"The Acolyte" teases legendary Sith Lord Darth Plagueis — but where has he been this whole time?
The Acolyte finale gave viewers everything they could have possibly wanted: lightsaber action, sisterly reconciliation, Jedi cover-ups, more of Bazil the tracker — and a hint at one of the most influential Star Wars Sith Lords yet to appear on screen.
The reveal comes as Osha (Amandla Stenberg) and the Stranger (Manny Jacinto) depart the Stranger's remote island hideaway in search of Mae (Stenberg) and Sol (Lee Jung-jae). As their ship takes off, a skeletal hand emerges from the shadows of an island cave, followed by a cloaked figure with glowing eyes. Based on vibes alone, there's no doubt that this is a Sith Lord. But which one could it be?
The likely answer is that this is Darth Plagueis, the Sith Lord who will one day train Darth Sidious (otherwise known as Emperor Palpatine). Palpatine mentions him to Anakin Sywalker in Revenge of the Sith, hitting him with that classic conversation-starter: "Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?"
While there's a lot of juicy Darth Plagueis lore The Acolyte could dive into in a potential (but desperately needed) Season 2 — like his relationship with Palpatine and his supposed ability to create life and reverse death — I really only have one burning Plagueis question I'd like The Acolyte to answer. Just what the heck has he been doing on the Stranger's island?
Seriously, does the Stranger even know Darth Plagueis is shacking up in his home? Is the island some kind of Sith timeshare? Do they have a roommate agreement drawn up? "You, Darth Plagueis, promise to hide yourself away while I, the Stranger formerly known as Qimir, attempt to recruit prospective acolytes to the Dark Side. In return, I'll make you soup."
Or maybe Darth Plagueis simply comes with the island, a feature like the cortosis mines, those adorable duck-like skura, and the hot springs that are perfect for Dark Side seduction. Really, that's all you need in a home.
You may wonder, "Why do you care so much about Darth Plagueis' island whereabouts?" To which I say, did you see episode 6? The Stranger and Osha spend the entire episode in a charged dance. He's skinny dipping in front of her, she's holding a lightsaber to his throat while he gently cups her wrist — it's enemies-to-lovers excellence, and the horniest Star Wars has been in a good long while. And you're telling me Plagueis might have had a front seat to all this?
So in much the same way that The Acolyte's third and seventh episodes revisited the catastrophe on Brendok from different perspectives, Rashomon-style, my fever dream wish for The Acolyte is that we get Plagueis's perspective on "Teach/Corrupt." That story could go so many ways — most of them ridiculous.
Think about it: If Plagueis and the Stranger knew each other, maybe he was a supportive wingman. Imagine him hyping the Stranger up before Osha woke on the island, or giving him the cue on when to time his walk to the hot springs just right. Or maybe (and most likely) Plagueis was just a fly on the wall, watching the sparks fly between Osha and the Stranger. Was he into it, like the many Oshamir shippers out there? Or was he holding his spooky head in his spooky hands, baffled by the Stranger's methods? (They get results, though!)
As excited as I am to watch Osha train with the Stranger in Season 2 (please, please, please), I'm concerned on their behalf. Do they know some guy's just creeping on them? Would they be able to fend him off if he revealed himself and proved hostile? The Sith Lord call is coming from inside the island, guys! Be safe out there!
All episodes of The Acolyte Season 1 are now streaming on Disney+.
