Forget Palpatine, Star Wars' New Main Villain Is An Upgrade

Published Oct 20, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT Kyle is a senior writer at ScreenRant and has been part of the team for over two years. Having led coverage on The Walking Dead projects alongside Rick & Morty, Kyle is well versed in numerous genres. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Kyle is a passionate journalist who has a keen interest in TV and film. He has six years of experience studying journalism including a HND in Practical Journalism and a BA Honours in Journalism, Media and Communication and History. Alongside his love for TV and film, Kyle enjoys video games, football and Formula 1. Star Wars has had no shortage of great villains, as the likes of General Grievous, Darth Maul, and, of course, Darth Vader are all fan favorites despite their sinister acts. However, love him or hate him, Palpatine, AKA Darth Sidious, remains the franchise's biggest antagonist, yet Star Wars' new main villain feels like an upgrade. Having made his on-screen debut over four decades ago in The Empire Strikes Back, Palpatine remained relevant in the subsequent prequels before eventually returning in The Rise of Skywalker, highlighting his longevity in the series. However, even though there aren't many Star Wars characters stronger than Palpatine, it's about time the story finally moves on from him. Bringing him back hurt Kylo Ren, a genuinely compelling new foe, but fortunately, it doesn't look like Star Wars is about to make the same mistake twice. While Episode X seems a long way away, the sci-fi giant still has plenty of other ongoing projects, with Ahsoka season 2 set to give Grand Admiral Thrawn a stint as the main villain. Although he has appeared before in Star Wars Rebels, Ahsoka season 1 gave him his first live-action appearance, setting the stage for a major role in season 2. This gives the franchise a fresh threat, one that offers something different, making Thrawn the best possible Palpatine replacement Star Wars has currently. Ahsoka is a big enough project for the Grand Admiral to get plenty of development, and there's no guarantee he'll even be defeated in season 2, suggesting he could continue terrorizing the galaxy in a potential third season or a future movie. Ahsoka Season 2's Thrawn Is A More Interesting Villain Than Palpatine With Thrawn's overall impact in Star Wars being pretty minimal so far, having him emerge as a central villain is far more interesting than using Palpatine again. Fans have definitely had their fix of this overarching foe, so seeing someone we don't know all that much about step into the spotlight is definitely a much better option. From his previous appearances and the other information made known about Thrawn, he appears to be a ruthless and intelligent leader who likes to learn about his enemies before devising a strategy. His fascination with art and culture means he usually studies these aspects in detail, gaining knowledge of who and what he is going to battle with. In many ways, this feels similar to Palpatine, who disguised himself as a good-natured political figure, allowing him to become Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic before eventually enacting his evil plans. While Thrawn may not be one for disguise, understanding his enemy does give him the same sort of tactical approach as Palpatine, just without the physical power. That said, we've already witnessed him build a substantial army and return to Dathomir having been previously exiled, showing he's as persistent as he is crafty. Thrawn's calm demeanor and arrogance also make him compelling to watch, while also piquing fans' curiosity about how he'll react when things go wrong. Before that happens, Ahsoka season 2 will surely make him a more powerful villain, one who would be interesting to see in battle, since he has trained in hand-to-hand combat. It feels like there is a lot to explore with the character, especially with his ties to The Mandalorian, and this fascinating antagonist is one of Star Wars' most exciting in years. Palpatine's Reputation May Never Recover From The Rise Of Skywalker Even though there are more beloved villains than Palpatine, he is still undeniably one of the greatest in Star Wars history, yet his reputation took a big hit in The Rise of Skywalker. Through Episodes I — VI, Palpatine had an organic rise to villainy with great payoffs, culminating in his eventual defeat, all of which felt perfect. As a result, audiences were left satisfied with his story and didn't push to see more of him outside of games and animated shows that weren't part of the main continuity. However, the antagonist notoriously came back in The Rise of Skywalker, with the unforgettable "Somehow Palpatine returned" line becoming a meme among the fan base. Alongside his grand return feeling extremely underwhelming and poorly explained, it essentially retconned the previous two movies by suggesting it was all Palpatine's doing. At the same time, rewriting his death from 40 years prior understandably frustrated a lot of hardcore fans, and it wasn't like the whole ordeal was worthwhile. Despite being the puppeteer of the entire sequel trilogy, his overall screen time in The Rise of Skywalker is short and very predictable, leading to a pretty anticlimactic defeat that seemingly killed him off for good. The fact that Star Wars has learned the wrong lessons from Palpatine's return only makes the saga even more baffling. The Rise of Skywalker is the lowest-rated live-action Star Wars movie on Rotten Tomatoes and ruined Palpatine for many, alongside other characters. This marks a pretty disappointing end to the legendary villain's legacy, and with most people not wanting him back any time soon, it may have tanked his reputation for good. Release Date August 22, 2023 Network Disney+ Showrunner Dave Filoni