was among this group. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 51) An old Imperial veteran, he was aware of the Sith Eternal influence on the First Order (unlike most) and was actually fundamental in the development of the Sith fleet being constructed on Exegol. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 14)
Snoke was rarely seen in person and he left the military and propaganda efforts to their respective leaders within the First Order hierarchy. One thing that wasn't a secret is that he was immensely strong in the dark side of the Force, though his abilities were not explicitly of the Sith heritage. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 13) (The Star Wars Book Ch Supreme Leader Snoke) He had a more pressing purpose and that was the manipulation of Ben Solo. Judging from the Star Wars - The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series, he began to toy with Ben from a very early age. As part of his efforts, Snoke knew he had to "confuse Skywalker's path" as he viewed him as an instrument of the Cosmic Force and a threat. (Star Wars - The Last Jedi, Expanded Edition Ch 25) There is heavy implication in the Star Wars - The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series, that Snoke had some sort of confrontation with Luke at some point. The story of what that meant hasn't exactly been told yet. Regardless, Ben Solo's manipulation and transformation into Kylo Ren happened over years and it was expressly for the purpose of developing him into a suitable host for Palpatine.
As Snoke began to manipulate Ben Solo and the First Order (and secretly, the Sith Eternal) fleets were being developed, Palpatine became aware that the powerless strandcast, his "son," who was sent out into the Galaxy actually managed to have a child. She was born the same year that Luke Skywalker began training Ben Solo (19 years before the Starkiller Base incident). Palpatine and the Sith Eternal ordered Ochi of Bestoon, a member of the Acolytes of the Beyond, to kidnap Rey and bring her to Exegol. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Visual Dictionary Timeline) Like Ben Solo, she could very well be a suitable host for Palpatine's Sith ritual.
Ochi of Bestoon once had encountered Darth Vader on Mustafar (shortly after The Empire Strikes Back). During this encounter (orchestrated by Palpatine), an arrogant Ochi revealed a bit too much to Darth Vader about the something that Palpatine was "building." Eventually, Darth Vader encountered the Eye of the Webbish Bog and obtained the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder. He along with Ochi made their way to Exegol (this story is currently being told and we have yet to experience its conclusion).
It seems that Ochi lost track of the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder after his encounter with Darth Vader. Thus, the Sith Eternal must have revealed to Ochi where he could find the Sith Master's Wayfinder (in the Death Star II throne room wreckage) in order to bring Rey to Exegol. He etched the location using the Old Sith tongue on a custom dagger. Presumably, he must have felt it was safe since the Old Sith tongue had largely been abandoned and deemed illegal. Ochi of Bestoon eventually caught up with Rey's parents and murdered them. He was unable to locate Rey as she had already been abandoned on Jakku. He killed Rey's parents with that custom dagger, but Rey was lost to Palpatine (for now). (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker)
That same year Luke Skywalker began investigating a rising darkness and began his search for Exegol. He and Lando Calrissian, eventually pick up on a Sith relic hunter named Ochi of Bestoon because he drunkenly bragged about knowing where a Sith Wayfinder was. After pursuing Ochi, Luke and Lando lost his trail in the desserts of Pasanna and never recovered the Emperor's Wayfinder. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 126)
About six years before Star Wars - The Force Awakens, a number of events occur.
