Summary
- The Acolyte will be the first onscreen Star Wars story from the Sith’s perspective, offering a unique and compelling new approach.
- The show will focus on the Sith working to undermine the Jedi, showcasing morally ambiguous characters and expanding on Sith-centric ideas.
- The Acolyte has the potential to recontextualize moments in the Star Wars timeline and create one of the most distinctive and thrilling Star Wars stories to date.
The Acolyte is set to be the Star Wars franchise’s first onscreen story from the Sith’s perspective. There have been Star Wars books told from the perspective of the Sith, such as Drew Karpyshyn’s Darth Bane trilogy, but never a movie or TV show. This exciting premise will offer a unique Star Wars experience that will expand the saga through a compelling new approach.
A few Star Wars movies and TV shows have come close to telling the story from the Sith’s perspective, creating some of the saga’s most engaging scenes. The Star Wars prequel trilogy chronicled Anakin Skywalker’s descent to the dark side, while Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi finally did the same for Dooku. Both stories showcased how the path to the dark side begins with good intentions and how the Sith manipulate others through half-truths and false promises. The Acolyte‘s premise and setting mean Star Wars can take these ideas to another level and create one of its most engaging character arcs yet.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Stars Sith Working Against The Republic
The Acolyte will focus on the Sith working to undermine the Jedi 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The official Star Wars website describes The Acolyte as “a mystery thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.” While the show will follow two Jedi Knights investigating a series of crimes, the story will also be told from the Sith’s perspective. Headland described The Phantom Menace as an influence in this regard, and The Acolyte is said to draw on the Star Wars Expanded Universe of books, comics, and video games.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Offers A Thrilling New Perspective On Star Wars
A Star Wars story told from the Sith’s perspective is a refreshing approach for the TV shows. The Acolyte can draw on the best Sith-centric Star Wars novels and expand on ideas from the Skywalker saga. Most importantly, the mix of light and dark side perspectives will allow for “more morally ambiguous characters than you’ve seen in other Star Wars content.” Headland was enthusiastic about this aspect of the show, finding it “very interesting to do a show about the bad guys… I think that’s what sets it apart.” The Star Wars saga is generally a battle of good vs. evil, but The Acolyte can be a thrilling, non-black-and-white story.
This approach may also recontextualize certain moments in the timeline, just as other Disney Star Wars prequels have. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story revealed the cost of the rebels stealing the Death Star plans, and Andor expanded on Cassian Andor’s character before he joined the Rebellion. The Star Wars movies and TV shows explain Sith history from the perspective of the Jedi, but now the franchise could highlight anything the Jedi got wrong. The Acolyte‘s Sith-based approach is a big risk for Disney, but one with the potential payoff of creating one of the most distinctive Star Wars stories to date.