The first trailer for The Acolyte sets the scene for a mystery in the High Republic Era – and deliberately conceals the identity of the true villain. The Acolyte is set at the tail-end of the High Republic Era, the golden age of both the Jedi and the Republic. Someone is killing the Jedi – and the end of the first Acolyte trailer sees a group of Jedi confronting what appears to be a Sith. Lucasfilm has been promising a story from the perspective of the dark side for years, and this seems to scratch that itch.

When George Lucas revealed the Sith Lords of the prequel era, he placed Darth Maul front and center of the marketing. The Acolyte is taking a different approach, however, with the likely Sith lurking in the shadows, their crimson blade sweeping out and the Force blasted at Jedi in a devastating attack. This is clearly a deliberate strategy on Lucasfilm’s part, because this is an age when the Sith are wary of acting in the open. But it also raises the question of just who the true villains are – and whether it’s the Sith at all.

Darth Plagueis Could Be Behind It All

Is Palpatine’s own Master the real villain?

The first possibility is that the real villain is Darth Plagueis, destined to become Palpatine’s own Sith mentor. Plagueis is a Muun, a humanoid species who can live well over a hundred years. It’s quite conceivable that Plagueis is the Sith Lord of this time – and if that’s the case, the heroes of The Acolyte are going up against one of the most powerful Sith ever. Plagueis successfully learned how to conquer death itself, a secret he passed to his apprentice.

If the villain is Plagueis, that would explain why the trailer is so careful to conceal the Sith’s face and features

This would be a much younger Plagueis, of course; one who is raw and untested, potentially new to the ways of the dark side. If the villain is Plagueis, that would explain why the trailer is so careful to conceal the Sith’s face and features; because the fanbase would recognize a Muun at once and join the dots. His victory would be assured, because Plagueis’ fate is already known. He was betrayed by Palpatine himself, his powers circumvented by Darth Sidious.

Is Darth Plagueis’ Master, Darth Tenebrous, The Real Villain?

Darth Tenebrous is already canon

Alternatively, the Sith taking on a group of Jedi in The Acolyte trailer seemed to possess a little too much power for a mere apprentice. That raises the possibility the real villain is Darth Plagueis’ Sith Master, Darth Tenebrous. Created in Star Wars Legends, Darth Tenebrous was a Bith who secretly worked as a high-ranking spaceship engineer. Again, that visually distinctive species would be immediately recognized by viewers, which would explain why the trailer avoids showing him.

Star Wars has already set up Darth Tenebrous in canon, albeit in some little-known sources. Build the Millennium Falcon #44 referenced the villain, even nodding to the idea he designed Darth Maul’s Sith Infiltrator from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The main problem with the idea of Darth Tenebrous being The Acolyte‘s villain, though, is that it’s hard to see what his agenda would be at this point in the Star Wars timeline – and how it fits into hunting and killing individual Jedi.

Are The Sith Conducting Apprentice Try-Outs

Is this all a grand competition?

 

There are only ever two Sith at a time – but the Sith tend to collect followers, or “Acolytes.” Darth Vader had his Inquisitors, and Palpatine had his Sith Eternal. It’s quite possible the Sith of the High Republic Era led dark side cults too, and this could be the explanation for the Jedi killings. The only problem, though, is that these murders would presumably have a motive – one that figures in the plans of the Sith.

The most likely explanation would be that a Sith Master is looking for an apprentice, likely because he has just slain his master. Would-be apprentices have traditionally proved themselves by killing a Jedi and stealing their kyber crystal, and it is possible the Sith Master – presumably Plagueis in this scenario – has called a competition for his acolytes to persuade him who is worthy. The irony, of course, would be that whoever wins is destined to lose; Palpatine would be Plagueis’ successor, and he is not old enough to figure in this story.

A Sith Pretender Could Be Killing Jedi

Have ancient Sith secrets been recovered?

