Star Wars' Next TV Show Learned From Rogue One's Reshoots

Summary The Acolyte introduces new Jedi cast to explore the High Republic Era, setting up for possible tragic endings similar to Rogue One.

Characters from The Acolyte, except Vern, are fresh faces in the Star Wars universe, potentially setting up for a challenging encounter with a Sith.

The Acolyte may follow in Rogue One's footsteps by sacrificing its Jedi cast to align with Star Wars continuity and protect the franchise's legacy.

With its next TV show on the way in June, Star Wars seems to have learned a valuable lesson from reshooting Rogue One: A Star Wars Story back in 2016. While the exact details of the Rogue One reshoots are still surrounded in mystery, there are rumors as to what changed before the film’s final release. Whatever changed was clearly for the best, as Rogue One changed Star Wars forever and is commonly lauded as Disney’s best Star Wars project. Nevertheless, Star Wars’ next entry may be gearing up to repeat Rogue One’s climactic ending.

Rogue One’s brand new cast of characters redefined Star Wars projects to come, since many of its main cast had no ties to known Star Wars characters. By presenting a gritty, unfiltered look at how the Rebellion struggled to usurp the Empire and steal the Death Star plans, Rogue One solidified itself as one of the most relatable stories in the franchise. And despite the main characters heroically dying at the end of the film, the audience can’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment; their sacrifices ultimately allowed the Rebellion to triumph over the Empire.

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The Acolyte’s Jedi Are All New

Except for Vernestra "Vern" Rwoh

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Much like Rogue One, The Acolyte sets up a brand new cast of characters, almost all of whom are unheard of in the Star Wars universe. Amandla Stenberg (Hunger Games) plays The Acolyte's lead role as Mae, a former Padawan who now walks a darker path as a Jedi hunter. Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game) will play Jedi Master Sol, while his apprentice, Jecki Lon, will be played by Dafne Keen (Logan). The trailer also introduced another handful of brand new Jedi to Star Wars, with only one exception.

Rebecca Henderson (Russian Doll) also joins the cast of The Acolyte as Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh, a popular character established in Disney’s Star Wars: The High Republic novels. In the novels, she was one of the youngest Jedi ever knighted, and even took on her own Padawan while still a teenager. As of now, Vern is one of the only characters in The Acolyte who has a history in the Star Wars universe. However, there is still hope for other big characters to show up, such as Grand Master Yoda or a young Darth Plagueis the Wise.

Related Is Yoda In Star Wars: The Acolyte? Yoda is one of the Jedi Order's oldest living members. So, where was he during the time of the High Republic, and will he show up in The Acolyte?

The Acolyte Is Set 100 Years Before The Phantom Menace

Near the end of the High Republic Era

While Rogue One ends mere moments before A New Hope, The Acolyte is going further back in the Star Wars timeline than ever before. Set near the end of the High Republic Era—100 years before Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace—The Acolyte is exploring a new area in the timeline. This may explain why so many of the Jedi revealed thus far are brand new to the audience, as most of them will likely die out long before The Phantom Menace. However, this fails to explain one big scene at the end of The Acolyte trailer.

Near the end of the trailer, the majority of The Acolyte’s Jedi are seen facing off against a mysterious Sith-like figure with a red lightsaber. Whether this is Darth Plagueis, Darth Tenebrous, or another member of the Sith remains unclear. But Jecki and the other Jedi clearly seem shaken by the discovery of the unnamed Sith. In fact, this is likely the first time any of them have ever seen an opponent with a red lightsaber, let alone face one in battle. Nevertheless, their encounter spells out one massive problem for the continuity of Star Wars.

The Jedi In The Phantom Menace Believe The Sith To Be Extinct

They haven't seen any Sith for 1,000 years

When Qui-Gon Jinn boldly announces that he encountered and fought a Sith in The Phantom Menace, the Jedi Council quickly dismisses the idea. In particular, Ki-Adi-Mundi states that the Sith have been extinct for a millennium. At the time, this line gave an important clue to how well the Sith hid their existence in the centuries leading up to The Phantom Menace. The Jedi during the Skywalker Saga clearly believe they exterminated the Sith long ago, which means the unnamed Sith’s appearance in The Acolyte—merely 100 years before Darth Maul—seems like a premature reveal.

If the unnamed Sith at the end of The Acolyte trailer truly reveals themselves to Jedi Master Sol, Jecki, Yord, and a handful of other Jedi, it seems impossible for these characters not to return to the Temple after their battle and report the sighting of a Sith to the Council. And if they do alert the galaxy to the existence of the Sith, then why does the Jedi Council in The Phantom Menace so adamantly believe the Sith to be extinct? The Acolyte seems to have only one option to protect Star Wars’ continuity.

Is The Acolyte Going To Pull A Rogue One?

The Acolyte's new Jedi may all end up dying

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The Acolyte seems to be taking a leaf out of Rogue One’s book by setting up the majority of its Jedi cast to die by the end of the series. At the very least, these Jedi must be prevented from revealing the existence of the Sith to the galaxy. And the only sure way for them not to spill the secret of the Sith is to kill them off. Their encounter with the unnamed Sith at the end of The Acolyte trailer seals their fate, since they cannot be allowed to leave the battle alive.

While the exact details of Rogue One’s reshoots have never been revealed, many speculate that the original movie had some or all of its main cast surviving the Battle of Scarif at the end. Nevertheless, this ending posed too many problems, since Jan Erso and Cassian Andor’s absence in the original trilogy would be too obvious. Therefore, its likely Rogue One’s reshoots turned it into the tragedy it is today, with none of the Rogue One team making off Scarif’s surface. Similarly, The Acolyte may end up killing off its Jedi cast in order to protect the secret of the Sith.

Related Rogue One Is The Disney Star Wars Movie Closest To George Lucas' Vision While no new Star Wars project can perfectly match George Lucas' style, Rogue One did the best job of honoring his vision on the big screen.

Overall, Star Wars clearly learned from reshooting Rogue One and has likely taken steps to kill off many of The Acolyte’s cast to protect the franchise’s continuity. Of course, there is still a chance these Jedi will somehow survive their blatant encounter with the Sith, but this would only damage the Jedi Council’s reputation in the prequels. The main character of The Acolyte is supposedly Mae the Jedi hunter, so the series can still continue without its Jedi cast, just as the original Star Wars trilogy carries on without the characters from Rogue One.