Return Of The Sith?

According to a source for Latin Review, J. J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII will be bringing back another member of the original cast. Among names rumoured to be returning for the sequel to the 1983 release (Episode VI: Return of the Jedi) Ian McDiarmid, who portrayed the evil sith lord 'Palpatine', or the 'Emperor' will also be returning, but not as you know him. It has been speculated that the draft currently being written by Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3, Brave), will feature the character returning as one of the 'force ghosts' that we became accustomed to with Alec Guinness as Obi Wan in both the V and VI instalments of the series. Or the second and third films of the original trilogy.

Lucas famously replaced Sebastian Shaw (the actor who appeared under the mask in Episode VI, and as a force ghost next to Obi Wan and Yoda in the final scene) in favour of the newer Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Hayden Christensen (Episodes II and III) when remastering the films for DVD release in 2007. Despite rage from fans about the many changes to the original trilogy during their remastering, the force ghost has been as much a part of the Star Wars legacy, as the Lightsaber, and the Ewok. The source for Latin Review stated the following:

"Palpatine comes back as a Force Ghost..like Obi-Wan. (Sith Lords learned similar techniques, which in some cases allowed them to physically interact with their environment.)"


This source has not been confirmed as official, but how do we feel about this as fans? Is this a bad move from the Disney/Lucasfilm release for 2015? Or is this something for fans to look forward to in regards to continuing themes and motifs from the originals. For many fans, the prequels were not satisfying in terms of story line and character development. This has come in the form of ridicule over the performance of Hayden Christensen as Anakin, and a hatred for characters such as Jar Jar Binks. Either way, fans will always want more, and I think that despite speculation and disapproval of Disney revamping the series to continue on in the same format of the Marvel Studios Franchise (also owned by Disney), we will all look forward to the next chapter...and then rip into it regardless of how well its received come Summer 2015.