As the Empire fractures in the wake of Return of the Jedi, Star Wars‘Acolytes from Beyond have an important new role in the saga. The Acolytes of the Beyond are worshipers of the dark side of the Force who follow the ways of the Sith. Now, they are joined by Grand Moff Ubrik Adelhard, an Imperial officer who denies the Emperor’s death. In fact, the Acolytes even found a way to give Adelhard his own Inquisitor.
The identity of the mysterious new inquisitor is revealed in Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku – Rise of the Insurgency #4 by Alex Segura, Luke Ross, Jethro Morales, Rachelle Rosenberg and Joe Caramagna. Surprisingly, Adelhard’s executioner is Reyna Oskure, one of the Acolytes of the Beyond. Reyna even gets into an anticlimactic fight with Luke Skywalker, but is quickly overpowered.
After Luke defeats Reyna with a Force push, he disarms her, knocking the lightsaber out of her hand. Luke calls Reyna a suitor, but she expresses how little he knows about her and the Acolytes, insinuating that its influence is only growing after the destruction of the Death Star.
Grand Moff Adelhard gets his own inquisitor, thanks to a traitorous acolyte from beyond the grave
Acolytes of the Beyond Collect and Use Dark Side Artifacts
The Acolytes of the Beyond collect Sith artifacts, originally sacrificing them in honor of their original owners. Eventually, the Acolytes began hoarding the Sith artifacts they found, believing they needed to arm themselves against the growing New Republic, to return order to the galaxy using the dark side of the Force. They eventually became one of the greatest influences within the Empire after the destruction of the second Death Star.
On Grand Moff Adelhard’s ship, while Reyna Oskure poses as an Imperial Inquisitor, she wields a lightsaber reminiscent of that of an Empire Reign era Inquisitor. With the history of the Acolytes of the Beyond collecting Sith artifacts, it is more likely that this lightsaber he did belong to one of the Inquisitors of old. If that’s the case, Even Acolytes may not understand what they are about to unleash.
Acolytes Could Allow the Return of the Sith
The presence of the dark side within a Sith artifact can influence its user
Many dark side artifacts are possessed by remnants of the Sith who originally used them, and powerful artifacts (e.g., Darth Momin’s helmet) can possess those who come into contact with them. Reyna Oskue’s comments about Luke underestimating the Acolytes from Beyond suggest she may be deliberately channeling Sith artifacts. Perhaps the presence of the dark side within the artifact could do more than influence its actions, but also its connection to the Force, as Acolytes are generally not Force users. This is especially concerning given that the issue ends with Grand Moff Adelhard declaring his intention to explore the “magic” of the Force himself.
Most of the information about the Acolytes of the Afterlife comes from Chuck Wendig’s book Consequences new series that takes place in the same period as this one comic book series and ends with the Battle of Jakku. Hopefully, the Battle of Jakku The comic series delves into the culture and religion of the Acolytes and visualizes how Sith artifacts influence their actions and explore the dark side. Grand Moff Adelhard’s union with the Acolytes of the Beyond means this pretender to Palpatine’s throne may be about to unleash the ancient Sith through his artifacts, creating a true threat to Luke Skywalker’s unseen years in Star Wars canon.
Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku – Rise of the Insurgency #4 is now available from Marvel Comics.