The fans of Star Wars will be entitled to a whole new Disney+ series, in addition to the already full list of series that are planned on the platform. And this time, fans will be able to discover a very special era, that of the High Republicthanks to the next series The Acolyte. This series should also give a whole new perspective on the dark side of the Force, but also on the Sith themselves.
a series like no other
Throughout Star Wars history, since the film was first released in 1977 A new hope, the central conflict of the Star Wars universe has always pitted the Jedi against the Sith, the terms often appearing as synonyms of the light side and the dark side of the Force respectively. This conflict is known in canon to date back thousands of years, long before the events of the prequel trilogy that began with Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999).
The three Star Wars trilogies released so far span 67 years in the story timeline, each set in a different era. The prequel trilogy is set during the Age of the Republic. The original trilogy is set in the Age of Rebellion and the sequels are set during the period of resistance. The first two trilogies both featured the Sith, and therefore the dark sidethrough the eyes of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious, as the recent trilogy continues with the latter, alongside newcomer Kylo Ren.
But as reminded ScreenRantwhether the Sith have been more or less present in all three eras of Star Wars canon, there is an era that has not yet been explored in a film or a live action series: the High Republica time that predates the age of the Republic and the events that occurred in The Phantom Menace.
With The Acolyte, Lucasfilm promises to delve into this period, with a significant change from the usual Star Wars projects. While all previous eras featured the Sith to some extent, the dark side has always been seen through the eyes of Jedi, or Jedi tempted by it, but has rarely been explored with the same depth as the Dark Side. ‘Jedi Order or the Light Side of the Force. However, with the era of the High Republic, the series The Acolyte could completely change the way fans perceive the dark side, for several reasons.
the first real protagonist of the dark side?
If we can say that Anakin Skywalker is the protagonist of the prequel trilogythese three films rather present an ensemble cast, featuring many different characters and their points of view. This means that Anakin’s tragic fall to the dark side is often explored from perspectives outside of the dark side.
In the series The Acolyte, Star Wars promises to change this trend. After the series was announced in May 2020, Disney has revealed the series will be set during the final moments of the High Republic era and will focus on the emergence of dark side powers.. With a title like The Acolytea term used to refer to a Sith apprentice, one would think that this emergence of Sith power will be seen through the eyes of a Sith wizard or follower, something that has never been done before in live-projects. Star Wars action.
By showing how the era of the High Republic leads to the events of The Phantom Menace through the sidekick’s perspective on the emergence of dark side powersStar Wars will offer a first in-depth perspective on the dark side never before seen in live-action, with the series’ protagonist directly involved in the path of the Sith throughout the series.
A more conducive environment?
While the history of the High Republic has recently been expanded into a series of books and comics, The Acolyte will feature the first canonical screen appearance of this period. This will allow you to see the dark side in an era that has not yet been presented in a Star Wars live-action.
If the prequel trilogy featured Sith operating in the shadows, the fact that Emperor Palpatine was the Sith Lord Darth Sidious from the start of the trilogy has never been a secret. This means that the prequels presented the Sith from a biased Jedi perspective, never really exploring Palpatine’s hidden plots.
With the era of the High Republic and the promise of a focus on the dark side powers of that era, that may no longer be the case. The High Republic features Sith who still operate in the shadow of the Jedi Order, but this era will focus on the plans and machinations of dark side adepts, as the timeline is relatively empty at this point and almost no canon story takes place there already. Writers will therefore have no more obstacles to overcome, since they will no longer have to adapt to the established stories of the Star Wars franchise, with the exception of the prequels, which will give the series The Acolyte more freedom in exploring the dark side of the Force during the High Republic.
A follower of the dark side different from other Sith?
Not only has Star Wars often shown the dark side of the exterior, but it also only showed dark side Force users who, like Darth Sidious, Darth Vader, or Count Dooku, claim to at least obey the famous Rule of Two, stating that there must only be two Sith, with only one master and one apprentice at a time. But with the High Republic and The Acolytethis may not be the case. With the protagonist being a follower of the dark side, fans will get an inside look at how the Sith Regime works..
And rather than seeing this from the perspective of an all-powerful Sith Lord, the series will feature a simple follower of the Sith teachingswhich can give a new perspective on the paths of the dark side, although the general concept has been explored for decades.
The Sith and the dark side of the Force have been mainstays of the Star Wars universe since the beginning of George Lucas’ original trilogy. The series’ main antagonistic force, the Dark Side has corrupted and interfered with the saga’s most iconic heroes, whether directly or indirectly.
Series The Acolyte on Disney+ then promises to shine a light on this malevolent force in a way fans have never seen before. They will be able to discover the secrets of the Sith, but also go back in time to the end of the High Republicto witness first-hand the rise of the dark side in the galaxy.
