The Acolyte's Surprise Cameo: A Star Wars Game Change Agent
The startling cameo at the end of The Acolyte has enormous ramifications for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace as well as for the whole prequel trilogy. We're going to delve into some very serious spoiler territory, thus grab onto your lightsabers.
How The Acolyte Solved a Principal Phantom Menace Mystery
Recall how totally shocked the Jedi in The Phantom Menace were the Sith could be returning? They seemed to be actually persuaded the Sith were extinct for millennia. To be honest, though, we all knew that Darth Plagueis was dragging strings behind-the-scenes long before Palpatine was a Sith Lord. How then might the Jedi be so uninformed?
Well, The Acolyte offers a startling response. The wise and ancient Jedi Master Master Yoda apparently knew about the Force's mounting darkness right along.
Secrets Knowledge of Master Yoda
In the last scene of The Acolyte, Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh walks into a room occupied by Yoda. Vernestra is clearly going to share everything that happened, including the knowledge that Qimir, her former Padawan, has turned dark side.
Yoda thus clearly knew that something fishy was happening, even one century before The Phantom Menace's events. Yoda most certainly knew about the approaching darkness, but he might not have known exactly about the Sith's comeback.
The last scene also showed a person who appears to be Darth Plagueis, thus Yoda might have even known about the Sith's birth. Yoda must thus have known the rising threat, thus his incredulity in The Phantom Menace seems a little bit artificial.
The Jedi's covert secret
Knowing about the comeback of the dark side is rather significant for Yoda. This begs questions about why he omitted alerting the Jedi Council on The Phantom Menace. Well, the ending of The Acolyte offers some understanding of that too.
Vernestra Rwoh chose to tell the Senate lies in order to guard the Jedi Order. She assured them that Master Sol was the one killing the Jedi rather than owning that a dark side user was behind all. This was a rather significant choice, and it surely reveals a different side of Vernestra, initially presented as a moral Jedi.
Vernestra visited Yoda apparently in order to seek assistance in hiding the truth. Yoda agrees to assist; they both decide to act as though the Jedi are ignorant of the growing force of the dark side. This helps to explain why the news so stunned the Jedi in The Phantom Menace; they were deliberately kept in the dark.
Changing Heart: Mace Windu
Mace Windu, in The Phantom Menace, was first as startled as everyone else about the possible Sith comeback. Then he tunes differently and begins to discuss the "mystery" of the Sith. Yoda most certainly told Mace Windu the truth about the approaching darkness, at last confiding in him.
Our view of the Jedi is somewhat distorted by this whole circumstances. Although they were rather successful in preserving peace for a protracted period, they were totally unprepared for this kind of threat. It makes sense that they were afraid about the consequences of the comeback of the dark side. And they most likely believed that the best approach to guard the Jedi Order was to keep the truth under wraps.
Where is The Acolyte headed?
Our last Acolyte left us with a lot of unresolved threads and questions. Future episodes could explore Yoda's awareness of the dark side's growing power more thoroughly. Alternatively, maybe there is another, undiscovered reason for Yoda's actions in The Phantom Menace.
One thing is certain: the ending of The Acolyte alters our perspective on the whole Star Wars prelude trilogy. The next developments much excite us!
The Acoleyte and the High Republic Era
Set at the end of the High Republic Era, when both the Galactic Empire and the Jedi were at their most powerful, the Acolyte is A feeling of hope and a conviction that the Jedi could uphold justice and peace over the galaxy define this age. But as The Acolyte reveals, this age wasn't as serene as it first seems.
The Acolyte looks at the sinister aspects of the Force and the dangers hiding under the High Republic's surface. It reminds us that the dark side is always waiting to corrupt and ruin even in a period of peace and wealth.
Final Notes
The surprising cameo by The Acolyte transforms the Star Wars universe. It alters our knowledge of the Sith, the Jedi, and even the Phantom Menace's events. Even more questions remain now, and we eagerly await how this narrative develops in next episodes. This is unquestionably a show that will influence the Star Wars canon going forward. Any Star Wars enthusiast wishing to explore the legends and secrets of the galaxy far, far away should definitely check the Acolyte.
