This show is described as a female-led mystery/thriller series that highlights powerful Dark Side users towards the end of The High Republic, an era that is currently being explored to great affect in Star Wars publishing. Given this, and the fact that the prequels made it known that the Sith were indeed lurking in the shadows at this time and waiting to pounce on an increasingly overconfident Jedi order, it seems likely that the Sith will appear. At the very least, some form of Force-sensitive Dark Side allies, like the Inquisitors, will be present. With this in mind, it’s a unique opportunity to explore something fans haven’t seen in Star Wars and to truly tread new ground in this 40+ year old franchise: sympathetic Sith, or characters who align with the Dark Side, but with whom the audience still connects to and feels for.
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As stated, throughout the history of Star Wars, sympathetic Sith Lords are a rare commodity. When looking at Palpatine, the most famous and evil of the Sith and the one that managed to take down the Jedi with his master plan, audiences see a character that is truly evil. There is no attempt by any filmmaker, whether it be George Lucas or JJ Abrams, to have audiences feel for the Emperor in any way. Rather, that sympathy is saved for Darth Vader, and even then only in his final moments in Return of the Jedi. The Rise of Skywalker played with this contrast with the original trilogy, making Rey related to Palpatine but, unlike Luke, knew that there was no way to save her family member in a way that Vader was returned to the light by his son. Palpatine was a villain until the very end (both endings, given that he’s now been destroyed twice in two trilogies). The same can be said for the rest of the Sith depicted in live action.
Count Dooku, Darth Maul, and Darth Vader prior to the third act of Return of the Jedi are all other prime examples of Sith Lords that the audience is not meant to sympathize with. Dooku comes off as a cold, arrogant individual intent on causing war and destruction in the galaxy, and Maul was largely a silent villain who killed Qui-Gon Jinn, a beloved fan favorite despite his limited appearances. Even Vader, despite his turn at the end of Episode VI, appears emotionless, heartless, and power-hungry in the original trilogy.
This is exactly where The Acolyte can come in. Sith Lords are so often around, but are not the main focus in Star Wars stories. Instead, Luke or Anakin or Rey take the spotlight in the narrative, and square off against these dark side users. However, with The Acolyte already confirmed to be focusing on Dark Siders of some kind, it presents a real opportunity to do something truly original and unique. Some fans are critical of this aspect of Star Wars at the moment, especially after The Book of Boba Fett. This latest Disney + show featured the return of many preexisting, characters but ultimately didn’t seem to have much in the way of uniqueness or freshness that some desired. The Acolyte is already going to have some of that, simply due to its premise and the time at which it’s set, but it could have even more by portraying Sith who fans feel for.
This idea presents an opportunity to go even further with a concept that the sequel trilogy touched upon with Kylo Ren. Adam Driver’s character was evil, but the filmmakers, especially Rian Johnson, made audiences understand his motivations and reasoning for his turn to the dark side. In this way, he became a sympathetic villain, more so than Vader, a character that he’s often compared to. The Acolyte can take this one step further by once again showing a sympathetic villain or even anti-hero. By having them be the main characters of the story, the creators of the show can give them the proper time to shine.
Whatever happens in this upcoming Star Wars series, it’s bound to be unique, especially as it shows the High Republic era for the first time in live action. It’s a chance to explore themes never seen before in the franchise, and sympathetic Sith are only one such theme.
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