The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland addressed her decision to include Yoda in the recently-aired first season finale.
The fan-favorite Jedi Master made an appearance in the final moments of the season finale to the surprise and delight of many fans as they've been clamoring for him to show up in the High Republic-set series.
It is unknown yet what will be the ramifications of Yoda's appearance in the potential second season, but it sets up an interesting arc for the Jedi characters as the Sith rises behind the scenes.
Leslye Headland Addresses Yoda's Cameo in The Acolyte Season 1 Finale
In a recent interview, Headland addressed why she decided to bring back Yoda in the first season finale of The Acolyte.
She explained that the series is attempting to bring balance to the Force while showing the rise of Darth Plagueis.
"That's why it was important to introduce Yoda. If you were going to introduce Plagueis, then you needed a formidable other side of that," the showrunner said.
"As somebody that knows who Plagueis is and knows where the lineage of the Sith is headed, it would be imbalanced if you didn't have somebody on the light side who carried as much gravitas. So to me it just made sense."
Headland added, "Vernestra keeps saying 'tip the scales,' and I think you just needed something on the other side. If you're going to introduce Plagueis, there can't be that gap. The Jedi have to have their heavy hitter."
The choice of showing only Yoda's back was deliberate for Headland as she didn't intend to have him appear in full capacity.
"Plagueis was always in the script and was always meant to be a tease for a second season. It also felt like there needed to be something on the other side. So I was in prep and I thought of literally the shot that you see of Vernestra coming in and seeing him," she said.
"I knew I didn't want to have a [full] scene with Yoda. I was like, that's not something I'm ready to take on."
It is exciting to see what kind of storyline they have in store for Yoda in the second season, but there's no doubt that he will be an important figure moving forward and serve as a link to the events of the prequel trilogy.
What do you think of Yoda's cameo in the season finale? Let us know in the comments!
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