"What are you? You're no Jedi."

"We are adherents. Acolytes of the Beyond." ―Ooblamon and an Acolyte of the Beyond [src]

The Acolytes of the Beyond were a group of dark side fanatics who existed during the Galactic Civil War. After the death of Darth Vader during the Battle of Endor, the Acolytes of the Beyond 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.

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Description Edit

"As are all living things. All are caught in the river of power that is the Force, trapped by its currents. Only those who wield the dark side of the Force are capable of changing those currents; they are riverbreakers. They do not surrender to fate. They are its foes." ―Kiza's thoughts about the Acolytes' beliefs [src]

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 Acolytes were led by masters such as Yupe Tashu, who communicated with fallen Sith specters. They 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 honour.[1] 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.[1]

They functioned as a sect, meaning when you got in, it was hard to leave, and violent reprisals, punishment and even death was to be expected for anyone who tried to leave the acolytes.[source?] The acolytes were known through as "the mark of Vader."[1]

History Edit

"We are not violent. Not yet." ―An Acolyte of the Beyond [src]

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.[5] 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]

During a revolution in Coronet City on the planet Corellia, another Acolyte, a boy 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.[6] While the other Acolytes rampaged through the streets of Coronet City, Kiza and Remi infiltrated the archives underneath the station and stole a Sith lightsaber. Remi became the owner of the Sith 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]

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 Darth Sidious' former adviser Yupe 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]

Prior to the attack, Tashu gifted the mask of Viceroy Exim Panshard to Kiza. 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 inside her mask. When Remi tried to reclaim his lightsaber, Kiza killed him.[1]

Behind the scenes Edit

The Acolytes of the Beyond first appeared in Chuck Wendig's Star Wars: The Aftermath Trilogy, which was published between 2015 and 2017.[2][6][1] The assassin Ochi was identified as a member of the Acolytes in the reference book Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary.[3]

Appearances Edit

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