The Acolyte is the latest addition to a growing collection of Disney Plus Star Wars shows. Despite devoted fans’ worries, The Acolyte seems to be on the path to success as the series follows the Star Wars universe’s favorite formula: looking to the past to guide the franchise’s future.
Search your feelings, you know it to be true. Star Wars has a history of, well, using its history to create new media. This is especially true for the franchise’s movies and shows; from the prequel films (while reviews are mixed, you can’t deny their success) to shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The Acolyte continues this tradition.
Set in the end of the High Republic era, some 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, the new series introduces a slew of characters we haven’t seen before like Lee Jung-jae’s Jedi Master, Sol. That isn’t to say none of our favorite characters are absent from. Some, like the long-lived Yoda, were actively a part of the universe. But will he make a cameo?
Is Yoda in The Acolyte?
Sadly the show’s creator, Leslye Headland, has confirmed Yoda will not appear on the show. In theory, Yoda could make an appearance as he was the Grand Master of the Jedi Order during this time but Headland is clear he won’t be making a cameo. In an interview with ComicBook.com, Headland answered a question about Yoda’s being in the show with a concise “No, there is not [a Yoda cameo].”
She also implied a Yoda cameo was always off the table because Lucasfilm would not allow her to use the character for the show. “Can you imagine if they were like, ‘No problem. You can use Yoda. Not a big deal. Go for it.’” The lack of known characters might be a cause for concern for fans, but it was a draw for Headland.
In an interview with Den of Geek, she explained, “The other thing I loved about this period was the lack of legacy characters. I was too nervous to take them on, but also, I feel like we’ve seen a lot of that.” For Headland, creating a show based in a little-used Star Wars era “felt like a sandbox that I could easily jump into.”
The first two episodes of The Acolyte are available to stream on Disney Plus.
