Star Wars: Rey’s Father in The Rise of Skywalker Was a Palpatine Clone

Can anyone explain to me why we actually watched Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in cinemas? The final chapter of the Skywalker Saga was a convoluted mess that left us with more questions than answers. First of all, how did Emperor Palpatine who apparently exploded into smithereens in Return of the Jedi come back to life? Secondly, when did he find the time to get freaky with a woman and have a son who would then grow up, get married and birth Rey?

The answer to every single question and loophole in The Rise of Skywalker is apparently ‘clone.’ About four days ago, excerpts from the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker novelisation made its rounds on the internet. One excerpt, in particular, confirms that the Emperor Palpatine we see in The Rise of Skywalker is in fact, a CLONE. And guess what? Apparently, Rey’s dad is also a clone of Palpatine. Per ScreenRant: 

This passage in the book reveals after Return of the Jedi, Palpatine “thrust his consciousness” into a clone body. However, “the transfer was imperfect” and members of the Sith Eternal worked tirelessly to engineer a new vessel for Palpatine’s essence. One of these attempts is described as “a useless, powerless failure” who was “a not-quite-identical clone.” While this body wasn’t fit to house Palpatine’s power, it was still able to live and eventually became Rey’s father.

I’ve asked it a number of times, but I’ll ask it again. Why did JJ Abrams and Chris Terrio choose to leave this vital piece of information out of the movie? Was this even part of the script or is it just something author Rae Carson created for the novelisation to fill in the gaps? Well, on the bright side, at least we don’t ever have to imagine grandpa Palpatine having sex ever again.