With Star Wars placing a focus on the Jedi Order's final days and how it was subsequently saved, The Acolyte provides the opportunity to depict the lead-up to their demise in the somewhat distant past. While the story of the Clone Wars has been widely explored, the Sith's manipulation of the Jedi Order started much earlier. Beloved characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi or Anakin Skywalker were present for the ultimate downfall, but they didn’t witness the beginning of the end like Jedi Master Yoda.
Jedi Master Yoda had taught Jedi for hundreds of years and was most definitely around and therefore witnessed the beginning of the end of the Jedi Order. While Yoda was not the reason for the fall of the Jedi, the flaws in his teaching did not help, and he was a witness to the Sith's infiltration on multiple levels. The Sith took advantage of political naivete among the Jedi, as the order became ever more closely tied to the office of the Chancellor. Some of these issues were explored in Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, particularly in the episodes that followed Count Dooku, a Jedi Master turned Sith. But there is clearly a lot more to be told.
The Acolyte Will Really Begin The Jedi Order's Downfall
One of the new Star Wars Disney+ shows set to premiere in the next two years, The Acolyte will further fill in some of the gaps regarding how the Jedi Order operated before it was brought to its knees by Darth Sidious. The show is set to take place roughly 100 years before the events of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, marking the first time a period known as the High Republic Era will be seen in live-action. While The Acolyte may be issuing the end of that era, it will still show much of what the High Republic books have been describing.
The Acolyte is set to show how the Jedi order fell into the state it is first seen in The Phantom Menace. As further explored in Tales of the Jedi, there was unease within the ranks of the Jedi order. Additionally, despite losing the ability to clearly foresee the future through the Force, the Jedi Order chose to hide vital details instead of looking weak in the eyes of the Republic. In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker its, “if you strip away the myth and look at their deeds, the legacy of the Jedi is failure. Hypocrisy, hubris.” Instead of serving the needs of the people in the galaxy, the Jedi served a corrupt Republic. Palpatine's Purge of the Jedi was the ultimate result.
Theory: Yoda Returns In The Acolyte (To Explain His Prequel Failures)
Master Yoda would have of the few Jedi alive when The Acolyte takes place. This presents a unique opportunity to show Master Yoda at a younger age. Yoda was the oldest member of the Jedi counsel and he was also seen as the wisest, so it may be interesting to see him not in this high power, and maybe see his rise to the leader of the Jedi counsel.
The prequel trilogy where the Jedi fell short and where they failed themselves and the Republic. This is further explored in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but the animated series always seemed to focus on Palpatine's successes and accomplishments and the Jedi’s blindness towards the encroaching dark side. Showing Yoda at a younger age may clue fans into how he became so blind to the rise of the Sith. The Acolyte has the unique opportunity to showcase the beginning of the end of the Jedi and how the order was corrupted by the Republic and their own hubris long before the Sith infiltration.
Yoda's Return Could Make His Star Wars Character Better
While Master Yoda is beloved for his great one-liners, wisdom, and the way he speaks, there’s a lot yet to be learned about him. Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the prequels explored Yoda's role in Anakin Skywalker's descent to the dark side, but few of these stories focused on him. Having a show that removes Yoda from the characters he's already associated with - the likes of Anakin, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, and Mace Windu - could better flesh out his character. This could also help explain his flawed decisions when he served as a member of the Jedi Council in the prequel era.
It will certainly be interesting to see what direction Star Wars goes when it comes to exploring this time period in The Acolyte. It’s entirely new terrain for any show, animated or live-action. Not only will this Disney+ TV show be introducing entirely new characters, but it will also mean there are only a handful of familiar faces - the likes of Oppo Rancisis and Master Yoda. Hopefully, The Acolyte will explore his character in greater depth.