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Acolytes of the Beyond

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For other uses, see acolyte (disambiguation).
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Star Wars Adventures: Shadow of Vader's Castle, Star Wars Adventures: Ghosts of Vader's Castle 1, Star Wars Adventures: Ghosts of Vader's Castle 5, Shadow of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary, The Final Order and the Battle of Exegol

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"What are you? You're no Jedi."
"We are adherents. Acolytes of the Beyond."
―Ooblamon and an Acolyte of the Beyond[2]

The Acolytes of the Beyond, also known simply as the Acolytes, were a cult of dark side fanatics who came to prominence during the last year of the Galactic Civil War, and had developed into a network of cells across the galaxy during the start of the era of the New Republic. These religious zealots were known for sacrificing of sentient beings and allegedly consulting with the specters of fallen Sith.

After the death of Darth Vader during the Battle of Endor and the birth of the New Republic, the Acolytes of the Beyond emerged and followed the Sith religion and purchased what they believed was the fallen Dark Lord of the Sith's lightsaber, intending to return it to him in death. Two months after purchasing the lightsaber, the Acolytes staged a revolution in Coronet City on Corellia. Prior to the Battle of Jakku, Acolyte cells throughout the galaxy launched a series of coordinated attacks against New Republic enclaves and outposts on various worlds including Devaron.

The Acolytes of the Beyond was a shell of its former self by the time Jedi Luke Skywalker and researcher Lor San Tekka found them, before they seemingly all but disappeared sometime before 21 ABY, fading into history.

Description[]

"Not all who worship the dark side are strong with the Force. Some are merely fanatics who understand that the dark side is the one true path to victory—even if it is a path they are not capable of walking themselves. One such group of adherents was the Acolytes of the Beyond. They believed that the Force is akin to a river, and that the dark side is the only means of changing its currents. To alter the future in their favor, they devoted themselves to gathering Sith arcana, destroying the objects, and releasing the dark energies within as a sacrificial offering to the ancient Sith Lords. Later, the Acolytes wisely decided that these irreplaceable artifacts should be revered, not destroyed. Led by a number of extreme loyalists—including my former Imperial advisor, Yupe Tashu—the Acolytes relentlessly pursued Sith secrets, fueling their unwavering devotion to my cause."
―Darth Sidious[5]
Darth Vader Dark Lord of the Sith 12 Textless

Sith lightsabers were of great interest to the Acolytes.

The Acolytes of the Beyond consisted of non-Force-sensitive individuals who called themselves shadows. The shadows regarded themselves and all other living things as slaves to the Force, which they perceived as a river of power. They believed that only Force-users who wielded the dark side of the Force were capable of changing those currents. They regarded the Sith as riverbreakers who did not succumb to fate. The Acolytes worshiped fallen Sith, who had gone beyond the veil. Many Acolytes also received dreams from fallen Sith.[1] The true master of the Acolytes was Yupe Tashu, who recruited many the cult's members. Former Acolyte Komat even pondered if the Acolyte Kiza, who had joined after receiving Force visions, had been given those visions by Tashu, possibly through the use of an unknown Sith artifact.[6]

The Acolytes were led by masters such as Tashu, who communicated with fallen Sith specters.[1] According to Komat, Tashu hoped to use the Acolytes to restore dark side power to the galaxy with himself as its ruler.[6] The Acolytes also revered various Sith artifacts including lightsabers and helmets since they were imbued with the power of the dark side. While the Acolytes initially stole lightsabers in order to sacrifice to the Sith "beyond," they began to keep the ancient weapons following the rise of the New Republic, and to be given a lightsaber was considered a great honor. As Sith devotees, the Acolytes opposed the new order brought by the New Republic. During the last stage of the Galactic Civil War, the Acolytes embarked on a campaign of armed resistance against the new government. The acolytes were known through as "the mark of Vader."[1]

History[]

Rise[]

"We are not violent. Not yet."
―An Acolyte of the Beyond[2]
Ochi-CEUEEd

Ochi of Bestoon was an Acolyte of the Beyond.

