How Shadows of the Sith Finally Explained Palpatine's Return and Rey's Father in Star Wars Canon

‎When Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker debuted in 2019, it left many fans confused, frustrated, and emotionally disconnected. The long-awaited finale to the Skywalker saga attempted to tie together decades of lore but instead raised more questions—none more bewildering than the return of Emperor Palpatine.

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"Shadows of the Sith" fills major plot holes from The Rise of Skywalker, revealing truths about Rey's parents and Palpatine's clone son.

‎Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

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‎The film famously offered little explanation for Palpatine’s reappearance, leaving audiences puzzled with the now-infamous line: “Somehow, Palpatine returned.” Even more perplexing was the sudden reveal that Rey was his granddaughter—an emotional beat with little narrative foundation.

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‎However, as it often happens in modern Star Wars storytelling, redemption came not on screen, but in print. The canon novel Shadows of the Sith by Adam Christopher quietly stepped in to pick up the pieces. Rather than rehashing film plots, it tackled the deeper mysteries fans had clamored to understand.

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‎In an older yet still relevant Reddit thread, user bokatan778 described the novel as the key to unlocking Rey’s lineage. “It goes into detail about both of Rey’s parents, how Rey’s father grew up, what was happening on Exegol all those years, and more,” the commenter noted.

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‎The book introduces Dathan, a failed Palpatine clone created by the Sith Eternal cult on Exegol. As user Kyle_Dornez elaborated, “The novel clarifies that her father, who adopted the name Dathan, was indeed a clone produced by the Sith Eternal cult on Exegol, but deemed a failure and essentially left to fend for himself.”

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‎In Shadows of the Sith, Dathan’s story is intertwined with that of Rey’s mother, Miramir, and the shadowy forces still loyal to the Sith. The narrative spans years and helps explain why Rey was left on Jakku, the dark secrets behind Exegol, and the true extent of Palpatine’s machinations.

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‎Reddit user Snoo_79693 perhaps summed it up best: “The book had a lot of info that should’ve been in the movie.”

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‎While it remains a point of contention among fans that critical lore was relegated to novels, Shadows of the Sith has earned praise for doing what the sequel trilogy failed to—offering closure. It may not be the cinematic finale many hoped for, but it serves as a worthy epilogue that ties together some of the franchise’s most confounding loose ends.

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‎For those disillusioned by The Rise of Skywalker, Shadows of the Sith might just be the sequel they’ve been waiting for all along.