Somehow, in Star Wars’ five years on Disney+, only one series has been canceled. Some miniseries were never renewed, like The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and some shows were created with a specific endpoint in mind, like Andor, but only one show has officially been given the axe: Leslye Headland’s underperforming prequel series The Acolyte.
One intriguing element of the show is that it was set at the perfect point on the Star Wars timeline to introduce Darth Plagueis, the Sith Lord who recruited and trained Palpatine. Plagueis actually did poke his head out in the show’s final episode, but by that point, The Acolyte was already doomed. Now, however, we finally know what would have happened had we got Season 2, and it’s exactly what many fans were clamoring for.
Manny Jacinto has a little glimmer of hope for Acolyte fans.
At a panel at FanExpo San Francisco hosted by Collider, Acolyte star Manny Jacinto, who played sidekick-turned-Sith Qimir, discussed what would have happened if the series went further. “There was definitely going to be more of Plagueis in the second, or if not, the third seasons of the show, but I just can't say, because, you know, we could come back,” he said. “I don't want to spoil anything, or give anybody any false hope, but I would just say there was a lot more to explore, for sure.”
So the finale’s one-second cameo wasn’t just there to appease fans who get pedantic about lore; Darth Plagueis would have played a role in the series’ future. Darth Plagueis’ life is a complete mystery in current Star Wars canon, as the only novel to flesh out his backstory, including his first encounters with Palpatine on Naboo, is now part of the non-canon Legends timeline.
Plagueis’ shadowy cameo in The Acolyte finale was supposed to be just the start of his role.
But Jacinto’s hesitancy to discuss spoilers leaves a big door open. This may not be a sign that The Acolyte is coming back — an official cancellation is very unlikely to be revoked — but it could mean something else is on the horizon that could pick up at least part of The Acolyte’s legacy. It’s clear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise is a story worth telling, given that Palpatine infamously tells it to Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith, and the entire era Plagueis existed in is still underexplored.
We may have seen more of Plagueis in The Acolyte Season 2, but that doesn’t mean another series can’t pick up where it left off. Maybe The Acolyte’s legacy lies in a spinoff (or novel or comic book) following this legendary character. Or, at the very least, in another cameo where you don’t have to turn up your brightness to see him.
