Is the Emperor still alive?

As we look forward to the return of Star Wars to the big screen, you have to wonder...who is going to be the bad guy? What is the new danger that our heroes will face in their journey? Is the Empire really defeated and gone from the galaxy?

1. The first option would be to create a new nemesis much like Timothy Zahn did in his Thrawn Triology books. If they choose someone connected to the empire, but not someone we are familiar with, it could work well. The villain would love the empire and hate our rebels for its destruction.
2. The second option seems to be that they could have one of the heroes fall to the dark side. In the Legacy of the Force series, Jacen Solo becomes the main antagonist who gives the face to the power of the dark side.
3. The third option seems to be that the emperor we all love to hate is still the main villain. With the return of Darth Maul, could the emperor have survived? If the Jedi can prolong their stories by becoming one with the force and guiding our young heroes, can it not be conceivable that the dark side of the force has a similar power? Will the emperor continue to manipulate the galaxy even if it has to be from beyond the grave?

These are the three most viable options I see for the villain. With an entire universe of books and stories, outside of the movies and cartoons being declared non- cannon, the one thing that is certain is that we have no clue which direction they might go. I would not even put it past Lucusfilm and Disney to release misinformation just to keep us all guessing. We will all just have to wait and see when the movie comes out 2015.