Our thoughts on the first 4 episodes of Star Wars The Acolyte on Disney Plus!
Hey All!
Disney Plus’ new Star Wars series The Acolyte is the latest live action Star Wars themed venture into expanding the story of a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. The story in The Acolyte actually occurs “100 years before the rise of the Galactic Empire.”
This is the first Star Wars live action production to take place in the High Republic Era, which has been explored in books, games, and the animated show Young Jedi Adventures. Because of the difference in the eras, The Acolyte actually has a different visual language from previous Star Wars.
The most obvious tells are the fighting style and the apparel. The fighting choreography is very reminiscent of the work from famous director and fight Choreographer Yuen Woo-ping; best known by American audiences for his fight choreography work on Matrix Reloaded, Kill Bill Volume 1, Kill Bill Volume 2, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This style of cinematic martial arts works particularly well with the Jedi in how it emphasizes their more Zen-like mentality. Bonus points for the first time we see it on display being done by Jedi Master Indara as played by Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity herself from the Matrix films)!
The apparel difference is most obvious when we look at the Jedi. They still wear their neutral-colored robes, but the shades of the colors are just slightly different enough to notice the difference. They very much follow the color scheme of the young Jedis in the aforementioned Young Jedi Adventures animated show. Other than that connection to establishing the aesthetic of Star Wars’ High Republic Era, the two shows do not match in tone and your kids who watch Young Jedi Adventures might not be ready for The Acolyte.
The Acolyte is exploring the genre of crime-mystery within the Star Wars Universe. This is not completely unfamiliar territory for Star Wars as we have seen in other films and shows where a Jedi Master and a Padawan investigate a crime the same way two police officers would. What The Acolyte does do is lean heavier into the ever-growing theme of The Jedi Order being very flawed and having a non-altruistic agenda.
The first two episodes of The Acolyte come out on June 4th but I was able to watch the first four episodes. Because of the show very much pulling threads to reveal parts of the story as the show progresses, there are many elements of the show which being discussed could ruin the enjoyment of the experience. I will say that the main character is played by Amanda Stenberg (Bodies Bodies Bodies, The Hunger Games) and the story revolves around a tragedy from her childhood (which does not get revealed until episode 3) and a crime which opens the show.
Investigating the crime are Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-Jae from Squid Game) and Padawan Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen who I will always remember as X-23 from the film Logan). This is really all I want to say about the plot because of the mystery nature. Leslye Headland, who cocreated the Netflix hit show Russian Doll, is the showrunner of The Acolyte.
One thing I want to mention is the introduction of more force users who are not Nightsisters, Jedi, or Sith. There is a coven of “witches” who also are one with the force. I want to mention this because I think it’s important to not only the narrative of the show The Acolyte, but also the overall exploration that Star Wars has been doing over the last twenty years into the idea that the power known as the force is something that has not been exclusive to Jedi.
The idea of multiple groups of people who are not Jedi but still being able to tap into the force has been one of many new things in Star Wars which expands the story and setting of this galaxy. In the same way that The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch have given audiences a different take on Storm Troopers, we may now be getting a different perspective on what The Force is and how it can be used in different ways and that is exciting.
The Acolyte fits the tone and aesthetic of Star Wars very well. The format of the storytelling is different but befitting for the story it is telling. The fight choreography is very different from previous Star Wars, but it is done very very well and as aforementioned very fitting for The Jedi Order. Despite being a different era from the Star Wars universe, everything still very much feels and looks of that universe. More than anything, The Acolyte is going to appeal mostly to people who are already fans of Star Wars, but due to its placement within the continuity of the Star Wars timeline, it would also work really well for people who are brand new to Star Wars.
I think the combination of The Acolyte and Young Jedi Adventures has the potential to usher in a group of people for whom The High Republic Era is THEIR Star Wars and this may be the beginning of that specific fandom. Though the tone mature and serious, there is nothing that makes The Acolyte accessible to younger viewers. As with most Star Wars, there is no vulgarity and violence is not graphic.
Check it out on Disney Plus Now!
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