While Darth Plagueis remains an infamous mystery in Star Wars, there’s a way that he could, and should, appear in The Acolyte. Overall, The Acolyte is set to be a different kind of Star Wars story than has been told before, opening up the live-action canon to new characters and plots never seen on screen. Such narrative flexibility includes introducing Darth Plagueis, which is not only an asset but a necessity for one of Disney’s next installments in the space opera franchise.While it might seem that stripping such a mysterious character of his mystique would put the show on tenuous ground, it is no riskier than producing The Acolyte itself. The show is a mystery-thriller set 100 years before The Phantom Menace, and instead of focusing on the adventures of the Jedi Knights, will be exploring the activities of Star Wars' Sith while the Jedi are at the height of their power. Furthermore, the show will be depicting the Sith’s attempts to infiltrate the knightly order as the latter investigates a series of crimes.
Star Wars Canon Allows Darth Plagueis To Appear In The Acolyte
With The Acolyte poised to expand upon the Sith a century before the earliest Star Wars prequel, the show has plenty of room to introduce Darth Plagueis within the established canon. This is especially true since The Acolyte will be spinning a narrative well before Senator Palpatine’s (Ian McDiarmid) presence as the current Sith Master. As such, it’s only reasonable to infer that Darth Plagueis, Palpatine’s master, would be at the height of his power during the show.
Introducing Darth Plagueis in The Acolyte could be done without retconning any of the established lore in the earlier films as well. Since so little is known about Darth Plagueis and his death in the official Star Wars canon, there’s plenty of flexibility to include his story. As such, even if he is not present in the direct plot, a Sith-centric show would be remiss not to at least include him in flashbacks.
Darth Plagueis Remains One Of Star Wars' Biggest Mysteries
Although the life of Darth Plagueis has been expanded upon in Star Wars Legends and famously referenced in The Revenge of the Sith, he remains one of the franchise’s most mysterious characters. Beyond Senator Palpatine discussing him in the third prequel film, The Rise of Skywalker novelization by Rae Carson only discusses how Darth Sidious used Plagueis’ knowledge to return to life. Otherwise, the official Star Wars canon returns little other knowledge about the dark-side Force user.
However, one piece of information is that Darth Plagueis taught Darth Sidious everything he knew. As the latter became one of the most powerful villains within the Star Wars saga, this hints at the powers of Darth Plagueis himself. Therefore, his appearance in The Acolyte could only add to the show’s interest with the possibility of greater Force lore.
Why Darth Plagueis SHOULD Be In The Acolyte
With The Acolyte set to explore the dark side of the Force, Darth Plagueis should be making an appearance in the show, if not several. Not only is this necessary for a Sith-centric story set long before Palpatine’s time, but Star Wars as a whole needs to explore new villains. Often, the franchise has leaned on old favorites such as Darth Vader (James Earl Jones and David Prowse) and Emperor Palpatine in their stories, with Andor as one of the few shows not to utilize the Sith duo and their Empire as at least one of the concrete antagonists. Now, The Acolyte has the explicit chance to do so.
Not only would Darth Plagueis' presence support The Acolyte with some much-needed antagonistic variety, but his unique relationship with the Force makes him a necessity in the show. Due to how The Acolyte is billed as a mystery and thriller, it needs to be genuinely thrilling by showing the Force and its usage in a way that’s never been seen before. With Darth Plagueis already established as having access to some of the more unnatural abilities of the Dark Side, the show must use them, and him, to differentiate The Acolyte from the supernatural abilities of the Night Sisters seen in shows like The Clone Wars.
More than anything, Darth Plagueis represents a unique opportunity for The Acolyte. With a story focused on the Sith and with no relation to Star Wars' Skywalkers, Darth Plagueis could, and should, be an entirely new villain that truly delves into the darkness present in the shadows of the Star Wars universe. As a character both deeply iconic and yet deeply unknown, Darth Plagueis would still be able to link The Acolyte to the greater franchise’s canon while still presenting many opportunities for surprise in the show.