Senator Leia Organa was in the middle of a harsh political debate that divided the New Republic senate. The divide was largely about whether or not the New Republic senate should have a more authoritarian approach to governing. Former Imperial worlds were in favor of a stronger central authority / military and they were known as the Centrists. There is even admiration for what the Galactic Empire represented (law and order) save for its leadership. Some Centrists like Lady Carice Sindian were actually working for the First Order (who had not yet revealed themselves). The Populists (Leia's "party") had the opposite opinion. During this political crisis, dirty politics lead to the public revelation that Senator Leia Organa was the daughter of Darth Vader shattering the public trust in her. Additionally, while this was going on Leia found herself entangled with a group known as the Amaxine Warriors who were actually a secret First Order militia trying to get foothold in the Galactic underground. Due to political pressure, she resigned her post and formed a paramilitary Resistance because she knew a war was coming, but she wasn't quite sure with who yet. (Star Wars - Bloodline)
Ben Solo, having been so effectively manipulated by Snoke, finally left the fledgling Jedi order after believing he was responsible for the destruction of Luke's training temple and the murder of his students. During this time, he usurped the leadership the dark siders known as the Knights of Ren and joined the First Order as Supreme Leader Snoke's apprentice. As a result, Luke Skywalker went into exile on Ahch-To. (Star Wars - The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series)
Eventually, the political discontent boiled over with the support of Centrist leaders like Lady Carice Sindian, most (if not all), Centrists systems seceded from the New Republic and openly join the First Order, a military junta with the trappings of the Empire. The First Order now has a political and public face. (Star Wars - Bloodline, Star Wars Propaganda - A History of Persuasive Art in The Galaxy, Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Timeline). Over the next six years, a cold war existed between the New Republic and the First Order (Star Wars - Resistance)
During the events of Star Wars - The Force Awakens, both the First Order and the Resistance were looking to piece together a map leading to the exiled Luke Skywalker. Supreme Leader Snoke (and in-turn, Palpatine) were not interested in toying with Luke. They knew he was a threat and wanted him destroyed. Rey left Jakku for the first time since she was dropped several years before. Her mission was to return BB-8 to the Resistance. On Takodana, Rey's sensitivity to the Force became more prevalent as she heard the words of the late Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi "These are your first steps" through the Force after touching Anakin's lightsaber. In a conversation with Maz Kanata, she implored Rey not to focus on the past, but to turn her attention to what was before her. During their duel on the Starkiller Base, Rey and Kylo Ren realize there is something special about the other.
Rey arriving on the scene caused some sort of "awakening" in the Force. It was felt by Snoke and by Kylo Ren and undoubtedly by Snoke's master, Emperor Palpatine. It seems very likely that Palpatine realized that his "granddaughter" was still alive, but she still wasn't the primary host candidate for Palpatine. Kylo Ren was.
The Resistance successfully destroyed the Starkiller Base.
During the events Star Wars - The Last Jedi, Rey discovered a downtrodden Luke Skywalker that had cut himself off from the Force. Luke provided some valuable lessons on the nature of the Force, but also that not any one group "owned" the Force. It doesn't matter where you came from. Rey, along with a little nudge from Yoda's Force Ghost, help Luke understand that failure is okay, it's what we take away from that failure that really matters. Ultimately, it doesn't help to dwell on the past, but to look towards the future.
The connection Rey experienced with Ben Solo (something that according to Star Wars - The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series was there even before they knew each other) amplified quite a bit in Star Wars - The Last Jedi. So much so that Rey and Kylo Ren could interact with each other light years apart. When confronting Rey, Snoke arrogantly says he connected their minds. He was likely lying because he had no explanation for their combined strength and the maintained that connection even after his death. In that moment, Snoke (and in-turn, Palpatine) wanted Rey dead as she was a threat and represented a rejuvenation of the Jedi Order. However, Kylo Ren finally fulfilled the purpose that the Sith Eternal laid before him since almost the beginning and killed his master taking the Supreme Leader title. Finally, he was strong enough to be the host. But Palpatine wasn't ready to reveal himself yet, his secret Sith armada was not yet complete. Kylo Ren told Rey to let the past die and join him in ruling the Galaxy.
Luke used a Force technique to project himself across the Galaxy and save what was left of the Resistance from a First Order siege. He declared that he would not be the last Jedi. The Force Projection distracted the First Order forces long enough for the Resistance remnant to escape Crait. However, it took all of the life Luke had left to perform the feat. On Ahch-To, before a binary sunset, Luke Skywalker, a legend, became one with the Force.
