One of the ten new Star Wars projects slated to premiere on Disney Plus is Star Wars: The Acolyte. The series will be helmed by Leslye Headland, one of the co-creators of the Netflix series Russian Doll. Currently there are not a lot of details about what The Acolyte is about, but Disney did confirm it would be set during the High Republic Era.
What Exactly is the High Republic Era?
Look at it this way. The High Republic era occurred before all of the nine Star Wars movies in existence. So, there’s no Darth Vader, no Galactic Empire (or the fallout from the Galactic Empire’s defeat) but could fans possibly be treated to a younger Master Yoda? (He is 900 years old during the original Star Wars trilogy after all.)
There is no war against the Sith during the era of the High Republic, but will things change during the end of said era? According to StarWars.com, the High Republic era happened centuries before The Phantom Menace, and was the era where the Jedi were in their prime.
According to Disney, The Acolyte will be, “a mystery-thriller that will take the audience into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.” According to an IGN report, The Acolyte will supposedly be a female-centric series. Will the show tie into the official Star Wars High Republic book and comic series? One installment of the High Republic book series, “Light of the Jedi,” by Charles Soule is currently number two on the New York Times bestseller list after all.
More plot details about The Acolyte have yet to be released, although many fans have speculated that the show could feature the rise of Darth Plagueis as a major plot point. Plagueis was Emperor Palpatine’s Sith master, who Palpatine eventually murdered. Palpatine famously asks Anakin Skywalker if he’s ever heard of the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise during Revenge of the Sith. Palpatine uses the story to manipulate Anakin into thinking he could learn how to stop death, but not from the Jedi. (And of course Palpatine fails to mention to Anakin that he was the one that killed Plagueis.)
Den of Geek noted that Plagueis would be around twenty during the High Republic era, so the theory does hold some weight and would be an interesting conflict. (Would fans be introduced to a young Palpatine before he turns to the dark side?)
The future of Star Wars is bright on Disney Plus. It’s great that The Acolyte will be female-run and female-centric and hopefully fans will get more details closer to the release date. Stay tuned for details.
