Star Wars is one of the biggest franchises of all time, and generations have followed the galaxy far, far away's adventures in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The fandom recently exploded when Adam Driver revealed he pitched a scrapped Kylo Ren movie titled The Hunt for Ben Solo, although Disney turned it down. As fans campaign for the studio to change its mind, it turns out that The Acolyte also could have featured a connection to that fan favorite villain.
Fans immediately started complaining about the Kylo Ren movie being rejected, and they've even begun appealing to Disney to change its mind. While one fan flew a plane over Disney to ask for the Ben Solo movie, it was revealed that The Acolyte was also going to offer some connective tissue to Driver's signature role. In the book The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte (via Twitter), creator Leslye Headland spoke about how the show's villain The Stranger was inspired by Kylo, particularly the design of his mask. As she put it:
It felt like it foreshadowed a possible connection to the Knights of Ren with the Kylo Ren shape we landed on. We just started to go in that direction. It was in the design of the character, as well as knowing that we were going to intro Darth Plagueis, who has to end with with Palpatine as his apprentice.
Those of us who watched the series will recall that Darth Plagueis was introduced in the cliffhanger finale, which was huge news for longtime fans. Unfortunately The Acolyte was cancelled after Season 1, so we might never get to see where that storyline was going. Still, these comments are going to turn some heads, especially after the news of The Hunt for Ben Solo. Bring on the Kylo Ren-related content!
Fans who watched the Star Wars movies in order will recall that Darth Plagueis was Palpatine's mentor, who taught him the powers of the Dark Side, including how to cheat death. In the same book, Headland spoke more about why she included him in the finale, and how it could have connected to the Knights of Ren. As she put it:
Following The Rule of Two- a precept that limited the Sith to just two at any given time, a a master and an apprentice- one way to keep it going is if the Stranger is the first Knight of Ren, part of a Sith-adjacent cult that we know eventually survives.
If the Stranger is the very first Knight of Ren, that would offer a unique connection to Adam Driver's signature character. And since the fandom is collectively re-focused on Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, I have to assume that these comments will quickly go viral.
Another contributor to The Acolyte who mused about the Stranger and Kylo Ren was composer Michael Abels, who hinted at Kylo Ren with the live-action show's music. In his words:
And since we never name him, you don't know. Does he have a first name and then his last name is Ren? Is he the original Ren? It's a good way to nod to it without having to give away too much information.
Unfortunately, the cancellation of The Acolyte after just one season meant that the cliffhangers and larger story won't get a chance to meet their conclusion. While most of the Star Wars TV shows are limited series, Andor and The Acolyte were both set up to span multiple seasons. In the end, only one of them got to complete its narrative.
Of course, the real focus right now for some Star Wars fans is trying to convince Disney to change its mind about The Hunt for Ben Solo. A fan recently put a billboard about the Kylo Ren movie in Time Square, so folks are going to extreme length to try and convince the studio to change its mind. Only time will tell if its successful.
George Lucas' entire franchise is streaming currently on Disney+ and the next upcoming Star Wars movie hitting theaters is The Mandalorian and Grogu on May 22nd as part of the 2026 movie release list.
