A Sith-centric Star Wars show is making a surprising comeback on streaming, nearly two years after its premiere. With Dave Filoni’s animated thriller Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord hitting Disney+’s Top 10 TV chart in the United States and globally week after week, the franchise has solid momentum as it gears up for its cinematic return with The Mandalorian and Grogu next month. Those aren’t the only two Star Wars titles currently making waves, however.
Joining Maul – Shadow Lord on Disney+’s US Top 10 TV chart is one of the franchise’s most divisive streaming releases thus far. As of April 22, The Acolyte has hit the no. 9 spot on the list, just above Zootopia+ and below Locker Diaries: Zombies. The thematic connection between Maul – Shadow Lord and The Acolyte is obvious, as both shows center on Sith and Sith-adjacent characters. Much like Maul, Manny Jacinto’s character in The Acolyte is a powerful dark-side Force-wielder seeking both an apprentice and a way to break free from his former Masters.
Though the show’s renewed interest may be a coincidence, the similarities to Shadow Lord‘s story could be inviting audiences to learn more about the Sith and the dark side. Though The Acolyte doesn’t provide direct answers, it does explore what it means to be a Sith, the Rule of Two, and the Jedi’s fatal flaws. As the show is set near the end of the High Republic era, roughly 100 years before the events of the prequel trilogy, The Acolyte is also one of Disney+’s most narratively accessible Star Wars offerings — though that didn’t help save it when it mattered.
Osha holding a red lightsaber up to Qimir/the Stranger in The Acolyte
Despite the similarities between Shadow Lord and The Acolyte, the High Republic-era show’s renewed streaming success is an undeniable surprise. When it was originally released on Disney+ in the summer of 2024, The Acolyte quickly became one of the franchise’s most divisive shows. While the hateful backlash the cast and creatives endured was horrific, the series had several character and storytelling issues that it never recovered from.
For a season consisting of just eight episodes, Leslye Headland’s show had too many big (though genuinely compelling) ideas and not enough time to develop them. Between the initial murder investigation, Osha and Mae’s (Amandla Stenberg) Force-assisted creation, the Stranger’s (Jacinto) connection to the Jedi, the religious conflict between the Jedi and the witches of Brendok, Osha and the Stranger’s unique relationship, and the show’s ensemble of Jedi, everything needed more time to make a genuine impact.
A Long Time Ago · In a Galaxy Far, Far Away The Sith Trivia Challenge
⚔Dark LordsUnlimited power
⚡PowerForce lightning
📘LoreHolocrons
🗡BetrayalAlways two
🌈LegacyThe dark side
01
The Sith operate under a strict doctrine that limits their number to prevent infighting and self-destruction. This ancient code dictates that there can only be a master and an apprentice — no more, no less. What is this fundamental Sith principle called?
✓ Correct! The Rule of Two states “Always two there are — no more, no less. A master and an apprentice.” As Yoda himself observed, this principle ensured the Sith could operate in secret for a millennium while plotting the downfall of the Jedi Order.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is the Rule of Two. While the Sith Code exists separately as their philosophical creed, the Rule of Two is the specific doctrine limiting Sith to a master-apprentice pair. It allowed them to hide in the shadows for a thousand years.
02
The most powerful Sith Lord in the saga hid in plain sight as a seemingly benevolent politician, secretly manipulating the Clone Wars from both sides. He orchestrated the fall of the Republic and the destruction of the Jedi Order. Who is this ultimate Sith Master?
✓ Correct! Darth Sidious, publicly known as Senator and later Emperor Palpatine, is the mastermind behind everything. He engineered the Clone Wars, executed Order 66, turned Anakin Skywalker to the dark side, and ruled the galaxy as Emperor for over two decades. Ian McDiarmid’s portrayal is iconic.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Darth Sidious, also known as Emperor Palpatine. Darth Vader was his apprentice, Darth Tyranus (Count Dooku) was a pawn, and Darth Plagueis was his former master. Sidious was the puppet master who destroyed the Republic from within.
03
Once the most promising Jedi Knight in the Order, this Chosen One was seduced to the dark side by Palpatine’s promise of saving his wife from death. After his devastating duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, he was rebuilt in a black life-support suit. Which Sith Lord is this?
✓ Correct! Darth Vader, born Anakin Skywalker, is the tragic heart of the Star Wars saga. His fall from heroic Jedi to Sith enforcer — and his ultimate redemption when he saves his son Luke by destroying the Emperor — is one of cinema’s greatest character arcs.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Darth Vader. Darth Maul was Sidious’s first apprentice, Darth Revan is from the Old Republic era, and Darth Bane created the Rule of Two. Only Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader after his fall on Mustafar.
04
This fearsome, red-and-black-tattooed Zabrak wielded a double-bladed lightsaber and killed Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace. Though cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi, he survived through sheer hatred and returned with mechanical legs. Who is this relentless Sith assassin?
✓ Correct! Darth Maul was Palpatine’s first known apprentice, a weapon of pure rage trained from childhood. His survival after being bisected — fueled entirely by hatred for Obi-Wan — led to his expanded story in The Clone Wars and Rebels, where he became one of Star Wars’ most compelling villains.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Darth Maul. Savage Opress was Maul’s brother, Asajj Ventress was Dooku’s dark side assassin, and the Grand Inquisitor served the Empire. Only Maul wielded the iconic double-bladed saber and killed Qui-Gon Jinn in that legendary duel.
