The Acolyte has officially been canceled by Disney after only one season, bringing an abrupt end to the Star Wars series. Set in the age of the High Republic, The Acolyte followed several members of the Jedi Order as they uncovered a secret Sith Lord and his new pupil. The show, created by Leslye Headland, garnered intense backlash from some fans for several of its creative choices, though others campaigned for Disney to renew the series for a second season which will now never come to fruition.

Unfortunately, The Acolyte‘s sudden cancelation means that many of the dangling plotlines from its first season will remain unresolved. The series was clearly designed to comprise multiple seasons, with the last episode setting up new plot points, which would have included Osha Aniseya (Amandla Stenberg) training with The Stranger (Manny Jacinto), Mae Aniseya’s potential redemption, and even an appearance from Master Yoda. Now, it seems unlikely that any of these storylines will see the light of day unless Star Wars should decide to continue the story in a comic book or novel. Even so, the most tragic loss stemming from The Acolyte‘s cancelation is the uncertain future of the season finale’s most groundbreaking cameo: Darth Plagueis. The fan-favorite Sith Lord finally made his live-action debut in the last episode of The Acolyte, but now won’t get the chance to return in Season 2.

Darth Plagueis May Never Get His Chance In The Spotlight

The Acolyte was clearly setting up a massive Season 2 by introducing several major Star Wars characters in its finale, including the legendary Sith Lord Darth Plagueis the Wise. First mentioned in a now-iconic conversation between Chancellor Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith, Plagueis’s story has been fleshed out in various projects over the years, primarily in comics and novels. However, the Sith Lord didn’t appear in live-action until the season finale of The Acolyte, which showed the shadowy figure looking out from a cave as Osha and the Stranger departed for their last mission. The character never speaks nor is identified onscreen, but audiences were quick to recognize the Sith Lord as Plagueis himself. Plagueis’s appearance led to many theories about how he could factor into the future of the show. Some suggested that he was the one who trained the Stranger in the ways of the Dark Side, while others believed that he viewed the two new Sith as a threat and planned to eliminate them. Either way, fans of the series were excited to see what would happen when Plagueis finally confronted Osha and the Stranger in future episodes.

Despite its entire first season building up to the live-action debut of Darth Plagueis, The Acolyte will no longer be able to deliver on its promise of bringing the iconic Sith Lord to life. With the second season of the Disney+ series officially canceled, any hope of Plagueis’s eventual confrontation with the Stranger has been dashed. Even more tragic, it would seem that there are no plans for Star Wars to continue Plagueis’s story in live-action, marking what may be the biggest missed opportunity in the franchise’s history. Fans will never know how Plagueis’s story in Season 2 of The Acolyte may have played out, nor will they learn how his story connected with that of the show’s main characters. It would seem that the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise is now twofold, in that audiences will never see his story unfold in live-action.

Plagueis Could Have Opened The Door To Epic New Star Wars Stories

Star Wars Live-Action Series

Series
Year(s)
IMDb Rating
Rotten Tomatoes Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
Streaming

The Mandalorian
2019-Present
8.6

90%
78%
Disney+

The Book of Boba Fett
2021
7.2
66%
49%

Andor
2022-2025
8.4
96%
87%

Obi-Wan Kenobi
2022
7.0
82%
61%

Ahsoka
2023-Present
7.5
86%
64%

The Acolyte
2024
4.1*
78%
18%*

* – Rating was affected by review-bombing and is therefore an untrustworthy gauge of audience approval.

The introduction of Darth Plagueis in The Acolyte would have opened the door to plenty of fresh new stories for the Star Wars franchise to explore. Using Plagueis as a launching pad, the series could have explored the history of multiple different Sith Lords, delving into the history of the Dark Side wielders in a way that Star Wars never has before. Plagueis is considered by many to be one of the most powerful Sith of all time, learning from the legacy of all those who came before him. Plagueis’s appearance in the second season of The Acolyte would have given the series a chance to introduce characters like his ill-fated master, Darth Tenebrous, or even the ancient and infamous Sith Lord, Darth Bane, through flashbacks and histories. Now, all of these characters remain deeply rooted in the ancient legends of the Star Wars universe, with no avenue for a live-action appearance.

Furthermore, The Acolyte could have depicted the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise, which remains one of the most iconic in-universe stories in the Star Wars franchise. While the timeline of The Acolyte is still a bit too early to depict Plagueis’s death at the hands of his apprentice, Sheev Palpatine, a simple time jump could have allowed for the series to depict the beginning of the tragic story. Future seasons of The Acolyte might have shown the first meeting between Plagueis and Palpatine, their plot to destroy the Jedi and the grisly murder that changed the course of the galaxy’s history. The series could have become an origin story for Darth Sidious, as he grows powerful enough to kill his master and become the new lord of the Sith.

Can Plagueis’s Story Continue After The Acolyte’s Cancelation?

Although things may seem grim for Darth Plagueis following The Acolyte‘s cancelation, all hope is not lost for fans who want to see the iconic Sith Lord’s story continue in live-action. Rather than setting up a second season, the season finale of The Acolyte could act as a backdoor pilot for a spinoff series revolving around Plagueis and his rise to power. While fans didn’t take to the creative decisions made in The Acolyte, many would be interested in seeing more about the Sith during the final days of the High Republic. A spinoff series centered on Plagueis would prove to be one of the most grisly entries in the Star Wars franchise yet, potentially winning over many fans who have maintained that the Disney era has been too directed at kids.

Plagueis’s story is far too iconic to drop simply because fans didn’t like The Acolyte. His training under the captivatingly wicked Darth Tenebrous, his eventual rise to power, and his mistakes while training Darth Sidious are simply too interesting to leave unexplored in greater depth. While The Acolyte failed to win over audiences, a Plagueis spinoff might succeed where its predecessor failed.