Summary
- Star Wars needs to explain why the Jedi thought the Sith were extinct for 1,000 years before The Phantom Menace.
- A High Republic novel might have proven that Jedi’s ignorance of the dark side led to them not detecting the Sith.
- The Acolyte critiques the Jedi for only serving the light side of the Force, and for failing to study the dark side.
The Sith Lord of The Acolyte presented themselves a century before the prequel trilogy, but I think I’ve found out why the Jedi couldn’t see their biggest enemies hiding in plain sight. The Acolyte takes place during the High Republic era, about 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. As such, much of the galaxy is different from the Star Wars movies, from the Jedi’s robes to the enemies they fought. One enemy seemingly hasn’t changed though, as even the Jedi of the High Republic may have had to contend with Sith Lords.
The identity of the Sith Lord of The Acolyte has been one of the show’s biggest mysteries, and a talking point among viewers. Fueling those discussions is the fact that the Jedi believed the Sith were extinct during The Acolyte, and the reveal of the Sith Lord in The Acolyte episode 4 could contradict that belief. There’s a very good chance the show will have to explain why the Sith weren’t discovered before The Phantom Menace, and I believe I found the perfect explanation for the Jedi’s inability to discover the Sith.
Related
Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode Guide – Cast Members, Biggest Takeaways & Easter Eggs
Here’s everything you need to follow along with Star Wars: The Acolyte, from references and trivia to main takeaways from each new episode.
Star Wars Needs To Explain Why The Jedi Thought The Sith Were Extinct
Even If The Acolyte’s Villain Isn’t A Sith, Star Wars Needs To Explain Their Secrecy
As of The Acolyte episode 4, the Sith Lord appearing doesn’t necessarily mean the Jedi should know the Sith had returned. Other characters, like the Jedi Masters, suggested alternative groups like a “splinter Order”. It could be revealed that the Jedi were right, and that the mysterious helmeted figure isn’t a Sith at all. However, it seems more likely that The Acolyte will reveal that the villain really was a Sith and that the Jedi simply held onto their incorrect belief. Even with that reasoning, The Acolyte would still need to explain why the Jedi would just ignore any possibility of the Sith’s return.
Related
Now THAT Is How You Introduce A Sith
The Acolyte’s Sith Lord made his real debut in The Acolyte episode 4, a moment that viewers will never be able to forget – truly worthy of a Sith.
If the villain of The Acolyte wasn’t a Sith, Star Wars would still need to fully explain how the Sith stayed hidden for 1,000 years. The franchise has offered some general reasons for the Jedi not realizing the Sith had returned, such as their pride and arrogance, but I haven’t found a fully satisfying answer to that question yet. It’s a far too confusing part of the franchise to have only a loose explanation for. I think Star Wars needs to give a definitive answer to how the Sith remained hidden, and I think the franchise might have already begun to introduce it.
Cohmac Vitus Already Gave The Reason The Jedi Didn’t Think Of The Sith As A Threat
The Jedi Ignored The Dark Side & Never Learned About Their Enemies
Cohmac Vitus, a Jedi Master who was active 100 years before The Acolyte, had begun to explain why the Sith went unnoticed. In Claudia Gray’s “Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark,” Cohmac had to find the source of a mysterious dark side power. In his meditation on how to unravel the mystery, he nearly figured out how the Sith stayed hidden.
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Sometimes I think we, the Jedi, must be somehow to blame. We who refuse to look at the Force in full, to examine the darkness as well as the light.’ If the dark side was not so alien to them, Cohmac suspected, they would more readily understand the nature of the idols. ‘How can we split the Force in two? How can we justify such an act of violence – and it is violence, such a dividing, even the darkness from the light.’
”
Cohmac’s meditation very nearly explained how the Jedi couldn’t see the Sith as a threat, but he stopped just short of realizing how applicable his revelation was. Cohmac’s thoughts about the Jedi’s attitudes surrounding the dark side were exactly correct. The Order was arrogant and thought themselves too wise to not notice the Sith had returned, but they also never had the wisdom to realize that in the first place.
As Cohmac’s thoughts prove, instead of learning about the dark side and the beings who used it, the Jedi buried their heads in the sand.
The reason the Jedi couldn’t detect the dark side was because they shunned it entirely. As Cohmac’s thoughts proved, instead of learning about the dark side and the beings who used it, the Jedi buried their heads in the sand. I believe that the reason the Jedi didn’t see the Sith as a threat is because they couldn’t, they simply didn’t have the knowledge to properly identify a Sith Lord. None of the Jedi ever learned about the Sith, which made them woefully unprepared to face them. Their fear of the dark side gave it room to grow, and thus the power to destroy them.
This is even supported by other Star Wars stories: Qui-Gon Jinn, the first Jedi to recognize the Sith had returned, was also one of the few Jedi who dedicated any time to learning of their ancient enemies. Additionally, in Matthew Stover’s novelization of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, it was revealed that the Jedi were still preparing to fight the Sith of 1,000 years before, rather than the more powerful modern Sith. That fact caused Yoda to flee his fight with Palpatine, as he realized the error of the Jedi’s teachings far too late.
Purchase Claudia Gray’s “Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark” on Amazon.
The Acolyte’s Biggest Critique Of The Jedi Is That They Don’t Serve The Entire Force
Ignoring An Entire Half Of The Force Is A Recipe For Disaster
The Acolyte has, from the start, been setting itself up to critique the Jedi Order. Characters like Mother Aniseya openly questioned the goodness of the Order, and posed questions about whether they should be allowed to have such a monopoly on the use of the Force. Cohmac’s words get to the heart of the show. The Acolyte‘s biggest critique of the Jedi Order is that it doesn’t serve the Force in its entirety, and focuses only on the light side. Instead of learning about and trying to understand the dark side, the Jedi wiped out its users, from the Sith to (possibly) the Witches of Brendok.
As I see it, The Acolyte isn’t trying to say that the Jedi should have served the dark side, but rather that they shouldn’t have ignored it entirely. If the Order could have found a way to study the dark side without falling to it, they would have had the knowledge and tools necessary to realize that the Sith were still a major threat. They couldn’t open their minds to the potential benefits of understanding the dark side, though, and that closed-mindedness would eventually spell their doom. If that’s where it’s headed, I’m very excited that The Acolyte could finally explain how the Sith remained hidden.
New episodes of The Acolyte premiere on Tuesday nights on Disney+.
The Acolyte
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes – all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
- Cast
- Dafne Keen , Lee Jung-jae , Amandla Stenberg , Jodie Turner-Smith , Joonas Suotamo , Carrie-Anne Moss , Margarita Levieva , Charlie Barnett , Dean-Charles Chapman
- Showrunner
- Leslye Headland