The Acolyte made several firsts in Star Wars history. In addition to being the only live-action series set in the High Republic era, it’s also the first show that features Vernestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson) and her unique purple lightsaber that turns into a lightwhip. Not only that, it’s also the first series that brought Darth Plagueis into live-action. However, what stunned viewers the most was seeing the stunning visual of Sol’s (Lee Jung-jae) lightsaber bleeding and turning red when Osha (Amandla Stenberg) took it from her former Jedi Master and killed him with the Force, confirming she had turned into a Sith, in the finale. So, to explain this outstanding visual effect, a behind-the-scenes video shows how Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) brought this lightsaber bleeding to life.
Star Wars released the BTS clip that showed two of ILM's, the visual effects company George Lucas founded and has worked on several of the franchise’s projects, supervisors Charmain Chan and Julian Foddy talking about the creative choices they made for The Acolyte finale. From Mae (Stenberg) and Sol’s chasing sequence to the epic battle between Sol and the Stranger (Manny Jacinto), Foddy explained the series wouldn’t be Star Wars if it didn't feature a space battle.
“It felt like a great opportunity to do something fairly sort of visually spectacular,” he said.
Foddy revealed that to create the chasing sequence, they used dust particulates from small ice fragments and bunched the rings together in different densities to form light and make them shimmer in various colors. However, for Chan, the most fun thing to do was break down the insides of the lightsaber.
“The main reason we wanted the crystal to be bent was that when Osha finally picked up the hilt,” she explained. “You could see the crystal was actually touching her hand.”
Chan and Foddy both wanted to show that lightsaber bleeding involves blood dropping through the kyber crystal as it touches Osha’s skin. Foddy added that it has always been described as bleeding the crystal, so the effects look like blood flows into it.
“We actually augmented that by adding visible veins to Osha’s hand at the moment,” he continued. “And somehow her emotions flow through her skin into the crystal, making it change color.”
Will there be Star Wars: The Acolyte Season 2?
A couple of weeks after The Acolyte released its final episode, Disney has yet to renew the show for a second season. Showrunner Leslye Headland admitted she hasn’t heard anything about the renewal yet, though she already has some ideas on how the show will possibly continue. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she revealed she wanted to feature more of the Republic Senate in the potential Season 2 after Senator Rayencourt and Supreme Chancellor Drellik appeared in the finale.
For her, it’s only logical to discuss this “button-down idea” more and show Vernestra as the bridge for the Jedi’s move to avoid making mistakes and limiting their power. In addition, the surprising appearances of Darth Plagueis and Grand Master Yoda also set future storylines that can be “really compelling.” So, if the show can continue, Headland wants to tie the major loose ends involving Yoda, Plagueis, and the Stranger’s real name.
“Where does that lead? So, it was a lot of: How is this going to fit into what we later see?” she said. “That was the step I wanted to save for the tease. …Mostly, I need a full season for that.”
If The Acolyte Season 2 happens, the show may continually feature new things that have never been seen in live-action. For one, lightsaber bleeding has been popular in the franchise, but it’s the only show that features it in live-action. So, aside from the many questions it has to answer and the storylines to continue, fans must see what it has to bring to the table next.
All episodes of The Acolyte are available on Disney+.