Over the next year, Rey continued to train under the tutelage of Leia Organa who herself, trained under her brother Luke for a time. Rey also read a number of the ancient Jedi texts she took from the old tree library on Ahch-To to supplement her studies. An archaeologist within the Resistance ranks named Beaumont Kin helped her with the translations of some of the texts. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition, Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary)
During this training time, Rey did not partake in many missions. It was also a frustrating period for her. She began to let fear take over. Fear for the loss of her friends, fear that she wouldn't be a good enough Jedi, and fear that she would let her Masters down. This allowed a certain darkness to rise within her, something she didn't completely understand.
Meanwhile, the First Order military expansion across the Galaxy intensified. They had locked up communication pretty tightly by the Battle of Crait. The Resistance allies in the Outer Rim didn't come to their aid because the First Order had cut off communications and began rounding up Resistance sympathizers. Essentially, they never got the message. (Star Wars - Resistance Reborn) Supreme Leader Kylo Ren also committed First Order military resources to finding ancient Sith temples and artifacts so he could use them to increase his own dark side knowledge and power. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 2, Star Wars - Resistance) He also came to realize that Snoke was not the actual top of the First Order leadership pyramid, but he wasn't sure who he was subservient to. (Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Pg 44)
A year after the event of Star Wars - The Last Jedi, the Sith Eternal and its thousands of planet-destroying Xyston-class Star Destroyers were ready to be unleashed. An arrogant Palpatine sent a threatening broadcast across the Galaxy in part to lure Kylo Ren. Not willing to suffer any challenge to his power, Kylo Ren searched the Galaxy to try and find the source of that message. Eventually, his search led to his grandather's castle on Mustafar where he located the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder. He immediately took the device and made his way to the ancient Sith planet Exegol where a decayed clone of Palpatine housed his immensely powerful spirit.
Palpatine revealed that he had created Snoke and that he had trained Kylo Ren well. Kylo Ren realized that Palpatine was barely being kept alive by old cloning technology from the Clone Wars. Regardless, almost immediately he threatened to kill Palpatine. Palpatine revealed his massive armada to Kylo Ren and offered it to him if he did but one thing. End whatever hope that the Jedi Order would return by killing Rey, his "granddaughter." Kylo Ren was Palpatine's current target as a host for the Sith ritual. He'd spent years manipulating and twisting him knowing full well that eventually he'd use his anger and hatred and mighty Skywalker blood to eventually kill him (which likely would have happened). If that occurred, Palpatine invoke the ritual and transfer his spirit into the body of his killer and take over.
Over the course of the film, Rey struggled with her growing darkness especially because Kylo Ren was trying to draw it out of her. The most spectacular example of this occurred on Pasanna when her frustration came to a head and she accidentally used Force lightning which destroyed a transport ship she thought Chewie was on (he wasn't). Eventually Kylo Ren revealed to her that they were Dyad in the Force which explained their strong connection. The two of them were bound after fashion by the Force itself. Whatever power that provided, it could be used to kill Palpatine. Kylo Ren also revealed that the darkness and power within Rey stems from the fact that she is genetically related to Palpatine, his "granddaughter." Rey rejects his offer.
After another fateful battle on the ruins of the second Death Star, both Kylo Ren and Rey felt Leia Organa reach out one last time in order to touch Ben Solo and bring him back. Rey mortally wounded Kylo Ren, but opted to heal him with the Force. She explained that she did want to take his hand when offered in Snoke's throne room, but only if it had been Ben's hand. A frustrated and saddened Rey stole Kylo Ren's TIE Whisper with the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder in it and left for Ahch-To to close herself off like Luke had (another example of not learning from the past). Ben Solo returned as Kylo Ren was redeemed by the acts of both his mother and Rey.
Sensing that the "Princess of Alderaan" had once again interfered with his plans, Palpatine realized that Kylo Ren was no longer suited to be his host due to his redemption. He retaliated by having Allegiant General Pryde destoy Kijimi with an advanced Xyston-class Star Destroyer. Not only that, he returned to Rey as the focus for a host body. She had not been his focus since Ochi of Bestoon lost track of her.
