Star Wars made a change to the dark side of the Force in The Acolyte, and the Stranger actor Manny Jacinto explained what the motivation for it was a year later. Though it proved divisive, The Acolyte included several big moments for Star Wars television. It was the first time the High Republic era was depicted in live-action, for example, and it delved deep into the dark side of the Force.
During Fan Expo Chicago’s Manny Jacinto panel, hosted by ScreenRant’s Joe Deckelmeier, Manny Jacinto explained that The Acolyte was trying to redefine how a person is “seduced” to the dark side of the Force. Leslye Headland, the creator of The Acolyte, wanted to leverage the Jedi Order’s mistakes during the High Republic era to create a more compelling argument for joining the dark side.
Fan question: What was it like stepping into a character like that in Star Wars, where a lot of things are very black and white, you’re not exactly in the gray, but also have a valid point to make?
Manny Jacinto: I mean, that’s what I loved about this character. Leslye [Headland] in her head, the whole theme of this storyline was, what is it like to really be seduced by the Dark Side and in various aspects? One of the aspects was, yeah, like, how do you have a convincing argument to be able to come [to the Dark Side]? Because, from what we’ve seen before, no offense, I never really bought it per se. Like I see it and it’s cool, but I don’t think I would have crossed over sides just for that.
But I think what we really wanted to do is have a strong argument in regards to, I just have a different way of life, if you don’t accept that, then it’s fine. Just seeing the outsiders’ point of view and how, regardless of the people in power, there can be an abuse of power, regardless of if you’re considered good or bad. It was a fine line to play, was a great character to kind of lean into, with the guidance of Leslye, because, again, it’s just like, how do you convince some people who love the Jedi so much to come over to the Dark Side?
As Jacinto noted, The Acolyte focused on highlighting the shortcomings of the Jedi Order and the light side of the Force when crafting its lure to the dark side. The Stranger made sure to emphasize how the Jedi’s failures led to the tragedy on Brendok and in Vernestra Rwoh’s failure to train him. He also convinced Osha to join him by offering her a chance to stop the Jedi’s abuses of power.
Jacinto mentioned that there wasn’t a very good reason to join the dark side prior to The Acolyte. Anakin Skywalker joined out of his love and obsession with Padmé Amidala, but others joined simply for power. Anakin’s motivations worked for his story, but The Acolyte presented an argument for joining the dark side that was much more universal and, at least to Jacinto, convincing.
However, The Acolyte didn’t present an entirely novel take on the dark side’s seduction. Count Dooku was drawn away from the Jedi Order for the very same reasons: he saw the arrogance and flaws in the Jedi Order. It’s also the same motivation Kylo Ren used on Rey in The Last Jedi: creating a new order that doesn’t repeat the mistakes of the Jedi or the Sith.
The Acolyte did, however, lean more into the gray areas of Star Wars than many other stories have. As Jacinto mentioned, much of the Stranger’s plan hinged on simply presenting his way of life to Osha and letting her decide if she wanted to follow him. It’s an interesting take on the Jedi/Sith dichotomy, and hopefully one that Star Wars won’t abandon entirely.
Our Take On The Acolyte’s Idea Of Being Seduced By The Dark Side
Manny Jacinto’s comments about how The Acolyte depicted Osha’s seduction to the dark side highlight an unfortunate truth: the show had a lot of good ideas that got muddled in execution. It would have been really cool to see a Sith craft a more convincing argument for the dark side, but The Acolyte ended up being a mix of Dooku and Kylo Ren’s earlier reasoning.
It’s also a shame to know that Jacinto likely won’t get a chance to play the Stranger again. Jacinto clearly understands the character and his motivations, and he’s obviously very passionate about him. The Stranger was also one of the stronger and more universally liked parts of The Acolyte, but his time on the small screen has seemingly come to a premature end.
Jacinto’s comments also highlight another unfortunate truth: The Acolyte never got a chance to realize its potential. It had an admittedly rocky start, but The Acolyte was canceled before it could truly find its stride. If The Acolyte season 2 had happened, we may have gotten to see more of the Stranger’s seduction and gotten an even closer look at the gray areas of Star Wars.
The Acolyte
7/10
- Release Date
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2024 – 2024-00-00
- Showrunner
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Leslye Headland
- Directors
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Leslye Headland, Alex Garcia Lopez
