Though High Republic era, Star Wars: The Acolyte had a lot going for it, including a new, unexplored period, a cast of intriguing characters, and a focus on the lore of the Sith, something that has been severely lacking in other recent Star Wars media. Unfortunately, The Acolyte failed to live up to its potential and proved too divisive for the Star Wars fandom. It never gained the momentum it needed to be picked up for another season.

Troublingly, much of the criticism lobbed at The Acolyte was grossly overblown. Like many of the actors in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, the cast was inundated with online hate – but among all the fandom in-fighting, there were genuine and understandable critiques that surfaced as well, focused mainly on pacing and the story’s structure. That doesn’t mean the narrative or the characters don’t have the potential to create something truly wonderful in the future, however – and thankfully, that’s still a possibility.

The Acolyte's Stars Are Returning In Official Tie-Ins

Though explore The Acolyte’s world through other mediums. At SDCC 2024, two full-length Acolyte novels were revealed: Wayseeker by High Republic author Justina Ireland, and The Crystal Crown by fellow High Republic collaborator Tessa Gratton.

Wayseeker will be released on May 6, 2025. The Crystal Crown will be published on July 29, 2025. Both are available for pre-order now.

Wayseeker will “seek” to explore Vernestra Rwoh’s life between the events of Star Wars: The High Republic Phase III and The Acolyte (there is a 100-year gap between the two). For those who’ve read the High Republic novels, it is clear Vernestra changed a lot after the war with the Nihil, and we can’t wait to find out why. Gratton’s novel will focus on Yord and Jecki Lon’s characters in the years leading up to The Acolyte. They had an interesting dynamic in the show, so hopefully, we’ll find out how that developed.

The Darth Plagueis Cliffhanger Needs To Be Explored

Given Star Wars is still committed to exploring The Acolyte’s world further in publishing – in September 2024, The Acolyte’s Wookiee Jedi, Kelnacca, received a solo comic one-shot – there’s a lot that Star Wars publishing can do to broaden The Acolyte’s storytelling. The Darth Plagueis cliffhanger certainly needs to be explored. Audiences deserve to know how Plagueis, Darth Sidious’ former Master, plays into Qimir’s and Osha’s unusual dynamic, and how that eventually leads to Palpatine’s apprenticeship.

The beauty of Star Wars as a franchise, even more so than other pop culture behemoths like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is that the characters can live on in supplementary mediums.

This could happen in comic book form, similar to what happened after Solo: A Star Wars Story failed at the box office. Solo’s narrative, especially Qi’ra’s time with the crime syndicate Crimson Dawn, has been thoroughly explored in comics and novels. Star Wars could do something similar with The Acolyte, giving Qimir a comic series akin to Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren by Charles Soule and Will Sliney, or publishing a novel focused on Darth Plagueis’ life as it pertains to canon. Currently, almost everything we know about Plagueis has been relegated to the non-canon Star Wars Legends continuity.

There's plenty left to say. The beauty of Star Wars as a franchise, even more so than other pop culture behemoths like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is that the characters can live on in supplementary mediums, even after a show is canceled, or a sequel is squashed. Star Wars: The Acolyte may not have performed the way Disney wanted it to, but at least fans of the show can look forward to more stories featuring these new characters beyond the confines of live-action TV.