As pointed out by social media user _Deathtrooper__, one of the ships seen in the latest trailer for The Acolyte bears a striking resemblance to Darth Tenebrous’ ship from James Luceno’s novel, “Star Wars: Darth Plagueis.”
In the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Darth Tenebrous was the Sith Lord and master of Darth Plagueis, who in turn was the master of Darth Sidious, also known as Emperor Palpatine. Tenebrous was also known as Rugess Nome, a famous Bith starship designer, and as the post pointed out, the ship seen in the new trailer for The Acolyte looks like his handiwork. It’s a major indication that Tenebrous will be the main villain of The Acolyte, but it’s not the only clue pointing to that conclusion.
Darth Tenebrous Would Fit Perfectly With The Star Wars Timeline
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Having Darth Tenebrous as the main Sith Lord of The Acolyte would also fit well with comments showrunner Leslye Headland has made in the past. Headland has teased that the Star Wars Expanded Universe will be important to The Acolyte, and one of the elements she chose to include could easily be Tenebrous.
“There’s also some EU lore that I decided to put in because I thought it was so cool and no one told me I couldn’t. There are a couple of really big EU ideas that are utilized both early on in the series and later in the series.”
Headland’s comments, combined with the fact that Tenebrous fits perfectly into the Star Wars timeline and the similarities the trailer’s ship bears to his, only adds to an ever-growing mound of evidence suggesting he will appear.
There is, of course, still a chance that the Sith Lord of The Acolyte isn’t Tenebrous, though. There have been theories that the Sith Lord could come from a completely separate line of Sith masters and apprentices, and thus be an entirely new character. Tenebrous is also barely involved in Star Wars canon, and while Headland has consistently shown how much respect she has for Legends, there’s nothing keeping her from making a retcon to include a new Sith Lord. If she did decide to follow the Expanded Universe’s lead, though, Darth Tenebrous could easily appear in The Acolyte.