Star Wars is a sprawling universe that fans have only seen a fraction of in movies and television shows. Film and television projects can take years to materialize. However, Star Wars novels and comics have been at the forefront of this expanding universe. The official timeline for the Star Wars universe is in place. Therefore, it’s important that the franchise ties its film and television projects to its canon novels and comics. The upcoming Disney+ show, The Acolyte, seems to be doing this by hinting that the Path of the Open Hand, a High Republic novel group, will make its Star Wars live-action debut.
The Star Wars History of the Nihil and the Path of the Open Hand, Explained
The Acolyte will transport Star Wars fans to the High Republic era. The High Republic is also known as the golden age of the Jedi. The collective was at the height of its power more than a century before the events of the prequel films. In the books, the main enemy of the Jedi during the High Republic wasn’t the Sith. It was a chaotic group of pirates known as the Nihil. As the power of the Republic expanded across the galaxy, the Nihil were an antagonistic force attacking the Republic’s cosmopolitan values. This was first explored in Charles Soule’s novel, The Light of the Jedi, which kickstarted the High Republic publishing initiative.
The Nihil, however, can trace their roots back to a cult called the Path of the Open Hand. Located in the Outer Rim, far away from the political center of Coruscant, the Path of the Open Hand did not want anyone to ever use the Force. The group believed using the Force in the manner of the Jedi was to “abuse” it, as described in Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton’s novel, The Path of Deceit. The members of the Path of the Open Hand are “acolytes” who serve their leader, a woman called “the Mother,” in The Path of Deceit novel.
The Path of the Open Hand Fights Users of the Force
The Path of the Open Hand pursued their goals by stealing artifacts rich in the Force. But eventually, they resorted to something even more terrifying. They would use creatures called the Nameless that hunt Force-sensitives and drain them of their life energy until their bodies are nothing but husks of stone. The Eye of Darkness by George Mann and other novels in the High Republic line affirm that even the most powerful Jedi are helpless against the Nameless.
With this in mind, the trailers for The Acolyte pepper in several clues to the involvement of The Path of the Open Hand, or another group that holds a similar ideology. A Jedi named Yord Fandar (Charlie Bennett) says that someone has been “killing Jedi” and “it doesn’t make sense.” This matches the sense of confusion that the Jedi experience upon discovering the calcified bodies of Nameless victims in High Republic novels. The Nameless are a horrific and existential threat to the Jedi, disrupting Force-sensitives’ ability to connect to the Force. The fear on so many Jedi’s faces in The Acolyte’s trailers hint at something on par with the Nameless.
The Acolyte‘s Mother Aniseya Could Be the Path of the Open Hand’s Leader
Additionally, the appearance of a character named Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) also hints at the Path of the Open Hand. Aniseya is referred to as “Mother,” just like Elecia, the Mother of the Path of the Open Hand. (“Aniseya” and “Elecia” sound super similar, don’t they?) Furthermore, Mother Aniseya has a design drawn on her forehead in a circular shape with two dots in the center. The Path of the Open Hand’s acolytes initially drew three horizontal lines on their foreheads. But the group they later turned into, the Nihil, frequently painted a circular symbol with a dot in the center. This represented the eye of a storm, a central element of Nihil philosophy. While Mother Aniseya’s symbol is more intricate than the Nihil’s, their visual similarities are worth consideration.
Beyond surface-level similarities with the Path of the Open Hand and the Nihil, Mother Aniseya espouses a similar philosophy to both groups. In the below trailer, she says, “This isn’t about good or bad. This is about power, and who is allowed to use it.” Mother Aniseya’s statement fits in with the character arc for the Path of the Open Hand’s Mother.
Mother Elecia was revealed to be Force-sensitive, and used it to fuel her followers’ devotion. Elecia preaching against the Jedi’s use of the Force while hunting them down with the Nameless was a way to consolidate her own power as the leader of the Path of the Open Hand. Additionally, when she was a child, Elecia was not selected to be trained by the Jedi, while her sister was. This prompted a discussion of “who” can use the Force, and how, in The Path of Deceit. We have yet to see what Mother Aniseya thinks about the Jedi. However, it’s clear that the Path of the Open Hand’s Mother provides a compelling template for The Acolyte’s conflict.
Of course, “acolyte” is also a Sith term. And, the appearance of a red lightsaber in the trailer makes it clear that the dark side isn’t too far away. There also remains a question of how and why the philosophy of the Path of the Open Hand would continue to persist at the tail end of the High Republic. After all, the Path of the Open Hand transformed into the Path of the Closed Fist, before becoming the Nihil. Still, the High Republic publishing initiative spent years developing a conflict over the use of the Force in the galaxy. The fact that The Acolyte’s first trailer begins with a Jedi instructing younglings to reach out to the Force is a hopeful sign that this spirit will continue on in the show.
Lastly, The Acolyte takes place further down the timeline from where the High Republic novels take place. Perhaps the connective tissue between these two time periods within the High Republic will be Jedi Vernestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson). She was a young Jedi Knight at the time of the Republic’s first clashes with the Nihil. In The Acolyte, Vernestra is a seasoned Jedi Master, who will no doubt be instrumental to the Jedi’s fight.
The Acolyte premieres on June 4, so let’s see what Lucasfilm has in store.