Disney+ seemingly referenced the legendary Star Wars character Darth Plagueis with an Easter egg in the season finale of The Acolyte.
Star Wars' first-ever Sith-centric live-action project spent its eight-week run showing one of the earliest time period in recorded Star Wars history, known as the High Republic. Taking place 100 years before Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the Sith's rise to power is highlighted as the Jedi are at their peak.
Throughout the show, fans saw some major overarching plot points, including Manny Jacinto's Qimir explaining the mysterious Power of Two. Along with his reveal as one of these pre-Prequels Sith Lords, fans also got an even deeper insight into story details that were teased years before The Acolyte's debut.
Darth Plagueis Teased in The Acolyte Season Finale
Warning - the rest of this article contains spoilers for Episode 8 of The Acolyte.
Episode 8 of Lucasfilm's The Acolyte gave fans a terrifying Easter egg and tease for a sinister new character who many believe to be Darth Plagueis, an iconic Sith Lord.
Amandla Stenberg's Osha and Manny Jacinto's Qimir reconvene on Qimir's unnamed home planet discussing the deal Qimir made with Osha's sister, Mae (also played by Stenberg).
As they walk up the rocks on their way to track down Sol (Lee Jung-jae) and Mae, a disfigured hand can be seen grabbing the rock wall inside of a cave.
The shot then moves to the figure's face, which has no nose, wrinkled and creepy-looking skin, and a glowing red eye.
The character is not seen in the rest of the episode nor is he officially named. However, fans believe this is the live-action debut of Darth Plagueis, one of the most famous Sith Lords in Star Wars history.
This comes nearly three years after fans got the first official canon look at Darth Plagueis in a children's book titled Star Wars: Secrets of the Sith, which was released in October 2021.
On-screen, Plagueis was first mentioned in 2005's Episode III: Revenge of the Sith as Emperor Palpatine told Anakin Skywalker the legend about the Sith Lord.
He was said to be so powerful and in tune with the Force that he could "influence midi-chlorians to create life" and "keep the ones he cared about from dying:"
"Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith so powerful and so wise, he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side, he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying."
Why Did Darth Plagueis Appear In The Acolyte - And What's Next for Him?
To many fans' disappointment, this short moment with Darth Plagueis was the only screentime the character had throughout The Acolyte's eight-episode run. However, should he truly be Plagueis, it could set up a thrilling dive into his history that has not been seen on screen before.
Plagueis' only other true appearance in any Star Wars content came in the Darth Plagueis expanded universe (or Legends) novel written by James Luceno, which was published in 2012. Now, this appearance teases a long-awaited role for him in the Disney+ shows as Star Wars history is expanded.
The only real question is how that book could potentially tie into the show in terms of its canon status.
The book places Plagueis' birth at some point between 150 BBY and 110 BBY while The Acolyte takes place around 130 BBY. Considering he would be only about 20 years old if those dates are correct, it could throw the rest of the story out of whack since he already looks quite old.
However, given its non-canon status, there is also always the chance the pre-existing story is changed to fit the shape of that being told in the canon universe.
Should The Acolyte be renewed for Season 2, fans are expecting Plagueis to play a bigger role in upcoming stories, which would theoretically lead to his early days training and influencing Palpatine/Darth Sidious.
New episodes could also prove the legend of his influence on midi-chlorians true, solidifying Episode III's mention of Sith history further.
Sadly, Season 2 is far from guaranteed considering Season 1 saw the worst rating of any Star Wars show in history on Rotten Tomatoes. This Darth Plagueis twist could certainly change the show's fate for longtime fans invested in the Dark Side story, but there are plenty of dominoes that still need to fall.
The Acolyte is now streaming on Disney+.
Read more about The Acolyte below:
The Acolyte Season 2 Chances: Will It Be Cancelled Or Renewed?
Why Is The Acolyte So Bad? 5 Biggest Factors That Hurt the Show
