2 Years Ago Today, Star Wars Officially Introduced Lucas’ Most Mysterious Sith (& We May Never See Him Again)
In one of the best scenes in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine tells Anakin Skywalker the story of Darth Plagueis, the powerful Sith Lord who made it his life’s mission to cheat death, only to ironically be murdered by his apprentice, a young Darth Sidious. Within the context of the film, the scene simply functions as Palpatine’s attempt to sway the impressionable Anakin over to the dark side, but long after the credits rolled, Star Wars fans couldn’t stop thinking about Darth Plagueis and what he was like. The Legends novel Darth Plagueis exists for those who are curious, but Lucasfilm has hardly utilized the character in official canon materials. For a while, Plagueis was only mentioned in various books and comics, but he finally made his long overdue on-screen debut a couple of years ago.
On July 16, 2024, the eighth and final episode of The Acolyte, fittingly titled “The Acolyte,” premiered on Disney+. The episode is noteworthy for the significant cameos it featured. Not only did audiences get a glimpse of Jedi Master Yoda, they were treated to the first on-screen appearance of Darth Plagueis. The character is seen for a brief, wordless moment, lurking in a cave as he watches The Stranger and Osha interact. This seemed to be setting up The Acolyte for an exciting future, but now there’s a good chance we’ll never see Plagueis again.
The Acolyte Could Be Darth Plagueis’ Only On-Screen Appearance
Despite The Acolyte finale clearly setting up a second season (one that would further explore Plagueis), it unfortunately wasn’t meant to be. Disney cancelled the series, citing concerns over the budget. Even though The Acolyte has demonstrated it can still draw in viewers even after the Mouse House pulled the plug, the odds of the show being revived are extremely low. Even if showrunner Leslye Headland could find a way to trim down production costs, Disney’s shifting output strategies makes any new live-action Star Wars streaming show unlikely.
Things can change, of course, but it’s notable that it was Disney that told Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy “streaming is dead,” a blunt admission that a bubble had burst and this business model was no longer sustainable. New Star Wars content will continue to be made for Disney+, of course, with Maul – Shadow Lord Season 2 in the works. However, it’s telling that after Ahsoka Season 2 (due out early next year), there are no live-action Star Wars TV shows on the slate. Nothing else is currently in production and nothing else has even been officially announced. As a pivot, Lucasfilm is going back to prioritizing theatrical features, with Star Wars: Starfighter leaning on Ryan Gosling’s charms to celebrate the franchise’s 50th anniversary in style. Several other Star Wars movies are in various stages of development, even though nothing beyond Starfighter has been officially dated.
With less of an emphasis on TV shows, Disney probably wouldn’t be interested in reviving The Acolyte. A feature film continuation is likely a non-starter as well; Disney never had much luck with the streaming-to-theatrical model, as evidenced by various Marvel disappointments and even this summer’s The Mandalorian and Grogu, which became the lowest-grossing Star Wars movie. Theoretically, there could be a movie chronicling Palpatine’s time as Plagueis’ apprentice, canonizing the story told in Luceno’s novel, but Star Wars is in a place now where it needs fresh, new ideas to stay viable, rather than retreating to the past again and again. Part of what makes Starfighter so exciting is that it’s being billed as a completely standalone story that isn’t tied to legacy characters and storylines (though, considering rumors about Jedi, we’ll see how that ultimately turns out). Still, Plagueis is such an important character in the Star Wars mythos that it would be a shame if Lucasfilm just abandoned him entirely.
Plagueis’ on-screen days might be over, but there are still avenues to continue his story. The High Republic era (where The Acolyte is set) got its start as a Lucasfilm publishing initiative, with several novels and comics transporting fans back to a different time of the galaxy far, far away’s history. If The Acolyte has no future, then perhaps there could be a novel or comic series that picks up from where the show left off, tying up the loose ends that were left dangling. Obviously, that wouldn’t be the same as actually watching Plagueis come to life on screen, but it would be better than doing nothing with the cliffhanger at all.
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