The canceled Star Wars series The Acolyte had already plotted the path for its season 2, and its creator is teasing ideas.
Whether you loved it or not, The Acolyte has earned a place among the few Star Wars shows that truly took risks. Beyond exploring a previously untapped corner of its lore—the High Republic—Leslye Headland’s creation offered a fresh take on the hubris of the Jedi and their tether to the Dark Side, all while reviving some of the most exhilarating lightsaber choreography seen since the prequel era.
Unfortunately, aside from an astronomical production cost that clearly wasn’t recouped on Disney+, the show was attacked from every angle for some of the worst reasons, which led to its unfair cancellation. It’s all the more frustrating because its cliffhanger teased the arc of the enigmatic Qimir and his relationship with the famous Dark Plagueis (Palpatine’s master). We actually learned more about Leslye Headland’s canceled plans.
“Do you know the tragic story of Dark Plagueis the Wise?”
In a conversation with Empire, the showrunner revealed that, despite the series’ rocky reception, she would be thrilled to return if Lucasfilm gave her the opportunity. It’s worth noting that The Acolyte has enjoyed an improbable resurgence on Disney+, climbing back toward the platform’s top charts during April and May. New viewers reportedly checked it out, since the standalone season was recommended after the series Maul: Lord of the Shadow.
But if that ruffled some feathers, Headland wasn’t done there. The creator spoke about the direction her season 2 would have taken, and she would have tied it to Disney’s post-Sequel era:
“There were a lot of things we wanted to explore—and that included tying our lore to that of the post-Sequel era. We would have wondered who Manny Jacinto’s character really was, his connection with Master Vedi Vernestra, with the Lord Plagueis, and even his connection to things established in the last trilogy.”
To be honest, season 1 had already dropped hints about this. The sharpest fans had spotted in the score a cue reminiscent of Kylo Ren’s theme during a scene with Qimir. Was this signaling another Force dyad, or a link to the Skywalker family? Hard to tell, unless Leslye Headland had the chance to launch season 2 of her offshoot. But that possibility seems slim…
