Who Is The Acolyte’s Villain, & How Do They Fit Into The Show’s Story?

Summary

• The Acolyte trailer reveals a new Sith Lord, sparking theories of their identity.
• The masked Sith may likely be Darth Tenebrous—Plagueis’ Master—reintroduced back into Canon in 2015.
• The Sith’s respirator mask hints at similarities to Tenebrous.

The recent trailer for The Acolyte finally gave a good look at Star Wars’ new Sith Lord, but also failed to uncover who this menacing villain actually is. Even Master Sol, played by Lee Jung-jae, asks “what are you?” Thus far, no name has been given for The Acolyte’s main villain. The character appears to be humanoid, but their face is covered by a dark mask with a sickening, teeth-like grin. And while using a red lightsaber does not always denote a Sith, it seems fair to assume this is one of the famous Sith Lords of old.

There are already a host of theories as to who this Sith Lord could be, but it’s also intriguing to note the implications of their big reveal. If Master Sol and the other Jedi battle the Sith like the trailer suggests, then it seems like this nameless Sith is giving away their biggest secret. The Jedi Council clearly believes the Sith have been extinct for over a millennium in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, so either they just forgot about this one, or The Acolyte’s Jedi never got the chance to alert the Order.

The Acolyte Is Set A Century Before The Phantom Menace

The Acolyte is a series set during the end of the High Republic, which—up till now—has been explored almost exclusively in Star Wars’ books and comics. More specifically, it takes place a century before The Phantom Menace, placing the show around 132 BBY. This is a time when the Jedi Order is still in its golden age, though their powers may just be beginning to wane. In any case, The Acolyte’s placement in the timeline immediately rules out some of the more obvious Sith for its masked villain, such as Palpatine.

Palpatine cannot exist during The Acolyte, as he was born in 84 BBY on Naboo, decades after the show takes place. Instead, the masked Sith must be one of Palpatine’s Sith Lord predecessors. Judging by the timeline, it’s likely the Sith is either Darth Plagueis the Wise—who Palpatine mentions in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith—or Darth Tenebrous, who is Plagueis’ Master. In both Legends and Canon, both characters exist during the High Republic and were actively plotting to bring down the Jedi. Of course, their plans would eventually come to fruition through Palpatine.

Star Wars Set Up Darth Tenebrous Back In 2015

There’s a strong chance the masked Sith in The Acolyte trailer is Darth Tenebrous. When Disney reorganized Star Wars’ Canon back in 2014, Darth Tenebrous and all the lore surrounding him went out the window. However, Build the Millennium Falcon #44reintroduced Darth Tenebrous back into Canon in 2015 by mentioning him as Plagueis’ Sith Master. Little else about the character survived the purge of Legends. However, there’s a strong chance The Acolyte will follow and draw from plenty of Legends material.

It’s worth nothing that Leslye Headland—The Acolyte’s showrunner—is a massive Legends fan, and enjoys James Luceno’s Darth Plagueis novel. Similar to how Dave Filoni reintroduced and reimagined Thrawn in Star Wars Rebels and Ahsoka, Headland could very well be using The Acolyte to bring back some well-known Legends characters. And considering how Darth Tenebrous’ link to Canon hangs by a thread, there is still a small chance the masked Sith could be a young Plagueis.

The Sith Lord Doesn’t Really Look Like Darth Plagueis

While the mask adds a level of mystery to the Sith’s identity, one of the biggest hints as to who they could be comes from their stature and build. In both Canon and Legends, Plagueis is a Muun. Muuns first appeared in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. They are tall, thin, gangly humanoids with oblong heads, and are well-known for running the InterGalactic Banking Clan. And while few Canon pictures of Plagueis exist, one photo in Secrets of the Sith confirms he is a tall, hooded figure.

In short, the masked Sith in The Acolyte seems far too short to be a Muun. Furthermore, it would be near impossible for a long Muun head to fit in the mask of the unnamed Sith. Plagueis’ species is a solid Canon fact, so unless The Acolyte plans to retcon most of his character’s lore, the masked Sith cannot be Darth Plagueis. This leaves Tenebrous as the most likely character behind the mask, and there’s one massive similarity between the two that supports this theory.

The Unnamed Sith’s Mask Has One Massive Similarity To Darth Tenebrous

While the unnamed Sith’s mask may look like it has teeth on it, closer inspection reveals it’s actually some sort of respirator. In Legends, Tenebrous was a Bith, who have large, bulbous heads. At first, it may seem like Tenebrous’ head would not fit in the unnamed Sith’s helmet either. But in Legends, Tenebrous had a cybernetic respirator he wore over his mouth, similar to the respirator on the unnamed Sith. It’s possible The Acolyte has changed Tenebrous’ species from a Bith, but it seems all but confirmed that Tenebrous could be the Sith Lord in the trailer.

The Bith species first appeared in
A New Hope
as the iconic band at the Mos Eisley Cantina.

There are several reasons why The Acolyte may have changed Tenebrous’ species from a Bith to something more humanoid. Many people associate the Bith with Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes, the band that plays in the Mos Eisley Cantina. And while Bith have appeared in other roles throughout Star Wars, they have yet to escape their association with the Cantina Band song. Therefore, Headland may have changed Tenebrous’ species to something less humorous.

What Is Darth Tenebrous’ Role In The Acolyte?

If the unnamed Sith in The Acolyte trailer is actually Darth Tenebrous, then the only question remaining is what his role in the show is. While the Sith never stopped plotting to overthrow the Jedi, they’re also meant to lie low and avoid detection until Darth Maul’s reveal in The Phantom Menace. Tenebrous’ prematurely revealing himself to a host of Jedi Padawans, Knights, and Masters seems completely counterintuitive to his greater goal of keeping the Sith off the radar and anonymous.

In Legends, Tenebrous was a ship designer. Since The Acolyte has already confirmed to reintroduce Neimoidians, it’s possible he was the first one to set up a relationship between the Trade Federation and the Sith. In any case, The Acolyte trailer suggests the majority of these Jedi will be massacred by Darth Tenebrous to preserve the secret of the Sith. Tenebrous may have gotten cornered, forcing him to exterminate the Jedi, or he may have some sort of plan behind blowing his cover. In either case, Tenebrous in The Acolyte will likely pave the road for Palpatine to destroy the Jedi.