The Acolyte's First Victim Is Hiding in Plain Sight
Someone is killing the Jedi... but who will be the first to fall?
Lucasfilm’s latest series is being touted as a mystery-thriller, but that doesn’t mean much to Star Wars fans. It didn’t take long for theories to spring up about The Acolyte: shortly after its first trailer dropped, fans were already working to establish a clear timeline and learn about the series’ major players. The Acolyte follows a Jedi padawan turned dangerous assassin, Mae (Amandla Stenberg), as she hunts down members of her former order. Her motives remain a mystery, as does her beef with the Jedi, but a new theory might have revealed her first victim. Potential spoilers ahead!
Hasbro has unveiled some new additions to the Star Wars Black Series toy line. Characters like Mae, Dafne Keen’s padawan Jecki Lon, and Carrie-Anne Moss’ Master Indara are getting the action figure treatment, and fans are already getting a clearer look at their costumes and designs. Paired with The Acolyte’s first poster, which featured an unknown lightsaber over a streak of blood, eagle-eyed fans seem to have made a connection ahead of the series’ June premiere.
We don’t see the full lightsaber hilt in the Acolyte poster, but it does share similarities with Master Indara’s weapon. The brown-gold paneling of the hilt can also briefly be seen in the trailer, which teases a battle between Mae and Indara. It’s possible Indara is killed in this encounter, and while we’ll likely see the character in flashbacks (the trailer offers us a glimpse of a younger Indara working alongside Sol), a Jedi Master’s death could have major ramifications for the Order.
If this theory proves accurate, then The Acolyte has hidden its first big twist in plain sight. Given how secretive Lucasfilm has been in the past, and how thorough the fandom is, it almost feels too easy. Maybe it’s all a misdirect. Then again, maybe it isn’t. The Acolyte is already shaping up to be a series unlike any we’ve seen from Star Wars. If the franchise is secure enough to tease the early death of a supposedly major character, then there could be a lot more carnage in store.
The Acolyte has more freedom than other Star Wars projects. It’s introducing new characters in an era that hasn’t been touched in canon, which means no one is safe. Showrunner Leslye Headland is charting the beginning of the end of the Jedi Order, sowing seeds of fear in an institution that’s long been untouchable. There are bound to be casualties where we least expect them, which gives The Acolyte an edge the franchise hasn’t seen since Rogue One. For the first time in a long time, we truly don’t know what’s going to happen in that galaxy far, far away.
