The more Star Wars explores the darkest elements of the Force, the more fans learn about the power dark side wielders truly hold. Ever since it was first announced in 2020, Star Wars: The Acolyte has held a lot of potential for revealing more secrets of the dark. New rumored details about the series might imply the return of a few familiar Sith in addition to new faces.
The Illuminerdi reported that the series’ working title was Paradox. The site also reported that the lead character’s name is Aura. This probably doesn’t refer to Aura Sing, the bounty hunter we met in The Clone Wars. But “aura” could refer to the looming presence of the dark side. Is an unaffiliated Force-sensitive dark side user about to become the star of her own show? Because that would be unexpectedly unique in the best way possible.
While this rumored title and character name don’t reveal much about the show, we can draw from what we know about the term “acolyte” for possible details. In Star Wars, a Sith Acolyte was a Force-sensitive member of the Sith Order who had only just begun their training. Even if the Sith Order as it was known then doesn’t exist during The High Republic era (that we know of), the name could still refer to a dark side user still young in their power. Like Palpatine, perhaps.
Some believe that, due to the show’s focus on the dark side and assumed time period, Darth Plagueis could be involved. Though the book that focuses on this character is technically part of the Legends timeline, because he was mentioned in Revenge of the Sith, he could still very easily appear in a canon series such as this one.
The Acolyte was a surprise show announcement that came alongside the rest of the reveals on Disney Investor Day 2020. Very little information was offered about the project at the time – Kathleen Kennedy simply revealed the title and expected time period before moving on to the next piece of new info.
We still know almost nothing about what to expect from the series. Its IMDb page gives a one-sentence synopsis: “Star Wars series that take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era..”
Some fans have speculated that the ongoing High Republic books and comics will lead into the Disney+ series, which will showcase the end of the era and lead into the years surrounding The Phantom Menace.
We do know that Leslye Headland will head up the series, and that we won’t likely see it dropping on Disney+ until at least 2023.
What are your predictions for The Acolyte?