Leslye Headland does not seem to care about the effects of the big cameo in The Acolyte finale.

The Acolyte‘s Season 1 finally concluded after a much controversial run in several aspects. The Leslye Headland Star Wars series raised numerous headlines after receiving merciless reactions from the fans. While many fans accused the show of being “woke” some were seriously offended for showing a major character from the George Lucas films in its finale.

A still from The Acolyte Season 1 finale | Lucasfilm
The Acolyte presents a new and darker take on the lore of Star Wars and is set at least 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. One of the primary highlights of The Acolyte was its uniqueness from the other projects in the space-opera franchise. But many fans were unhappy as the season finale brought one of the greatest Jedis from the Original Trilogy. Interestingly, Leslye Hadland revealed that it was her plan all along.

Why did Leslye Headland bring back Star Wars‘ iconic Jedi in The Acolyte?

The Acolyte finale featuring a cameo by young Yoda | Lucasfilm

The Acolyte‘s Season 1 Episode 8’s final scene stunned the fans as they spotted Jedi Master Yoda from the back. Set approximately a century before the Prequels, it was expected that we would not have any other prominent cameo in the series. But Leslye Headland remembered that one of the oldest Jedis from the George Lucas universe can easily feature in the series.

In the finale of The Acolyte, we witness Osha falling into the Dark Side and Rebecca Henderson’s Vernestra Rwoh lying to the Senate to protect the future of the Jedi. Rwoh lied that Jedi Master Sol had killed the other Jedis and committed suicide. Following that, Vernestra Rwoh is shown to spill everything to one of her superiors- “Sorry to disturb you, Master. We need to talk.” The scene concluded as the screen slowly gave us a glimpse of the iconic green Jedi Master.

Now the cameo has sparked an intense controversy among fans who claim that it directly affects the events of The Phantom Menace. Presumably, Rwoh had explained everything to Yoda. However, in Episode I, Yoda along with the other Jedi council members were shown to be highly astonished as they believed that the Sith were extinct.
Yoda in a still from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | Lucasfilm
Fans cannot figure out how The Acolyte could create this major confusion. Did Yoda fake his reaction in Episode I? Did he cover everything up despite being warned about the rise of the Dark Side? Speaking with Inverse, showrunner Leslye Headland cited an example from The Clone Wars and asserted that it is not the first time the character “has hidden something from the Senate”. 

Leslye Headland did not address anything on the criticism and added that there was a prolonged conversation before the decision was made. Nonetheless, it was her show so she felt right to explore the possibility.

In The Clone Wars Season 6 it’s revealed that he covered up the creation of the clone army and asked everybody to not say who was behind it. So it just felt to me that there was something fun to explore there if we were allowed to talk about, and to do more seasons. There was a large conversation about including him. But I just thought… I mean, it’s my show.

Although not many fans are happy with the decision, several theories are also raised on the internet. It is expected that The Acolyte‘s potential Season 2 may play an active role in showing the activities of Yoda after knowing about the great conspiracy.

Lucasfilm predicted the repercussions of showing Yoda in The Acolyte 

A still from The Acolyte | Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm knew very well that the appearance of Yoda in The Acolyte would raise a massive chatter online. The director of Episode 8, Hanelle Culpepper, said in a separate interview with Inverse that the studio was initially reluctant to take such a controversial decision. According to her, the showrunner deserves more credit for how she “fought” to show Yoda in the finale.

She really had to fight for it, actually, but it was all a part of her plan. I give her so much credit for getting it… [Lucasfilm] is just very, very protective of the brand and what happens to the characters. There’s other storylines being developed by Lucasfilm as well, so it all has to fit together. It has to make sense.

While we cannot deny that Yoda’s appearance has raised a massive buzz, it has also welcomed loads of confusion for the already controversial series. It has also given a massive responsibility to the makers to connect a lot of dots to justify the journey of Yoda from The Acolyte to his death in Return of the Jedi.

Although the appearance of Yoda and the introduction of Darth Plagueis suggest that the show was made keeping in mind further seasons, the highly polarizing reception received by Season 1 presents some doubts for fans.

The Acolyte and everything Star Wars can be streamed on Disney+.