A thrilling new Star Wars theory reveals The Acolyte‘s title is a lie – concealing an even more exciting storyline. Excitement is building for The Acolyte, Lucasfilm’s next Star Wars TV show – one that serves as a prequel to the prequels themselves. Set a century before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, this will apparently tell the story of how the Sith infiltrated the Jedi and the Republic.

Showrunner Leslye Headland has a reputation for playing tricks with viewers, though, one well-earned through Netflix’s Russian Doll. What’s more, she’s hinted there are plenty of twists in The Acolyte; “Whatever you think The Acolyte is, it’s not that,” she teased in an interview on StarWars.com. Trailers are made to conceal as well as reveal, and it’s likely The Acolyte trailers do just that. A thrilling new Star Wars theory suggests viewers have misunderstood the entire story – and sets up an arc that run for more than one season.

The Acolyte Features More Than Just Jedi & Sith

This is introducing new Force lore

The Acolyte is set at the tail end of the High Republic Era. Running from roughly 500 to 100 years before the main Skywalker saga, this was an age when the light of the Jedi and the Republic shone brightly across the galaxy. It was not an age of peace, though; all too often, exploration meant the Jedi came face-to-face with terrifying new threats and Force cults. Trailers for The Acolyte ave already hinted that the Jedi have grown insular, becoming increasingly concerned with protecting their power-base.

The Jedi believed the Sith to be extinct, but in truth they had been hiding in the shadows for almost a thousand years. The latest Acolyte trailer unveiled a mysterious Sith Lord, one powerful enough to telekinetically blast away an entire squadron of Jedi. Although his identity is unconfirmed, the best guess is that this is Darth Tenebrous, the master of Palpatine’s mentor Darth Plagueis. Most assume that the “acolyte” referred to in the show’s title is a student of the Sith.

But there are clearly other Force cults in The Acolyte as well. Jodie Turner-Smith is confirmed to be playing Mother Aniseya, leader of a mysterious coven of witches. Although The Acolyte will presumably give viewers a lot of new Jedi and Sith lore (and likely borrow a lot from Legends), it will also flesh out this coven. Lucasfilm is notably wary of revealing what this group of Force-users call themselves – perhaps meaning it’s a very familiar name.

Mae Appears To Be One Of The Witches – Is She An Acolyte?

The point-of-view character may not be Jedi or Sith

Amandla Stenberg has been set up as the star of The Acolyte, although – in typical Headland form – there are so many mysteries surrounding her character Mae. A former Padawan, she appears to be the assassin responsible for a spree of Jedi killings that kicks off the plot (with Carrie-Anne Moss’ Master Indara likely among her first victims). Oddly, though, plot summaries have suggested she winds up investigating this alongside Lee Jung-jae’s Master Sol. It’s pretty clear some of Headland’s secrets are ebodied in Mae.

Mae’s assassin garb shares many similarities with the robes of Mother Aniseya, and other shots have shown the Jedi in conflict with the entire coven. It’s possible that Mae is the titular acolyte, but not of the Sith; rather, she could be Mother Aniseya’s acolyte, training in a Force cult never before seen in Star Wars live-action. If this theory is correct, then there’s a subtle sense in which the show’s title is a lie.

The Acolyte Could Be The Story Of A Middle Way Destroyed By Jedi & Sith

Are the Coven caught inbetween Jedi and Sith?

There have been many other Force groups in Star Wars, not just Jedi and Sith – but they rarely serve as the viewpoint characters. In fact, many are believed to have disappeared during the latter years of the High Republic, meaning the timing of The Acolyte could be quite significant here. It’s possible this coven of mystery witches has somehow found itself caught in the crossfire between the Jedi and the Sith.

That would explain why Mae is targeting the Jedi; not because she is a Sith, but because the Jedi Order has somehow harmed the coven, and their leader longs for revenge. The deaths of Jedi on the Outer Rim could easily interfere with the Sith attempt to keep their existence secret, forcing the Sith Lord of this age to step out of the shadows and try to learn the truth behind the assassinations. That would be a fascinating twist; for both the Jedi and the Sith to be wrong-footed by these attacks.

This theory is an exciting one, and it has one major advantage; it fits with Headland’s talk of The Acolyte season 2. The danger in exploration the Sith is that it’s possible to unwittingly rob the dark side cult of its mystique, so it’s best many secrets are kept. Instead of focusing on this, though, The Acolyte could explore what it’s like for another Force-sensitive to be caught up in the downfall of the Jedi and the rise of the Sith – a thrilling perspective.