What exactly is an Acolyte? We take a closer look at the mysterious title of the new Star Wars series The Acolyte and explain its meaning.
The Acolyte, a mysterious Star Wars project, launches on Disney+ on Wednesday. In contrast to many other spin-offs of the Star Wars saga, the new series is barely connected to the familiar Star Wars stories. Prequel, sequel or original trilogy? No. The Acolyte goes much further back in time.
The story begins 100 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. We find ourselves in the age of the High Republic, in which peace is secured in the galaxy thanks to the Jedi. At least until the title character steps out of the shadows. But what exactly does The Acolyte mean?
The Acolyte: This is what the title of the new Star Wars series means
The titles of the Star Wars series are actually easy to understand and even technical terms from the universe quickly make sense. Ahsoka, Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi – these are the names of the main characters, just as The Mandalorian refers to a bounty hunter with Mandalorian armor.
Here you can watch the trailer for The Acolyte:
But who or what is an Acolyte? Translated into German, we end up with acolyte or acolyte. The Duden dictionary gives us the following definition of the term:
Leie who performs certain services at the altar during Mass.
The origin of the term is derived from the Middle Latin “acolythus” or “acoluthus” and has its origins in ancient Greek. An “akólouthos” can be translated as companion or servant. An acolyte is usually a person who assists in religious services or generally assists a leading person.
Read more: Initial reactions to The Acolyte make us really curious
There have already been many Acolytes in the Star Wars universe
The term is mainly coined by the Catholic Church. But it has also existed in Star Wars for some time. If we take a look at the Expanded Universe, which now runs under Star Wars Legends, we often see acolytes who feel drawn to the Dark Side of the Force and want to become Sith.
Since the Rule of Two states that there can only ever be one Master and one apprentice in the Sith, acolytes are a clever way of stretching the rule. In addition to the two Sith, there are many potential successors who are slowly but surely introduced to the secrets of the Dark Side of the Force.
The Acolyte creator Leslye Headland explains the title to Empire as follows:
An Acolyte] is essentially a position that someone will fill or step into. In the Sith, we know there’s a master, we know there’s a disciple. But in the deep EU [Expanded Universe], there is the concept of the acolyte, who is subordinate to the disciple. That’s how I came up with the title [of the series].
The most famous acolyte in the official Star Wars canon is Asajj Ventress, who is known from the animated series The Clone Wars and most recently made a guest appearance in the spin-off The Bad Batch. Ventress was the acolyte of Darth Tyranus aka Count Dooku during the Clone Wars, who in turn was the apprentice of Darth Sidious aka Palpatine.
To prepare: If you want to learn more about the Sith, their rules and hierarchies, we recommend the Star Wars novel Dark Disciple. It takes a closer look at the story of Asajj Ventress and her transition to the Dark Side of the Force.
Now The Acolyte introduces us to a new character who sides with the Sith. Who this character is is one of the great mysteries of the series. There are many indications that it is the protagonist played by Amandla Stenberg. In the trailer for The Acolyte, she faces off against a Jedi Knight armed with throwing knives
