Star Wars theory: Palpatine clones explain an unsolved Last Jedi mystery
His presence is everywhere, maybe even on Canto Bight.
Sheev Palpatine has impacted every single Star Wars movie, directly or indirectly. His appearance in The Rise of Skywalker established that his influence was far greater than we ever realized; he had spent 30-odd years cloning himself, and one of those clones became Rey's father. However, if that clone got loose, there's a chance others may have as well, and compelling new fan theory suggests one of those clones is a Last Jedi character whose brief but memorable appearance raised some pretty hefty questions about the Star Wars universe.
Redditor koblihjr proposes a simple theory: what if Broom Boy from the Canto Bight scene of The Last Jedi was a Palpatine clone? It seems a bit farfetched, but if there are so many clones tossed throughout the galaxy, it would make sense if there were a handful of orphans with latent Force ability scattered across random planets.
Broom Boy, otherwise known by his uncredited character name Temeri Blagg, worked as a stable boy on Canto Bight. He assisted Rose and Finn by releasing the fathiers from their stables. Rose gave him a Rebel Alliance insignia pin, and the last we see of him, he levitates a broom using the Force.
This is an emotional moment in the film, when it becomes clear Rey isn't the titular Last Jedi — the Force will live on regardless. However, the idea of a Force-sensitive orphan is a little suspicious. After all, that's what Rey was, and she ended up coming from Palpatine. That means it's plausible Temeri could be another castoff from cloning experiments.
One issue with this theory is the canonical process of cloning Force sensitivity as detailed in the Rise of Skywalker novelization. According to the book, Force-sensitive beings can either be cloned perfectly without Force abilities, or be Force-sensitive and have a disfigured body, like Snoke or Palpatine. However, Palpatine was aiming for an outrageously strong, Force-wielder. A boy with only levitating-broom powers may havev been considered a failure and cast out.
The Inverse Analysis — Whether or not this theory is canon remains to be seen, but the concept of clones raises some interesting questions about the impact of nature vs. nurture in the Star Wars universe. Temeri is implied to become a Jedi or at least part of the Rebel Alliance through his assistance of Rose and Finn, so it's interesting that someone genetically identical to Palpatine, the most powerful Sith Lord, would have such a different path. Could Sheev have been reformed had he lived a humbler upbringing? We'll only know if Temeri Blagg returns.