On Ahch-To, Luke appeared to Rey as Force ghost admonished her for repeating his own mistakes. He revealed that he and Leia both knew that she was a Palpatine. He reiterated the overall theme of the sequel trilogy and that's not to focus or let yourself be defined by the past. What matters is what you do now. Rey now understood she needed to confront her past (Palpatine) with the valuable lessons that her present masters bestowed upon her. With Luke's help, some repair work, and the Sith Apprentice's Wayfinder Rey managed to fly Red 5 from Ahch-To to Exegol transmitting the coordinates and hyperspace routes to the Resistance fleet. (Star Wars - The Rise of SKywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 15)
Meanwhile, among the Death Star II wreckage, Ben Solo found a flyable Imperial-era TIE Scout to get to Exegol. (Star Wars - The Rise of SKywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 16)
While Rey confronted Palpatine in the citadel on Exegol's surface, the Resistance and Civilian fleet battled his Sith Eternal Navy above. Once again, Palpatine used lies and deceit to try and coax another Force-sensitive to cut him down using their anger and hatred so that he could invoke the Sith ritual and transfer his spirit into a suitable host. He promised that he never wanted her dead and that she had a birthright (which appealed to her longing of a family). He promised her she would be Empress (which appealed to her longing for control). He threatened to destroy the fleet and said that her parents were weak (which was meant to coax out her anger and hatred). He promised that doing so would be the only way to save her friends (which appealed to her longing for a purpose). He said very similar things to Luke on the second Death Star. As Palpatine made his grandiose comments to his Sith followers, Rey had a vision from the Force and saw Palpatine's true motive through the lens of what he did on the second Death Star. Palpatine was interested in one thing, preserving himself. If she gave in, he would win and would continue his tyrannical reign in her body. Just when Palpatine thought she would complete the ritual, she rejected his desire for her to hate and attacked his royal guards instead. Ben Solo defeated the Knights of Ren and joined Rey. (Star Wars - The Rise of SKywalker, Expanded Edition Ch 17)
Palpatine seized both Rey and Ben Solo with the Force, but in doing so he absorbed some of the power that their Dyad provided. That power rejuvenated the Palpatine's decrepit clone body. The very thing that the Sith Rule of Two was modeled after and that he failed to manufacture through his master, Darth Plagueis and with his apprentice, Darth Vader prolonged his life through its power. It was clear this was the first time Palpatine knew that they were a Dyad in the Force.
Both Rey and Ben Solo were on the edge of death. Palpatine casted off Ben Solo into one of Exegol's fissures in final revenge (or so he thought) against the Skywalker bloodline. As Rey lay on the ground, exhausted and dying, she began to hear the voices of Jedi past, a manifestation of the Force that she had been trying to experience since beginning her training. In Chapter 18 of the Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker, Expanded Edition novelization there is an interesting line describing the experience "Presences filled her awareness, some recent, some ancient, SOME STILL ANCHORED TO THE LIVING IN A STRANGE WAY. Rey didn't understand. But she accepted." This line could suggest why the Force used Ahsoka's (who may very well not be dead) voice among the others to encourage Rey. The Force used the voices of the past to welcome Rey and help her understand the important place she holds among the Jedi. Anakin asked her to bring back balance as he once did. Obi-Wan Kenobi let her know that these were her final steps as a book-end to what he said to her on Takodana. Luke let her know that the Force would always be with her.
An inspired Rey was able to push beyond the anguish to confront her "grandfather" and in the end, she destroyed the last Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, by redirecting his Force lightning. Palpatine's power was so immense that upon his death, the energy that was released destroyed the citadel and his Sith Eternal followers (the implication seemed to be that they were all destroyed). As Anakin Skywalker originally killed the Emperor out of love for his son and NOT out of hatred for Palpatine, so to did Rey out of desire of love for and to protect her new family and friends. In this way, Palpatine could not utilize his Sith ritual to pass into her body.
Sheev Palpatine's efforts for ultimate influence over the Force and immortality was at an end.
I am not sure that Lucafilm's plan was always going to include Palpatine's return, but it sure seems to me that they developed the Canon stories in a specific way to possibly use that angle. Thanks for reading and May The Force Be With You!