Star Wars has a great opportunity to adapt an iconic Legends story with The Acolyte season 2. As seen in The Acolyte’s finale, Darth Plagueis made his first on-screen debut. Although the Sith Lord’s appearance was brief, it does tease that elements of his legacy that are currently considered non-canonical could become part of the official Star Wars canon once more.
The dark Sith master who trained Darth Sidious, Darth Plagueis was first referenced in Revenge of the Sith. Known as “Darth Plagueis the Wise”, Palpatine shares with Anakin Skywalker how Plagueis had great powers in the dark side including the ability to create life via the Force and to prevent the ones he loved from dying. However, Plagueis was ultimately killed in his sleep by Palpatine himself. However, there’s so much more about Plagueis’ history that was later revealed in Legends, and The Acolyte season 2 could finally be how Star Wars makes it canon again.
This One Star Wars Book Has Always “Felt” Like Canon
Some Elements Are Still Canonical (But Not All)
Released in January of 2012, James Luceno’s novel Darth Plagueis was one of the last Star Wars books to have been published before Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm and the subsequent continuity purge of the Star Wars canon and the Expanded Universe, rendering anything that wasn’t a movie or show under the non-canon banner now known as Legends. While this included the Darth Plague novel, many still consider the book part of the canon, especially with reports that George Lucas himself consulted on the story with Luceno.
Likewise, Luceno went on to reference and integrate elements from Plagueis into his future novel Tarkin, which did become part of the new Star Wars canon. This includes elements that Palpatine still owned 11-4D during the reign of the Galactic Empire, the droid that was once his master’s and made its debut in the Plagueis novel. So many of the core elements such as Plagueis’ “Grand Design” and his activities both before and during the beginning of the Skywalker saga have officially remained non-canon. However, that could soon change following the Sith Lord’s new appearance in The Acolyte.
The Acolyte Season 2 Is The Perfect Chance To Make It So
Bringing Plagueis’ Legacy Back To The Official Canon
While there would likely need to be some tweaks and adjustments made, the Darth Plagueis novel could easily be used as core inspiration when and if the Sith Lord’s history is adapted for The Acolyte season 2. Likewise, Plagueis being revealed as an alien Muun in the first season’s finale is a good sign, one that proves Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland’s respect and love of Legends, seeing as how the Sith’s species was first established in Luceno’s book. Hopefully, more elements of Plagueis’ past and how he continued the Sith Imperative ahead of The Phantom Menace will be revealed in the near future.
All episodes of The Acolyte are now streaming on Disney+