Star Wars: The Acolyte star Manny Jacinto has shared that the series would have featured more of Darth Plagueis had it been renewed for a second season. As part of a panel at FanExpo San Francisco hosted by Collider, the actor fielded a fan question about what would have transpired on The Acolyte if it continued. Jacinto was hesitant to give away too many details, but he did confirm Plagueis would have been a factor.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“There was definitely going to be more of Plagueis in the second, or if not, the third seasons of the show, but I just can’t say, because, you know, we could come back,” Jacinto said. “I don’t want to spoil anything, or give anybody any false hope, but I would just say there was a lot more to explore, for sure.”
Darth Plagueis, who was Palpatine’s Sith master, makes a cameo appearance on the Acolyte finale, marking the character’s on-screen debut. He can be seen in a cave, closely watching the Stranger and Osha. Plagueis’ inclusion was important for The Acolyte creator Leslye Headland, who previously revealed the powerful Sith was a part of “every version” of the finale during development. At one point, Plagueis was even going to be in the last scene, before the decision was made to use Yoda instead. Headland had hoped to further explore Plagueis in a second season.
[Related: The Acolyte Deserved Better]
Of course, The Acolyte was cancelled after just one season, leaving many story threads dangling. The series was one of the most divisive Star Wars projects; while it had a passionate following of fans who enjoyed its depiction of the High Republic era, The Acolyte also drew the ire of others who criticized everything from the show’s additions to Star Wars lore to a brief appearance from the prequel trilogy’s Ki-Adi-Mundi. In the aftermath of the show’s cancellation, multiple cast members — including Jacinto — reacted to the development; star Amandla Stenberg said it was “not a huge shock” due to the “vitriol” the creative team faced.
Given Plagueis’ importance to Star Wars canon, he is a character many fans would like to see have a prominent role in any kind of project. It’s disappointing that plans to feature him on a TV show were cut short. It would have been interesting to see how the Sith Lord fit into The Acolyte‘s story. He seemingly had a connection to the Stranger, which had the potential to be a compelling dynamic, especially with Osha embracing the dark side. Plagueis’ return also would have been an opportunity for Lucasfilm to tie The Acolyte into the Skywalker Saga, perhaps showing how he achieved the power he later told Palpatine about.
There’s always the possibility Plagueis could be highlighted in other canon materials. While an Acolyte revival seems unlikely, Lucasfilm’s publishing division is an avenue to explore the Sith in a novel or comic series. Despite The Acolyte‘s cancellation, Yord and Jecki are the main characters in an upcoming YA novel, and Kelnacca got his own comic, so there’s a precedent. While that obviously wouldn’t be the same as seeing The Acolyte‘s cliffhangers be resolved on-screen, it might be the best option for fans to see the story continue. Plagueis was already the subject of an acclaimed Legends novel (which covers his time teaching Palpatine), so Lucasfilm should recruit an author to try their hand at fleshing out Plagueis in the official franchise canon.