somehow palpatine returned

Cloned himself to groom Luke's son to bring about a second empire while he was chilling in some pod on a distant world. It's more likely though that the Palpatine we see isn't the real one but rather a clone from before his demise that probably assumes he is the original.

Would explain why any further clones of a clone would result in something hideous like Snoke.

@anemone@ebiverse.social