What happens to a cliffhanger at the end of a cancelled series? Does it dry up, like a raisin in the sun? In the world of Star Wars, only one series of the Disney+ era has been officially canceled, The Acolyte, but its series finale contained a number of hints of what could come next. Most of the attention has been on what could have happened with the first appearance of Palpatine’s long-lost master, Darth Plagueis, but there’s another cliffhanger that had huge potential.
Finally, the showrunner has confirmed that a beloved Jedi would have played a role in a plot that may have been controversial but explains a major prequel-era mystery.
During an appearance on The George Lucas Talk Show (not, in fact, hosted by George Lucas), Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland revealed what would have happened to the show’s biggest cameo character. In the final moments of the show, Vernestra Rwoh decided to consult a renowned Jedi for help covering up the devious actions of her compatriots over the course of the series: Yoda himself, one of the few Star Wars characters who would have been alive during the events of the series.
When asked if Yoda would help with Vernestra’s plan, Headland said “for sure,” confirming that Yoda had enough of the Dark Side in him to at least brush this tragic event under the rug. Headland added that fans shouldn’t “come at [her] in the comments” because “[Yoda] does it in the Clone Wars.”
That’s true. Not only does Yoda do some morally questionable things in his life, but he quite literally battles a manifestation of his own dark side in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode “Destiny.” The entire point of the Force is that the Light and Dark exist in everyone; it’s just a matter of finding balance. Nobody, not even Yoda, is immune to that.
So even though The Acolyte Season 2 never happened, we’re still dealing with discourse surrounding it. Just as the series never retconned Ki-Adi Mundi’s birthday, it’s not retconning Yoda’s character either. He may have passed away at almost a millennium old, full of wisdom for Luke, but centuries before, he could have made a few mistakes.
We’ll never get to see this on screen, but this reveal just proves that Headland understood how to show the rough underbelly of the Jedi Council, even if it means exposing some unwelcome truths about everyone’s favorite green guy.
