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: 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…
Sith lore
The Acolyte Creator Confirms The Stranger Was Meant to Be the First Knight of Ren
One of the biggest lingering mysteries from The Acolyte just got a major lore twist. According to series creator Leslye Headland, The Stranger wasn’t just another dark side wildcard — he was designed to be the first Knight of Ren. The reveal comes from The Art of The Acolyte, which dives into the deeper creative intentions behind the show’s characters and mythology. A Sith Rule Problem… and the Solution Headland explains that the character’s role had to work within established Sith canon — specifically the Rule of Two. “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. 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…