Yoda and other legacy characters will not appear in The Acolyte 

Star Wars: The Acolyte is one of the most exciting series coming to be franchise. Set 100 years before The Phantom Menace, the show will be the first time The High Republic has made its way to the screen. But what does this mean for classic characters like Yoda?

Will Yoda appear in The Acolyte?

Via SFFGazette, The Acolyte will be trying its hardest to stay away from iconic Star Wars characters. Being set so far before the prequels helps a lot as most characters — including main villain Emperor Palpatine — are not born yet.

However, some characters are still around, specifically one: Jedi Master Yoda. Unfortunately for fans, it would appear that Palpatine’s little green friend will either not appear or be featured very briefly.

Showrunner Leslye Headland explained that this series is trying to get away from the franchise’s iconography. In order to create something fresh, zealous imagery of franchise past must be avoided. 

“You could not pay me enough money to try to be in the Luke Skywalker timeline," they said. "I’m like, 'No, thank you!' It’s just too intense. There’s too much iconography and intensity with those particular characters. Whereas, I think I’m telling a story that’s more about a timeline we don’t know much about. Let’s hang out here for a little bit and check out what Star Wars looks like when the good guys are actually in charge."

Read More: Star Wars will never have its Avengers moment, says Kathleen Kennedy

More beautiful than the prequel era

One of Headland’s most interesting tidbits about The Acolyte relates to the makeup of its world. Just as the prequels did to the Original Trilogy, The High Republic era is a cleaner, more extravagant world with the Jedi at the high of their power.

This is in direct opposition to The Old Republic, the now non-canon era before the prequels. Instead, that era — which stories will directly influence The Acolyte — opted for the grungy original trilogy look.

“The further you go back, the better things are,” they explained. “'A long time ago' actually becomes more futuristic. So while we are creating this type of world, we’re trying to carry George’s concept that the further you go back, the more exciting and new and sleek and interesting things look. You can’t just end up with George’s Phantom Menace situation if everything is going well.”