During the Battle of Endor, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader was killed after sacrificing his life to kill his Sith Master: Darth Sidious, the Emperor of the Galactic Empire.[7] Several months later, the group known as the Acolytes of the Beyond came in contact with a Kubaz junk dealer named Ooblamon on the planet Taris, who claimed to possess the red-bladed lightsaber that had belonged to the Dark Lord. Three Acolytes of the Beyond purchased the lightsaber from Ooblamon, intending to destroy it and return it to Vader in death. Ooblamon was unsure if it was Vader's lightsaber, but the transaction was carried out nonetheless.[2] Sidious' former adviser Yupe Tashu,[1] who was also currently the foremost expert on the dark side of the Force, joined the Acolytes with his partner, a Sith assassin known as Ochi of Bestoon.[8]

During a revolution in Coronet City on the planet Corellia, another Acolyte, a boy named Remi, who called himself Oblivion, was arrested. He was taken to a nearby station where he was freed by the Pantoran Kiza, a secret member of the organization. Together they killed all but one of the detectives in the station, cutting off his hand.[9] While the other Acolytes rampaged through the streets of Coronet City, Kiza and Remi infiltrated the archives underneath the station and stole a lightsaber. Remi became the owner of the lightsaber and was influenced by the dark side presence inside the object. While the Acolytes had initially stolen Sith lightsabers to sacrifice to the Sith beyond, they began to keep them as the group began to embark on a policy of armed resistance against the New Republic, the successor to the Rebel Alliance.[1]

Across the galaxy[]

Corellia-SWCT

The Acolytes of the Beyond rampaged through the streets of Corellia.

By 5 ABY, the Acolytes of the Beyond had developed into a network of cells across the galaxy. They were led by several masters including Tashu, who worshiped fallen Sith. In the period leading up to the Battle of Jakku, the Acolytes launched a series of coordinated strikes against New Republic outposts and enclaves on various worlds. Tashu led a 24-member cell on the planet Devaron during an attack on a small New Republic outpost.[1] The mission on Devaron would reveal to the Acolytes that Tashu was their leader.[6]

Prior to the attack, Tashu gifted the mask of Viceroy Exim Panshard to Kiza.[1] He was well-aware that Panshard's presence survived in the mask and intended to use Kiza as a tool for galactic conquest, rather than sacrifice his own will by wearing the mask himself.[6] When Remi demanded the mask for himself, Tashu chastised him and handed his lightsaber to Kiza. During the attack on the New Republic outpost, the Acolytes brandished various weapons including clubs, machine shop blades, and chop-axes, which were all painted red. Kiza was possessed by the dark side presence[1] of Panshard[6] inside her mask. When Remi tried to reclaim his lightsaber, Kiza killed him.[1] Her fellow Acolyte Komat also claimed she killed Tashu,[6] but Tashu actually died in the Battle of Jakku.[1]

Fall[]

"So they were just kids, really?"
"Kids and outcasts. People who had lost friends and family and were perhaps looking for answers they couldn't find anywhere else."
"But they weren't Sith?"
"No, but they were obsessed with those who were. None of them actually understood anything about the Force, but that didn't mean they weren't dangerous. They murdered a lot of people to get what they wanted."
"Relics and artifacts. Like this lightsaber."
―Landonis Balthazar Calrissian and Luke Skywalker discuss the Acolytes, based on Skywalker's knowledge of their weakened state when he found them[6]

By the time Jedi Luke Skywalker and researcher Lor San Tekka followed a lead on the lightsaber of Darth Noctyss to the Acolytes and found them, the group was a shell of its former self. They managed to convince Komat to give up the life of the Acolytes and redeem herself.[6] At some point before the mission to Pasaana of 21 ABY,[4] the Acolytes no longer existed, but Ochi had instead become a follower of the Sith Eternal under the resurrected Sidious[8] after they reached out to him with a new mission: find Sidious's granddaughter, Rey. Around the same time, Kiza was killed during a duel against Skywalker, and the spirit of Panshard was destroyed with his mask during a subsequent skirmish.[6]

Legacy[]

During his time on Exegol, the resurrected Sidious spoke highly of their actions. He was particularly pleased about the Acolytes' comprehension of the dark side being key to victory, despite not having the proper connection to the Force to make use of it themselves. He also approved of their altered focus from destroying Sith arcana to collecting them. Sidious believed that the Acolytes were helping further his cause due to the presence of several extreme loyalists in their ranks.[5]

Behind the scenes[]

The Acolytes of the Beyond first appeared the 2015 novel Aftermath, written by Chuck Wendig.[2]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 Aftermath: Empire's End
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Aftermath
  3. ↑ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary states that Temmin Wexley and Norra Wexley were reunited on Akiva 30 years before the Starkiller incident, which Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates to 34 ABY. Therefore their reunion, and the events of Aftermath, including the appearance of the Acoltyes of the Beyond, took place in 4 ABY.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "The Final Order and the Battle of Exegol" establishes that the Acolytes of the Beyond fell sometime prior to the mission to Pasaana. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary dates the mission to thirteen years before the Starkiller Incident, which Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates to 34 ABY. Therefore, the mission must take place in 21 ABY.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Star Wars: The Secrets of the Sith
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Shadow of the Sith
  7. ↑ Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 AltayaCite "The Final Order and the Battle of Exegol" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
  9. ↑ Aftermath: Life Debt
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