The Acolyte’s Amandla Stenberg explains how she knew Darth Plagueis would be in the series. The Sith Master, who was first mentioned by Sheev Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith, makes his onscreen debut in The Acolyte, peering out of a cave as the Stranger (Manny Jacinto) and Osha (Stenberg) leave the mysterious planet. Between Palpatine’s iconic monologue in Revenge of the Sith and the Star Wars Legends novel Darth Plagueis by James Luceno, Plagueis is an integral part of the Sith lineage and their gradual reemergence, making him a natural fit for the story of The Acolyte.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Stenberg shared that even though no one told her about Plagueis appearing in The Acolyte, not even showrunner Leslye Headland, she was able to figure out that the Sith Lord would appear. Stenberg’s extensive knowledge of Star Wars lore enabled her to figure out Plagueis would be in the series even before it entered production. Despite figuring this out far in advance, Stenberg still did not see the character until the finale was released on Disney+. Read Stenberg’s explanation below:
I knew that Darth Plagueis was going to be in the show before we started filming. And that’s just because I got really weird about the lore. I pieced it together. So I said, “Okay, Leslye, you have these twins that were created through some kind of Force magic. We know that. And Anakin is sort of a immaculately conceived through some sort of Force magic that is alluded to through the story of Darth Plagueis by Palpatine.” I was like, Darth Plagueis got to be a factor up in here somehow. And I came to her in pre-production and I said, “When is Plagueis coming in?” And she said, “Who told you that?”
And I said, “I just know in my gut that this must be where our lore is headed.” And also, it’s one of the most interesting parts of the Star Wars lore. It’s one of the most interesting parts of the canon that I think so many people have been curious about for so long, and given that it was set in the High Republic era, I just thought that this must be factored into our story somehow.
But Leslye didn’t actually fully admit to me that it was Plagueis in the moment. She kind of said nothing and winked at me. And it was sort of a secret from me as well, and from everyone, because she was trying to keep that information under wraps as much as possible. So it wasn’t until I was watching on Tuesday with everyone else that I saw him for the first time.
Amandla Stenberg Certainly Knows Her Star Wars Lore
She Was A Star Wars Fan Long Before The Acolyte
Stenberg’s enthusiasm for Star Wars prior to The Acolyte has been clear since her role was first announced with a picture of her wearing a Darth Maul T-shirt while standing next to an R2-D2 when she was younger. She also walked onto the stage at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in a complete Padmé Amidala cosplay. This makes it unsurprising that she connected the dots between the mysterious creation of Osha and Mae and the story taking place at the end of the High Republic era to determine that Plagueis had to appear in the series.
She knew that Plagueis had to appear not only because of the series’ focus on the Sith, but because of Plagueis’ interest in using the Force to create life and escape death. What Palpatine says in Revenge of the Sith about Plagueis using midi-chlorians to create life may be rooted in what he learned about Mother Aniseya and Mother Koril creating Osha and Mae through the Force. Plagueis can further connect the creation of Osha and Mae to the later birth of Anakin Skywalker.
Just as information from the Darth Plagueis novel helped Stenberg predict his appearance in The Acolyte, it may hint at other developments to come in the series. Even though the novel is not part of the Star Wars canon, much of it can still work in the current canon, with certain elements possibly being incorporated into a potential season 2 of The Acolyte. Stenberg’s thorough knowledge of and passion for Star Wars makes her involvement in The Acolyte season 1 all the more satisfying, as would her continued involvement in portraying the next steps in the stories of Osha and Mae.