The Acolyte Introduces Major Sith Lord to Live-Action

The season finale of Star Wars: The Acolyte premiered on Tuesday, and it definitely plunged the Star Wars galaxy into new territory. This live-action Disney+ series, set during the events of the High Republic era, has woven together elements of past and future Star Wars lore. Notably, the finale marked the live-action debut of a surprising character. Spoilers for the season finale of Star Wars: The Acolyte below! Only look if you want to know!

Early in the episode, Osha (Amandla Stenberg) and Qimir (Manny Jacinto) prepare to leave their encampment on a mysterious planet to track down Sol (Lee Jung-jae) and Mae (Amandla Stenberg). As they leave, an alien figure appears in the shadows of the planet’s tombs. While his name isn’t explicitly mentioned, it’s fair to assume this character is Darth Plagueis, the legendary Sith Lord who played a crucial role in training Palpatine.

A member of the Muun alien race, Darth Plagueis was obsessed with using the Force to achieve immortality, even if it meant resorting to scientific methods. Alongside his apprentice, Plagueis conducted numerous experiments to utilize Midichlorians to create sentient life. Ultimately, his apprentice, revealed later to be a young Palpatine, murdered him. This character’s story was predominantly shared through “The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise,” a tale Palpatine recounts to Anakin Skywalker. His origins were further fleshed out in the 2012 Legends novel Star Wars: Darth Plagueis. Fans had speculated that The Acolyte might introduce Darth Plagueis into the current canon, given his relevance to the series’ timeline and Osha and Mae’s distinctive backstories.

“Yes, I do. If I continue to get to tell this story, I know how I would like that to play out,” The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland previously said of Darth Plagueis in an interview with Nerdist. “And I would say I think it’s pretty complicated and messy.”

Set during The High Republic, Star Wars: The Acolyte follows an investigation into a series of mysterious crimes, which pits a Jedi master against his former apprentice in a quest to uncover the truth. The closer they get to solving the mystery, the more they discover aspects of the Force darker than either could ever have imagined.

The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss. Star Wars: The Acolyte premiered on Disney+ on June 4th.

Source: ComicBook, Nerdist