In August last year, the news arrived that Lucasfilm had cancelled its “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte” with the studio opting not to proceed with a second season.
The decision was confirmed over a month after the eight-episode first season wrapped. The series was the first to be set in the times of the High Republic, centuries before the events of “Star Wars,” and proved incredibly divisive amongst the fandom, along with simply not doing good numbers.
The ending stirred conversation with its teasing of Darth Plagueis, the shadowy Sith figure who is briefly seen (albeit obscured) in a cave on the planet Bal’demnic where Manny Jacinto’s Qimir and Amandla Stenberg’s Osha end up.
In “Star Wars” law, Plagueis would eventually take a young Sheev Palpatine as his apprentice, Darth Sidious, before Palpatine kills him. Thus, the finale left us with many questions – such as Plagueis’ relationship to Qimir.
In the upcoming “The Art of The Acolyte” book, series creator, director, executive producer and showrunner Lesley Headland has revealed that plans for Qimir/The Stranger saw him forming the earliest incarnation of the Knights of Ren first introduced in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”.
In a transcript via RetneysHolocron, Headland talked about the character’s helmet design:
“It felt like it foreshadowed a possible connection to the Knights of Ren with the Kylo Ren shape we landed on. We just started to go in that direction. It was in the design of the character, as well as knowing that we were going to introduce Darth Plagueis, who has to end up with Palpatine as his apprentice.
Following the Rule of Two – a precept that limited the Sith to just two at any given time, a master and an apprentice – one way to keep it going it is if the Stranger is the first Knight of Ren, part of a Sith-adjacent cult that we know eventually survives.”
To that end, composer Michael Abels incorporated a musical cue that incorporates Kylo’s theme. The art book showcases the production art, character and vehicle designs, planets, storyboards, and other work created during the production. “The Art of The Acolyte” is due out January 13th in bookstores.
