The fact that “Star Wars” gated away a major reveal for the sequel trilogy of films in “Fortnite” of all things is a pretty odd choice on its face. Indeed, many “Star Wars” fans aren’t particularly happy with how the context of Palpatine’s return mostly hinges on a limited-time video game event, with some like u/InfamousIndecision characterizing it as little more than a marketing stunt. However, the story of how Palpatine’s broadcast became relegated to “Fortnite” may be a little more complicated than it initially seems.
According to a 2020 tweet from Rae Carson, the author of the official “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” novelization, Palpatine’s intergalactic message was not created exclusively for the “Fortnite” event. Per her explanation, the plot point was conceived by an undisclosed individual involved with the “Star Wars” franchise. It was then subsequently used by multiple parties, including “Fortnite” and Carson herself. Indeed, the message actually does feature in the film’s novelization.
Carson’s explanation suggests that Palpatine’s message being exclusive to “Fortnite” may not have always been the plan. It’s already been well-established that a number of scenes involving context around Palpatine’s return were cut from the theatrical release of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” as confirmed by editor Maryann Brandon in an interview with HuffPost. As such, it’s entirely possible that the broadcast was originally planned to feature properly in the movie before winding up on the chopping block.
Without official confirmation, it’s hard to say how exactly Palpatine’s broadcast stayed as a “Fortnite”-exclusive snippet of context for so long. Whatever the case, it doesn’t change the fact that the final movie in the Skywalker saga primarily relies on an expired game event for its opening crawl to make sense.
