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(Image credit: Lucasfilm)
The Acolyte endingmay have wrapped up a fair chunk of the story in a galaxy far, far away – buta surprise villain is still waiting in the wings.
Now, creator and showrunner Leslye Headland has opened up about the reveal of the mysterious figure, and what inspired its distinctive look.
Spoilers forThe Acolyte finalefollow. You have been warned!
In The Acolyte finale, a shadowy, imposing – yet oddly frail – figure emerges from the shadows of Qimir’s island cave. Star Wars fans will know its name, if not the look: it’s Darth Plagueis, who would go on to be the Sith master of Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine.
“I’m very proud of the character design. It took a long time,” Headland toldColliderof Darth Plagueis’ squid-like features.
Headland also mentioned how it was a “Crimson Peakreference”, a nod to Guillermo del Toro’s 2015 horror movie and (presumably) the red ghosts found within.
“This should not feel like a display of power, this should feel creepy. I think we achieved that,” Headland explained.
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In a separate interview withIndieWire, the showrunner also opened up about the “physicality” of Plagueis – or lack thereof – to “create the sense that Plagueis and the Sith aren’t the armor-clad, visually imposing, powerhouse villains we sometimes associate with the Sith.”
But we have to head to Middle-earth to see how it all ties together – particularly with an eye toThe Acolyte season 2.
“The reference that I used was Gollum in Fellowship of the Ring,” Headland told Collider, a reference to how Gollum’s initial design is relatively different to what we see when the character emerges into the light in The Two Towers. “You don’t want to totally reveal the character design right now, but you definitely want to see enough of it that you understand this is gonna be a player.”
Bad news, potentially, for the emerging partnership of Qimir and Osha. Still,at least they got to hold hands.
For more on The Acolyte, check out our latest coverage below:
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”