The world of “Star Wars” has expanded massively since the first film released to cinema screens in 1977. Things have only grown more rapidly since Disney purchased the rights to the sci-fi property from George Lucas in 2012. There are now a dozen feature films, more than 20 television shows and limited series, and a whole host of video games, books, and comics based on the franchise.
Of course, there are also plenty of unrealized projects that have fallen by the wayside in that time. Now, actor Ian McDiarmid has shed some light on a little-known television series that was in the works with Lucas before Lucasfilm was sold to Disney.
According to the star, the filmmaker was developing a potential show based on Emperor Palpatine.
George Lucas Pitched An Idea For An Emperor Palpatine TV Series
While speaking at SpaceCon 2026 in San Antonio recently for the Star Wars Legacy panel, McDiarmid — who portrayed Emperor Palpatine across the Skywalker Saga of films — revealed the existence of the project and some details about what it would have focused on.
In a discussion recorded by The Force of Others, McDiarmid gave some details about the canceled project.
“[George Lucas] was talking about, I think I can tell you now, a television series,” he said. “At the time, we didn’t think about Star Wars in terms of a television series. Very speculative. We had lunch one day, and he said I’ve got this idea, and I hope you might want to be involved.”
He added, “We could sort of follow the Emperor’s progress, like Hitler’s, some of that. There might be an assassination attempt, and of course, it wouldn’t succeed. It sounded really exciting. And he also said that maybe you could direct one, and then I fainted. But sadly, that didn’t come to pass.”
Little to no details were given by the actor about why the series didn’t move forward and was ultimately shelved. There has been some speculation that this could have been a reference to “Star Wars: Underworld,” a live-action series that was in development for close to a decade before being shelved. However, this appears to be a separate project that would not have focused on the criminal elements of Coruscant’s gritty underworld.
Disney Recently Released “Maul – Shadow Lord”
While “Star Wars: Underworld” and this Emperor Palpatine series were never made, ideas from unrealized projects have often been repurposed within the “Star Wars” universe. A good example of that is the recent “Maul – Shadow Lord.”
The animated series first released earlier this year to critical acclaim and reportedly uses some ideas that Lucas previously developed for other projects. The series follows former Sith Lord Darth Maul as he rebuilds his previous criminal syndicate on the planet Janix as the Galactic Emperor exerts control over the galaxy.
The character was initially introduced during the events of “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” and he subsequently returned for a number of projects, such as “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”