 

The above theories assume the villains of The Acolyte are the real Baneite Sith, the lineage that begins when Darth Bane established the Sith Rule of Two and ends with Palpatine himself. But there’s another possibility; that this is a Sith pretender, a cultist who had perhaps discovered an ancient Sith Holocron and has begun absorbing their teachings. In Star Wars Legends, there were many occasions when such a dark side acolyte brought the Sith back from the brink of extinction. The show’s title – The Acolyte – would be so fitting in this scenario.

This would even make sense of the Jedi killings. Many Sith acolytes struggle to control their worst impulses after their first exposure to the dark side; even Palpatine had trouble keeping Darth Maul on the leash until the Battle of Naboo. An acolyte without a master, one who has simply discovered a Sith Holocron, would easily lose themselves to rage and hatred. It’s easy to imagine them beginning a Jedi hunt.

Intriguingly, such a twist could even draw in the Baneite Sith. The Jedi killings would not be part of their plan, and they’d be concerned they would lead to the Jedi asking difficult questions about the extinction of the Sith 900 years ago, so they’d want to neutralize this renegade. They’d also want to obtain the Holocron, in case it contained any secrets they didn’t know about.

Could Mae Be An Acolyte Of A Coven Of Jedi Killer?

Why is Mae trying to kill a Jedi?

 

So far, all these theories have focused on the possibility the real villain is a Sith. But Lucasfilm could easily be pulling a bait-and-switch, because the acolyte in question could be part of a different cult. There’s evidence of this in The Acolyte‘s trailer, with Amandla Stenberg’s Mae seen attempting to assassinate Carrie-Anne Moss’ Jedi Master Indara. Mae is wearing the same purple robes as Jodie Turner-Smith’s Mother Aniseya, leader of a mysterious cult of witches. These could be the ones who are targeting Jedi.

There’s currently precious little information about the cult Mother Aniseya leads. They have been described as witches, but they have also confirmed to be the Nightsisters of Dathomir, an established part of Star Wars lore – and the group traditionally described as witches. Their purple robes are reminiscent of a group called the Yacombe, who have appeared in some recent comics set during the High Republic Era, but who haven’t really been fleshed out at all. Yacombe artefacts are known to have been steeped in the dark side, according to Cavan Scott’s Dooku: Jedi Lost.

Whether these witches are the Yacombe or not, though, it’s reasonable to assume their actions attract both Jedi and Sith. Mae uses two knives, not a red lightsaber, and in interviews last year Turner-Smith noted she didn’t use a lightsaber. Thus the Jedi killings must lead to the Sith stepping out of the shadows for some reason, perhaps fearing Jedi investigations into the nature of the dark side.

One Of The Jedi Masters… Is Secretly A Sith

The Sith “infiltration” would make sense

 

Perhaps the most troubling possibility, though, is that The Acolyte‘s trailer has already secretly revealed the show’s villain – because it is one of the Jedi Masters themselves. Early promotion for The Acolyte teased that the Disney+ TV show would explain how the Sith “infiltrated” the Jedi and the Republic, and that word-choice was very curious indeed. It perhaps suggests that somebody who seems to be fighting on the side of the light is really an agent of darkness.

But how would the Jedi killings factor into this? The most likely explanation here would be that someone has learned of a Sith within the Jedi, and is attempting to destroy the Sith by targeting Jedi they consider to be potential Sith. The idea of someone hunting Sith is an exciting one, unlike anything that’s really been seen in Star Wars before, and it would be a fascinating twist. It could even be Mae and her mysterious cult – explaining the attack on Master Indara, and why she winds up working with the Jedi on an investigation of some kind.

All these are only theories, of course. So far, nothing is confirmed, and the only thing that can be said for certain is that both Jedi and Sith factor into The Acolyte in some way. Lucasfilm want their next Disney+ TV show to feel like something of a mystery, meaning the truth is likely to only become clear towards the end of the series. That makes it all the more exciting.