Star Wars canon keeps getting more and more expansive, but the timeline is firm. In movies and television, Star Wars as we know it begins with the discovery of Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine in The Phantom Menace, and ends with Palpatine’s return and defeat in The Rise of Skywalker. However, that’s set to change with 2024’s The Acolyte, Leslye Headland’s Disney+ series about Sith shenanigans set a century before the prequels.
The Acolyte’s timeframe makes it seem like it’s completely separate from others like Obi-Wan Kenobi or Ahsoka, but an ancient object from an old comic book could actually tie the shows together perfectly, bring back a beloved character, and introduce a popular comic book character or two to the current canon.
Lost Legends is an Inverse series about the forgotten lore of our favorite stories.
In 2008, the now non-canon comic Knights of the Old Republic #25 introduced an ancient Sith amulet known as the Muur Talisman, which gave Sith Lord Karness Muur the ability to control rakghouls, mutants who served as an army for the ancient Sith. The Talisman could also transform beings into rakghouls, but there was another power far greater than just mutant zombie control: the Talisman contained Muur’s essence. When Muur’s physical body perished, the Talisman sought out a powerful Force user to act as his vessel.
In the comic, an Old Republic secret society called the Jedi Covenant had a vision showing the Talisman, as well as Anakin and Luke Skywalker. They send Jedi Celeste Morne on a quest for the artifact, but while she finds it, she’s infected by Muur’s essence and allows herself to be sealed inside a stasis casket to stop him. She was released millennia later by Darth Vader, and then after he sealed her back up she was released again by Luke and Leia, who barely escaped with their lives.
There were actually three Skywalkers in the Covenant’s vision: the third, Cade, is a descendant of Anakin and Luke who would encounter Celeste a century after Luke and Leia’s encounter. Despite being infected by the rakghoul plague, Cade managed to defeat Celeste and destroy the Talisman, and thus Muur’s spirit, with the power of the Force.
The Acolyte may be set in the High Republic, but this storyline could easily be tweaked to fit the timeline. This would mean another appearance by Hayden Christensen, who’s made it very clear he’s happy to return as Darth Vader, in the vision warning of the Talisman’s threat. It would also allow the plot of The Acolyte to affect the rest of the franchise, despite being set in the distant past.
If The Acolyte introduces the Muur Talisman, embeds a Sith’s soul in it, and seals an infected character away, all those elements could be reintroduced at any point in the Star Wars timeline. Imagine The Mandalorian or Rey’s upcoming sequel movie reintroducing this ancient threat. Or what about Grand Admiral Thrawn? He’s already dabbling in evil magic, so why not go all the way? And why not introduce Celeste Morne rather than invent a new character to fill the same role?
This Talisman has all the makings of a powerful threat for modern Star Wars. It involves Sith alchemy, much like the Nightsisters’ magic in Ahsoka, a spooky weapon, much like the Darksaber in The Mandalorian, and an irresistible crossover opportunity, which is all over the modern franchise. So don’t sleep on The Acolyte just because it’s a prequel. It may secretly be the most important Star Wars show yet.
