George Lucas Nearly Made a Palpatine-Focused ‘Star Wars’ TV Series, Says Ian McDiarmid

Before Disney+ became the home of major “Star Wars” shows, George Lucas was already thinking about bringing the galaxy far, far away to television. According to Emperor Palpatine actor Ian McDiarmid, Lucas once had an idea for a TV series centered on the rise and power of the famous Sith villain.

McDiarmid shared the story during an appearance at Spacecon San Antonio 2026, with the details reported by The Popverse. The actor explained that Lucas approached him years ago with an idea for a possible series that would explore what happened to Palpatine behind the scenes.

At the time, a “Star Wars” television series was not something people expected, making Lucas’ idea feel very different from the franchise’s current direction.

McDiarmid recalled a conversation he had with Lucas during a lunch meeting. “[George Lucas] was talking about, I think I can tell you now, a television series,” the actor said. “At the time we didn’t think about Star Wars in terms of television series. Very speculative.”

According to McDiarmid, Lucas wanted the show to follow Palpatine’s journey as the Emperor and explore his political rise. The actor compared the idea to the story of historical dictators and how they gained and kept power.

“We had lunch one day, and he said I’ve got this idea, and I hope you might want to be involved. We could sort of follow the Emperor’s progress, like Hitler’s, some of that,” McDiarmid explained. The actor said the story could have included major events like attempts to remove Palpatine from power. “There might be an assassination attempt, and of course it wouldn’t succeed. It sounded really exciting,” he said.

The project could have been even more special for McDiarmid because Lucas also suggested that he might direct an episode of the series. “And he also said that maybe you could direct one, and then I fainted. But sadly, that didn’t come to pass,” the actor shared.

It is unclear whether this Palpatine show was connected to another unfinished Lucas project called “Star Wars: Underworld.” That planned series was expected to take place between the prequel and original trilogies and focus on crime and politics in the galaxy. However, McDiarmid’s comments make it sound like Lucas may have had a separate idea focused entirely on the Emperor.

While fans never got Lucas’ Palpatine series, some elements of that concept have appeared in later “Star Wars” projects. The Disney+ series “Andor,” for example, explored the inner workings of the Empire and its political system, although Emperor Palpatine himself never appeared in the show.

McDiarmid has still returned to the role several times after the original films. He appeared as Palpatine in the Disney+ series “Obi-Wan Kenobi” and later returned for the film “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.”

The “Star Wars” franchise continues to expand with more movies and shows planned for the future. The next major projects include the second season of “Ahsoka,” expected in early 2027, and “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which brings the popular characters back to the big screen.

Although Lucas’ Palpatine series never happened, the idea shows that stories about the darker side of the “Star Wars” universe were being explored long before the current streaming era.

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