A fascinating piece of behind-the-scenes insight reveals that Darth Plagueis was intended to grow into the “larger threat” in future seasons of The Acolyte.
The detail comes from The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte, which explores early creative direction and long-term narrative thinking for the series. Rather than being a background name-drop or mythological reference, Plagueis was positioned as a looming presence — a figure meant to expand into something much more central over time.
A Villain Introduced Like Gollum
The book also notes that Plagueis’ introduction was conceptually inspired by how Gollum is introduced in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
That comparison says a lot.
Gollum isn’t introduced as the main antagonist at first. Instead, he’s:
- A shadowy presence
- A mystery figure
- A character whose importance grows as the story expands
Applying that model to Plagueis suggests the creative team saw him not just as Sith backstory, but as a slow-burning, long-game threat designed to unfold gradually.
What That Tells Us About the Show’s Long-Term Vision
If Plagueis was meant to evolve into a major antagonist across seasons, it implies The Acolyte was designed with a deeper multi-season arc in mind.
Rather than focusing solely on immediate conflict, the story appears to have been structured to:
- Seed larger Sith mythology
- Build suspense around hidden influences
- Introduce threats that mature over time
That kind of narrative layering mirrors how other epic franchises build enduring villains.
Where This Information Comes From
These details are featured in The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte, which provides a look at the conceptual art, creative thinking, and unused or evolving story ideas behind the series.
For fans interested in the artistic and narrative foundations of the show, it’s one of the best windows into how the series was originally envisioned.
A Threat Meant to Linger in the Shadows
Plagueis being framed as a slow-emerging, long-term threat — inspired by Gollum’s narrative role — highlights how much thought goes into shaping major Star Wars villains.
Sometimes, the most important figures aren’t the ones front and center… but the ones waiting in the shadows.
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