05
This elegant former Jedi Master left the Order and became Sidious’s second apprentice, taking the Sith name Darth Tyranus. A master of Form II lightsaber combat with a curved-hilt saber, he led the Separatist movement. Played by Christopher Lee, who is this aristocratic Sith Lord?
✓ Correct! Count Dooku, Darth Tyranus, was the political face of the Separatist movement and a pawn in Sidious’s grand plan. A former student of Yoda himself, Dooku’s elegant fencing style and aristocratic demeanor made him unique among the Sith. Palpatine ordered Anakin to execute him in Revenge of the Sith.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Count Dooku, also known as Darth Tyranus. Mace Windu was a Jedi Master, Qui-Gon was Obi-Wan’s master killed by Maul, and General Grievous was a cyborg commander but not Force-sensitive. Dooku was the fallen Jedi who became Sidious’s Sith apprentice.
06
Approximately a thousand years before the events of the saga, one ancient Sith Lord recognized that the Sith kept destroying themselves through infighting. He wiped out the existing Sith Order and established the Rule of Two, ensuring the dark side would be passed from master to apprentice in secret. Who created this doctrine?
✓ Correct! Darth Bane, who appeared as a Force ghost in The Clone Wars, was the visionary who realized the Sith’s numbers were their weakness. By limiting them to two, he ensured each generation would be stronger than the last — a chain that ultimately led to Palpatine’s galaxy-conquering scheme a millennium later.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Darth Bane. Darth Revan was a legendary Sith from the Old Republic, Darth Nihilus consumed entire planets through the Force, and Darth Malgus led the Sith Empire. But it was Bane who created the Rule of Two that shaped all Sith to follow.
07
In the sequel trilogy, the grandson of Darth Vader was seduced to the dark side by Supreme Leader Snoke. He wielded an unstable, crossguard lightsaber with a cracked kyber crystal and killed his own father, Han Solo, in The Force Awakens. Who is this conflicted dark side warrior?
✓ Correct! Kylo Ren, born Ben Solo to Han Solo and Leia Organa, was torn between the light and dark throughout the sequel trilogy. His worship of his grandfather Vader’s legacy and his crackling crossguard saber made him visually iconic. Like Vader before him, he ultimately found redemption, sacrificing himself to save Rey.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Kylo Ren, born Ben Solo. Snoke was his dark side mentor (later revealed as a Palpatine puppet), General Hux was a First Order officer, and Darth Revan existed thousands of years earlier. Kylo Ren carried the Skywalker bloodline’s burden into the sequel era.
08
In one of the saga’s most chilling scenes, Palpatine tells Anakin the “Tragedy” of a Sith Lord so powerful he could use the Force to influence midi-chlorians to create life and prevent death. His apprentice killed him in his sleep. Who is this legendary Sith whose tale tempted Anakin to the dark side?
✓ Correct! “Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?” is one of the most meme-worthy and narratively crucial lines in Star Wars. Plagueis was Palpatine’s own master, and the irony is thick — Palpatine tells Anakin the story as bait, having murdered Plagueis himself. It’s not a story the Jedi would tell you.
✗ Your lack of faith is disturbing! The answer is Darth Plagueis the Wise. Darth Bane created the Rule of Two centuries earlier, Darth Vitiate ruled the Old Republic Sith Empire, and Darth Sion was sustained by pain. Plagueis could cheat death itself — ironic, since he couldn’t save himself from his own apprentice, Palpatine.
Trial Complete Your Dark Side Record
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Are you a Sith Lord — or just another youngling?
The result was a messy narrative with underdeveloped characters and weak emotional payoff wrapped in a beautiful, well-choreographed package. Of course, some of these issues could have been resolved in a second season, but The Acolyte is unfortunately known as the first and, so far, only Star Wars streaming show to have officially been canceled. Reportedly low viewership and a sky-high budget (the Star Wars show is said to have cost roughly $230 million in total) certainly didn’t help The Acolyte‘s prospects.
Star Wars Isn’t Completely Done With The Acolyte
Dafne Keen as Jecki Lon looking ahead in The Acolyte
Despite The Acolyte‘s relative streaming failure, Star Wars hasn’t given up on its story and characters just yet. Several behind-the-scenes books and tie-in novels have been published since The Acolyte’s cancellation, including The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte by Kristin Braver, Star Wars: The Acolyte Visual Guide by Pablo Hidalgo, The Acolyte: Wayseeker by Justina Ireland, The Acolyte: The Crystal Crown by Tessa Gratton, and a one-shot comic featuring the show’s Wookiee Jedi, Kelnacca, by Cavan Scott and Marika Cresta.
While it’s highly unlikely that new live-action episodes of The Acolyte will ever make their way to Disney+, there are other ways the show can live on beyond the publishing sphere. Animation is a major part of Star Wars’ brand identity, and Disney’s streaming platform has given the franchise more opportunities for smaller, character-focused storytelling. Hypothetical new installments in Dave Filoni’s animated anthology series Star Wars Tales, such as Star Wars: Tales of the Sith or Star Wars: Tales of the High Republic, could bring The Acolyte‘s most interesting characters back to the small screen.
As Luke Skywalker famously said in the equally divisive Star Wars: The Last Jedi, “No one’s ever really gone.” In a franchise as sprawling and interconnected as Star Wars, characters that are introduced can, and usually will, pop up again where you least expect them. However brief it may be, The Acolyte‘s renewed streaming success may allow the show’s characters to appear in new stories sooner rather than later.
