Upcoming Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte is set long before many of the franchise’s most iconic characters were born. But that doesn’t include Master Yoda – so, is he in The Acolyte?
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Does Yoda Appear in Star Wars: The Acolyte?
No, Yoda is not in The Acolyte – or at least, if he is, Lucasfilm is keeping it under wraps. None of The Acolyte’s pre-release materials offer any indication that Yoda will appear in the show. What’s more, Yoda’s voice actor and puppeteer, Frank Oz, isn’t attached to the production. That said, given Yoda is one of the few high-profile legacy Star Wars characters active during The Acolyte‘s High Republic-era setting, he could conceivably make a cameo at some point in the series.
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But don’t count on it if recent comments by showrunner Leslye Headland are anything to go by. In a March 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Headland indicated that The Acolyte‘s callbacks to wider Star Wars canon would be relatively subdued. “You see a lot of cameos of alien species […] but they aren’t necessarily like, ‘Oh, it’s that guy from that movie. Oh, it’s that character from Return of the Jedi: Special Edition,'” Headland said. “It’s more like references to Star Wars that I think will excite fans, but they aren’t specifically named characters that exist there.”
Are Any Other Established Star Wars Characters in The Acolyte?
Yes – but just the one: Vernestra Rwoh. While not exactly a household name, Vernestra is a prominent character in Star Wars: The High Republic media. Headland revealed why Vernestra made the cut for The Acolyte in a March 2024 Collider interview. “Vern was a character that really jumped out at me immediately as someone that I wanted to see as an arc for where we were with the Jedi when we come into this story,” Headland explained.
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This doesn’t mean Headland won’t adapt other established High Republic characters in the future, though. On the contrary, the showrunner recently told Empire she’s already met with Lucasfilm’s resident Star Wars lore consultant, Pablo Hidalgo, to discuss who could show up in Season 2 or later. Lucasfilm hasn’t officially approved additional seasons of The Acolyte, however.
The Acolyte premieres on Disney+ on June 4, 2024.
