Everything We Know So Far About 'The Acolyte' Series
Disney unveiled The Acolyte during its Investors Day extravaganza in December. Leslye Headland leads the project.
It is "a mystery-thriller that will take the audience into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark side powers in the final days of the High Republic era." This brief teaser hints at a darker show set within the Star Wars universe. Because of its setting during the High Republic era, it will be the first show to truly be free of the timeline in which the film trilogies are set.
The High Republic
The publishing arm of Lucasfilm announced details about The High Republic series initiative in 2020. It includes books, comics, and short stories in multiple languages. Currently, Lucasfilm does not plan to translate some of these foreign-language titles into English. However, The Acolyte may be able to leverage their characters.
The High Republic's events that have been covered so far take place 200 years before the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The Jedi are a flourishing force within the galaxy during this golden age. There does not appear to be any Sith present at all. The galaxy itself is at peace. The Republic is spreading out into the uncharted territory of the Outer Rim.
Unlike other shows still tied to the trilogy timeline, The Acolyte is free to introduce new characters. The Jedi are at their zenith. The series may bring to life some of the new Jedi found in The High Republic printed material. We hope to see other characters as well. One potential tieback to the original film saga is Master Yoda, whom we can see at a slightly younger stage of his life.
Potential Big Bads of the High Republic
For all of the era's stability, the Republic is bound to have its fair share of enemies. The primary source of friction in the print material is the band of space pirates called the Nihil. While the Sith are not the clear villain during this time period, it is safe to assume they are out there. We may see the origins and machinations of a young Darth Plagueis, Palpatine's mentor. If Lucasfilm chooses to closely align Plagueis' story with that found in the Legends series, he would be a young man towards the end of the High Republic era. Those books and comics put his birth somewhere between 147 – 120 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin). It would be interesting to see a young Plagueis turn toward the dark side as part of The Acolyte series.
Perhaps Palpatine was not his first pupil. Based on comments from Headland herself, this story will focus on female characters and loads of martial arts. We have seen female Sith apprentices such as Asajj Ventress in The Clone Wars animated series. We can only hope that this new acolyte will be as complex and compelling as Ventress.
Since "acolyte" is more of a religious term, it would be more likely for the titular character to be a member of an order which worships the Sith. Palpatine had a few in his corner, as seen during The Rise of Skywalker. Both the Sith Eternal and the Acolytes of the Beyond worked for him.
The Sith and Their Shadowy Secrets
Star Wars villains are the best written bad guys of any franchise. Period. They are far more exciting to watch than their fair-minded, goody-two-shoes Jedi Knight enemies. We even find ourselves rooting for them from time to time.
After Darth Maul "died" in The Phantom Menace, surprised fans welcomed his return in the animated shows. He was so exquisitely broken both in body and psyche; Maul evoked sympathy from viewers. Ventress was treated so poorly by Count Dooku, who feared her growing power. She became a powerful force in her own right. We want more Sith baddies like them.
The legend and lore of both the light and dark side of the Force within the Star Wars universe are also quite compelling. They each have their fair share of legendary figures and artifacts. The "shadowy secrets" referenced in the short synopsis implies the darker side of this lore. Perhaps more Sith lore, in particular, will be revealed.
Dave Filoni did a great job of pulling characters from Star Wars Legends and video games into the main saga. Let's hope Headland does the same. There is a treasure trove of Sith mythology in the Knights of the Old Republic game series, which takes place approximately 4,000 years before the events of the Star Wars films.
Some other books and comics can feed this story, such as Star Wars: The Vow of Silver Dawn. This Chinese language eBook is the result of Lucasfilm's collaboration with Tencent, written under the mysterious nom de plume, "His Majesty the King." While it is about a Jedi named Sean with a checkered past, the timeline overlaps with The Acolyte. Currently, Lucasfilm has no plans to produce an English language version of this eBook; what better way to tie that character back to the universe for everyone to enjoy than to add him to The Acolyte?
With Headland at the helm and the promise of a female-focused show filled with shadowy secrets, The Acolyte sounds intriguing. My hope is that Headland combines the best elements of the Star Wars shows released thus far. I hope The Acolyte experiences both the quests of Din Djarin in The Mandalorian while growing its main character as effectively as Star Wars Rebels did with Ezra Bridger.
Source(s): Den of Geek, IGN