Summary
The Acolyteshowrunner Leslye Headland finally explains the show’s title, revealing it will explore the fate of every Sith Lord - and Palpatine’s greatest fear. The Sith Order has been shrouded in mystery for 47 years, but Leslye Headland’sThe Acolytewill finally remove the mask and reveal their true nature. Set a century beforeStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace,The Acolytewill reveal secrets of the Sith - and of theRule of Two.
Speaking to Lucasfilm’s Dave Filoni in an interview posted byStar Wars, Headland finally explains whatThe Acolyte’s title means.
“What I was interested in examining were the Sith. The Master-Apprentice dynamic. If the Apprentice is craving the Master’s power, then at some point, he must recruit his Apprentice to overthrow the Master.And that is The Acolyte.”
Acolytes have been mentioned inStar Warslore before; Headland is actually borrowing the term for the old Expanded Universe. But the idea has never been so precisely defined before.
Star Wars: The Acolyte - Cast, Story Details & Everything We Know
The upcoming Star Wars show The Acolyte will take the franchise into the grand High Republic era, but what mysteries await in the Jedi’s golden age?
The Acolyte Is The Story Of A Sith Apprentice Overthrowing Their Master
The clear implication is thatThe Acolyteis set during a time of transition in the Sith - a time when an Apprentice is preparing to overthrow their Master. They have either recruited their Acolyte, or they are seeking one; in either case, it’s reasonable to assume Amandla Stenberg’s Mae is the Acolyte in question. The Jedi who investigate Mae’s Jedi killings are therefore being drawn into the heart of the darkness,the rivalry that drives the Rule of Two.
According toStar Warslore, there are only ever two Sith: one to crave power, and the other to wield it. This dynamic is inherently competitive and unstable, destined to end in bloodshed. Should the Apprentice fail to overthrow their Master, they will be killed, and another Apprentice will be sought out. Should they succeed, they will become the Master, and they will know that one day they will share their Master’s fate. This is the story ofThe Acolyte.
This Is Why Palpatine Abandoned The Rule Of Two
Palpatine became a Sith heretic, however, discarding the Rule of Two. As seen inStar Wars: The Bad Batch, he sought not to be supplanted by his Apprentice but rather to become immortal through cloning and a dark side Force power known as essence transfer. It’s telling that, when he returned from the dead inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Palpatine didn’t seek another Apprentice;he knew doing so would ultimately lead to his death, an outcome he could not allow again.
Although he claimed to embody the Sith, there’s a sense in which Palpatine considered them merely a means to an end. He used the Rule of Two for his own advancement, and then played fast and loose with it throughout theStar Warsprequel trilogy. As soon as he was in a place of power, he began attempting to subvert the ways of the Sith - ensuring his own Apprentice never took an Acolyte of his own.The Acolytewill reveal the fate Darth Siidious sought so desperately to avoid.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
