It turns out the much-discussed Star Wars series, The Acolyte, had grander plans for its future. The show’s creator recently revealed that if a second season had been greenlit before its cancellation, we would have seen a direct connection between the enigmatic villain, The Stranger, and the formidable Kylo Ren.
Leslye Headland, the series’ creator and showrunner, shared that the core antagonist of The Acolyte, Qimir (also known as The Stranger), was intended to be the founder of The Knights of Ren. This revelation would have solidified The Stranger’s place in galactic history as the very first Knight of Ren, the mysterious order that Kylo Ren joined after leaving the Jedi path.
Headland noted in ‘The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte’ that this connection was central to the character’s design. ‘It was in the design of the character, as well as knowing that we were going to introduce Darth Plagueis, who has to end up with Palpatine as his apprentice,’ she explained.
‘Following the Rule of Two – a precept that limited the Sith to just two at any given time, a master and an apprentice – one way to keep it going is if The Stranger is the first Knight of Ren, part of a Sith-adjacent cult that we know eventually survives.’
While not strictly Sith, the Knights of Ren are deeply devoted to the dark side of the Force, a path distinct from the Jedi. Their fleeting appearance alongside Kylo Ren in a previous film left many questions unanswered regarding their true nature and their bond with Ren.
This revelation is sure to spark regret among fans who yearned for deeper exploration of these connections, not just in future seasons of The Acolyte, but also in a scrapped project starring Adam Driver (Kylo Ren/Ben Solo) and directed by Steven Soderbergh, reportedly titled ‘The Hunt For Ben Solo,’ which was unfortunately set aside by Disney.
The cancellation of The Acolyte after its first season by Star Wars owner Disney left numerous intriguing plotlines unresolved. Most notably, the dramatic live-action debut of Darth Plagueis remains an open-ended mystery, a storyline that may never reach its conclusion.
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Despite the cancellation, several actors from The Acolyte continue to express hope for a second season. Manny Jacinto, who portrayed Qimir, mentioned last December that Darth Plagueis was slated for a significantly larger role in subsequent seasons, teasing that ‘we could come back’ without giving away too much.
Lee Jung-Jae, who played Sol, admitted his surprise at the show’s abrupt ending, especially since Headland had already begun considering future seasons before the first even aired. Conversely, Amandla Stenberg, another cast member, stated she wasn’t surprised by the cancellation, noting a ‘rampage of vitriol’ the show faced from its initial announcement, even before anyone had seen it.
A tweet from Retney’s Holocron YouTube shared a page from “The Art of The Acolyte” book, confirming Leslye Headland’s revelation that The Stranger was indeed envisioned as the first Knight of Ren. This detail, initially seen at Celebration Japan, seems to have gone unnoticed by many.
Jodie Turner-Smith, who played Mother Aniseya, also vocalized her disappointment with Disney’s perceived lack of support for the cast. She urged the studio to defend its talent more vigorously against online harassment and racist attacks. Despite the challenges, Manny Jacinto remains dedicated to the series, even proclaiming a second season of The Acolyte as his ‘life’s goal’ shortly after its initial cancellation.
This article was written by Lex Briscuso, a film and television critic and freelance entertainment writer.