What Is an Acolyte in Star Wars Lore?

Disney+ Star Wars show The Acolyte is (as its name suggests) about an acolyte out for revenge on the Jedi. But what exactly is an acolyte, according to Star Wars lore?

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What an Acolyte Is in Star Wars Lore, Explained

The real-world definition of the term “acolyte” is an assistant or follower, traditionally within a religious order. That’s true in a galaxy far, far away too – and in the current Star Wars canon, there are at least four specific types of acolyte.

Of these, the most relevant to The Acolyte is the Sith Acolytes (or Dark Acolytes). This is the title Sith Lord Count Dooku applied to his Dark Side disciples, Asajj Ventress and Savage Opress, during the Clone Wars. Given her master is apparently a fully-fledged Sith, The Acolyte Season 1’s antagonist Mae Aniseya is almost certainly a Sith Acolyte.

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The Witches of Dathomir also have acolytes within their ranks. We don’t know much about Nightsister Acolytes, except that they typically wielded energy bows in battle. We could be about to learn more about them, however, as The Acolyte Season 1 is set to feature a Force Witch coven. A new character, Mother Aniseya, heads up said coven, indicating she has ties to Mae. Was our Jedi killer once a Nightsister Acolyte? Don’t rule it out.

What about the Star Wars canon’s two other varieties of acolyte? Neither is much of a big deal compared with the above. The Acolytes of the Beyond are Sith cultists who venerate dead Sith Lords (such as Darth Vader). The Forbidden Acolytes are a mysterious, Cloud City-based organization once name-dropped by Bespin beggar Yathros Condorius. Both groups don’t exist yet in The Acolyte‘s High Republic era setting, so don’t expect them to factor into the show’s plot.

Are There Acolytes in the Star Wars Legends Canon?

Yep – indeed, the one-time Expanded Universe boasts three flavors of acolyte. The first is the Sith Acolyte: the rank held by Sith apprentices in the days before Darth Bane’s Rule of Two. The second is the Dark Acolyte, which (unlike in post-Disney canon) is a separate position from Sith Acolyte. Dark Acolyte in Star Wars Legends lore is the name for Count Dooku’s apprentices. Finally, there’s the Imperial Sith Acolytes. These guys are the Force-sensitive, red armor-clad warriors that appear in 2010 video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

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In theory, none of these acolytes are part of the revamped Star Wars continuity (except maybe the Dark Acolytes). That said, The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland is a self-professed fan of the EU who has promised to reintroduce elements of it in the show. So, who knows? Maybe the EU acolytes will show up (in modified form) in The Acolyte Season 1!

The Acolyte Season 1 is currently streaming on Disney+, with new episodes dropping Tuesdays.