Summary

• The Acolyte, an upcoming Star Wars show, will reveal the end of the Jedi's golden age and the reasons behind their downfall.
• The series will focus primarily on the Sith and their plans to undermine the Jedi, highlighting the Sith's perspective.
• The Acolyte's storyline could explain why the Jedi became so fearful of the dark side and why they became more rigid and involved in politics.

This year, Star Wars will reveal how and why the Jedi’s fall from grace began long before the events of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. As Star Wars takes slow but deliberate steps to move further away from the legacy of the Skywalker saga, the Jedi’s history is the perfect new point of focus for the franchise. This has been proven by Star Wars: The High Republic, a transmedia publishing initiative that details the trials and tribulations of the Jedi Order a few centuries before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.

The downfall of the Jedi did not begin when Anakin Skywalker joined the Order in The Phantom Menace. It had already begun by then, an accumulation of questionable decisions, pride, ignorance, and fear clouding the Jedi’s judgment. But if it didn’t begin with Anakin’s discovery on Tatooine, then when did it start? Though The High Republic has mostly been explored in print, one upcoming live-action Star Wars show will change all that – and could prove why the Jedi’s downfall began long before Anakin Skywalker, or even Emperor Palpatine, were born.

The Acolyte Will Show The End Of The Jedi's Golden Age

The High Republic era is often described as a “golden age” for the Jedi, as they worked together with – not for – the Republic to spread peace, prosperity, and wisdom across an ever-expanding galaxy. Though the Jedi faced many dangers, including violent marauders like the Nihil and the terrifying, Jedi-killing creatures known as the Nameless, the Jedi formed a cohesive front, facing tragedy head-on and helping to save countless lives wherever they were needed. The Acolyte, Star Wars’ upcoming live-action Disney+ show, will take place at the tail-end of this era, roughly 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace.

Presumably, as The Acolyte will take place at the end of the High Republic era, it will reveal the reason why both the Republic and the Jedi Order became vulnerable to attack and infiltration. Interestingly enough, the Jedi of the High Republic have, so far, not faced conflict from the Sith – their enemies have consistently been those connected to the Nihil and their leader, Marchion Ro. But The Acolyte is set to change all that, as it is, in fact, a story primarily about the Sith, not the Jedi, and if anyone has the power to bring the Jedi’s golden age to an end, it’s the Sith.

The High Republic Phases I and III take place 200 years before The Phantom Menace, while Phase II takes place 350 years before The Phantom Menace.

Star Wars Will Finally Reveal How The Sith "Infiltrated" The Jedi

The Acolyte is a game changer – for the first time, a Star Wars story will focus primarily on the Sith and their plans to undermine the Jedi, rather than focus solely on the Jedi’s heroic fight against the Sith. Though the series will follow a former Padawan and their Jedi Master as they investigate a series of crimes and the emerging presence of the dark side, it has been confirmed that the series will also feature the Sith’s perspective. This is especially important, as it will allow the story to explore how the Sith exploited the Jedi's weaknesses at the height of their power.

Though The Acolyte’s timeline placement could mean that Darth Sidious’ own Master, Darth Plagueis, will make an appearance on the show, setting the scene for Palpatine’s eventual rise to power, it can also explain why the Jedi became so fearful of the dark side, rather than viewing it as a natural part of the Force. During the High Republic, the Jedi were much more flexible and lenient, giving their members space to figure out their connection with the Force and helping people in the name of peace, not war.

The Jedi were allowed to become Wayseekers, traveling the galaxy on their own to uncover the secrets of the Force. They were allowed to leave the Jedi Order to explore love yet still return without anyone fearing their attachments or their commitment to the Jedi's ideals. During the prequel era, the Jedi had become much more rigid, trying to control every aspect of galactic politics and their members’ relationship with the Force, which would ultimately prove to be their downfall. That rigidity could easily have been caused by a Sith infiltration a century earlier.

Whatever harm the Sith might be able to inflict on the Jedi during The Acolyte, no matter how minor or major it may be, could fuel the Jedi Order’s paranoia, leading to them inserting themselves in galactic political affairs more frequently, using peace as an excuse to keep an eye on the threat of the dark side in the galaxy. This would explain why they were so adamant that the Sith couldn’t have existed at the time of The Phantom Menace, and why they were so quick to take up arms during the Clone Wars. Whatever the Sith manage to accomplish in The Acolyte, it will change Star Wars’ Jedi forever.