TheStar Warsgalaxy continues to expand on the small screen, specifically on the Disney+ streaming service.
Following up such titles asThe Mandalorian,Star Wars: The Bad Batch, andStar Wars: VisionscomesStar Wars: The Acolytefrom showrunner Leslye Headland. Based on promotional material for the series so far, it’s safe to say thattheStar WarsRPG-inspired programis quite a departure from most recent franchise endeavors.
Set long before the events ofStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace,The Acolytesees a period of relative peace interrupted in the worst way. Mysterious forces are conspiring against the Jedi, killing those within its ranks. Thus, it’s up to a few brave members of the Jedi Order to figure out who is responsible for these heinous acts and put a stop to them before it’s too late.
The Acolyteputs a host of new characters front and center for this mystery, from Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) to Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae). However, it’s no secret thatStar Warsloves nothing more than tossing viewers cameos of their favorite legacy heroes and villains. In fact, it has come to light that a staple of theStar Wars: The High Republicmultimedia initiative, Vernestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson), will appear on the program. Can fans expect more preexisting characters to appear?
Though it takes place far ahead of the Skywalker saga, one might think that characters with long lifespans like Yoda (Frank Oz), Yaddle (Bryce Dallas Howard), and potentially Plo Koon (James Arnold Taylor) could appear onThe Acolyte. In reality, however, this isn’t the case. Headland herself revealed toComicBook.comthat cameos from such characters, specifically Yoda, who has appeared inHigh Republicstories already, aren’t on the table.
With that said Headland did mention that she and theAcolyteteam pulled from existingStar Warsmaterial to fill out the show’s roster. “We are pulling characters from theHigh Republicand characters from the EU, but that’s it,” she said. So, one has to wonder which otherHigh Republic-era characters besides Rwoh could pop up, and, more intriguingly, who from the Expanded Universe could do the same.
This time period could allow for Emperor Palpatine’s (Ian McDiarmid) Sith Master, Darth Plagueis, or even his master, Darth Tenebrous, to appear. After all,The Acolyteis about the sudden and violent reemergence of the Sith to the galactic forefront, so if there were ever a production for them to make their live-action introductions, this seems to be the one.
Time will tell whichHigh Republicand Expanded Universe names could be on the table asThe Acolyteunfolds across its eight-episode debut season. For those curious, here’sthe series’ release schedule.
