The hum of a lightsaber, the crackle of Force lightning, the ominous breathing of a Sith Lord – these are the sounds that echo in the dreams of Star Wars fans. For years, a name whispered in hushed tones has haunted the edges of the saga: Darth Plagueis. When a shadowy figure emerged in the Disney+ show, The Acolyte, it felt like a tremor in the Force – a moment fans had been waiting for.
A new book, The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte by Kristin Baver, offers a peek behind the curtain of this series. Series creator Leslye Headland revealed a fascinating inspiration for bringing this character to life: another beloved franchise.
The Fellowship of the Sith: Gollum’s Influence on Plagueis
Think about the first time you saw Gollum in The Fellowship of the Ring. A fleeting glimpse, a sense of unease. Headland wanted to capture that same feeling with Plagueis. She stated, “Before we even designed anything, I knew I wanted to do what they did with Gollum in The Fellowship of the Ring. Where you get a sense of this character, the size of the eyes and his coloring, but I didn’t want to do something in full-on daylight. When you see his hand move, with your point of view being the main characters, it feels like you know about the threat before the main characters do.” This approach casts a long shadow, much like the one Sauron cast over Middle-earth.
This plays out in the season finale, where Plagueis emerges from the darkness, hinting at untold stories. The show’s cancellation leaves these stories untold, at least for now.
How did the creators want viewers to react to Darth Plagueis?
VFX supervisor Julian Foddy emphasized the importance of the character’s visual impact: “We just want to see the flash of a character; the casual viewer might not even notice him or know it’s Darth Plagueis.” The intention was to suggest, not reveal. “Really, you just see a couple of long fingers and a little shaft of light hits his face. It’s just enough to tell us he isn’t human.” The aim was a subtle dread, a creeping awareness of something ancient and powerful, like a predator lurking in the shadows.
The Unseen Tragedy: Darth Plagueis and Lost Potential
Consider the artistry of misdirection. A magician doesn’t show you everything, they guide your eye. The creators of The Acolyte used a similar sleight of hand with Darth Plagueis. Just like Gollum’s introduction, Plagueis’ reveal was a carefully constructed moment of dread. The initial sighting was never meant to be a full reveal but a glimpse into a larger, more sinister narrative. It’s like showing a single, ominous cloud on the horizon, hinting at a storm to come.
The set-up, though now potentially for naught, was executed with the same attention to detail that Peter Jackson gave to Gollum. The shadow of what could have been looms large.
What other characters influenced the design of Darth Plagueis?
Foddy elaborates, “We looked at a lot of reference of Muun characters, from the prequels, The Clone Wars, and some game art. Leslye didn’t want to give too much away.” This fusion of existing lore with a touch of mystery aimed to satisfy longtime fans while intriguing newcomers. The design served the story, not the other way around.
Whether we’ll see “The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise” fully realized remains a question mark. But the groundwork was laid with care, echoing the introduction of a certain ring-obsessed Hobbit.
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Will the story of Darth Plagueis ever escape the shadows, or will it remain a tantalizing “what if” in the Star Wars saga?