Disney cancelled The Acolyte after its first season, prematurely ending a Star Wars story that looked set to fill in some huge gaps in the franchise's history.
Among them were Darth Plagueis' backstory, how Anakin Skywalker was conceived through Force manipulation, and the formation of the Knights of Ren. That mysterious group of Dark Side Force users was first introduced in the Star Wars sequels, but never had personalities or motivations beyond serving Kylo Ren.
Comics have since fleshed them out a little, but for those who don't seek out tie-in content, the group remain a mystery. Now, The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland has strongly hinted that the series was set to reveal their origin story and how it tied to Manny Jacinto's Qimir.
"I'm having a resurgence of The Acolyte in my real life," Headland recently told Empire (via SFFGazette.com). "I speak with people who are really big fans, and were disappointed in the cancellation. I went to a play last night, and somebody was like, 'I just have to tell you that I loved it.'"
Asked if she'd be open to returning to this Galaxy Far, Far Away, she added, "I would still want to do it! Absolutely. As more people discover it, I think people may want to see some form of the story come back."
"We did have a lot of stuff that we wanted to explore – including tying in lore to the sequels," she shared. "Getting into who exactly Manny [Jacinto]'s character is, his connection with [Jedi Master] Vernestra, his connection with [Sith Lord] Plagueis, and then his connection with other sequel-established things," Headland teased.
Piecing together this with other past interviews, all signs point to Qimir founding the Knights of Ren. As for the Sith, Plagueis was likely more interested in Mae than "The Stranger," because she and her twin sister had been born through the Force. Years later, Plagueis's apprentice, Darth Sidious, would utilise the Force to create Anakin.
The Star Wars sequels left fans with a long list of unanswered questions that The Acolyte could have addressed. At the same time, they'd have made more sense of the prequels. However, with Disney and Lucasfilm largely abandoning the High Republic era, that no longer seems likely.
The Acolyte was splitting opinions even before it premiered on Disney+ in 2024. The series was also a target of apparent review-bombing in the days leading up to its release, while female and non-white cast members faced online abuse and trolling.
Despite having 19% on Rotten Tomatoes' "Popcornmeter," The Acolyte is "Certified Fresh" at 79%. The Acolyte was also the second-most-watched TV series of 2024 on Disney+ behind only Percy Jackson and the Olympians. That had "over three billion minutes viewed," with the prequel to the prequels trailing behind with 2.7 billion.
In The Acolyte, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems.
All episodes are now streaming on Disney+.