Thomas Storai 
“The Acolyte is fresh and different while still feeling very much like Star Wars. It’s a gripping mystery thriller with compelling new characters, stunning visuals, and incredible fight choreography! Lee Jung-jae and Amandla Stenberg shine as the leads of this stellar cast.”
It has been a fantastic year for Star Wars so far with the two animated series – the final season of The Bad Batch and Tales of the Empire. And now, it’s time to go back to live-action with The Acolyte. The 2-episode series premiere releases tonight in the US at 6pm PT/9pm ET and in the UK tomorrow at 2am on Disney+.
THE HIGH REPUBLIC
This new series is set 100 years before The Phantom Menace. In fact, it is the first live-action series taking place during the High Republic, an era that has been explored through a multimedia project composed of novels, comics, manga and even an animated series called Young Jedi Adventures. This era spans 500 to 100 years before the Prequels. So The Acolyte comes right at the end of this era.
Though, rest assured you don’t need any prior knowledge from these books to enjoy this new series. The Acolyte can actually be your starting point into the High Republic era. Before watching this series, I had only read the comics from Phase I of the High Republic and the Character Encyclopedia. So, I had limited knowledge of this era while still knowing broadly what happened. For people who have read all the books, this will obviously enhance your viewing experience. For example, Vernestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson) is a Jedi who first appeared in the books; if you have read the novels, you will know where she started, and with this series, you will learn where she is now.
Because The Acolyte is set far away from the Skywalker saga, I would even say that if you are someone trying to get into Star Wars, this can be your entry point into the best franchise ever. This series requires no prior Star Wars content knowledge to understand what happens.
SOMETHING DIFFERENT
The Acolyte follows Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) who reunites with one of his former Padawan (Amandla Stenberg) as he investigates a series of crimes against the Jedi. This series plays like a thriller that hinges on the mystery of what forces are at play behind the murders of these Jedi. It checks all the right boxes of what makes a good mystery thriller. It’s a gripping one, for sure. I had an absolute blast from the opening scene of episode 1 to the ending scene of episode 4. I just couldn’t get enough of it; I am obsessed! I really can’t wait to see more.
Star Wars can be so many things: it can be a mystery thriller like this series, it can be more of a political/spy drama like Andor, it can rely more on the fantasy aspect like Ahsoka, or a Western like The Mandalorian. This series feels fresh and different from what we have seen before in this franchise while still feeling very much like Star Wars. It has the Star Wars DNA all over it. The showrunner, Leslye Headland, knows exactly what she is doing. You can tell it is someone who has deep knowledge and love for this franchise. She uses this knowledge with her great writing and directing skills to create this amazing series.
ENTERING A NEW ERA
Because it is set 100 years before The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte has a lot to introduce about the state of the galaxy during this time period. And it does so brilliantly. This series is able to take its time to do world-building and introduce so many new characters while moving the main story forward. Each episode is well-paced. The Acolyte also uses flashbacks in one episode to explore the characters’ backstory and reveal how the consequences of their choices impact their present. I think this series uses flashbacks in a way that perfectly works for the story it tells.
Moreover, when we met the Jedi in the Prequels, it was already their fall, but in The Acolyte, we see them in a different light. They are not exactly at their height like at the beginning of the High Republic era, but they haven’t reached their fall yet. So, it’s an interesting period to explore. It’s a Jedi Order that, on the surface, seems all-powerful and benevolent on their pedestal, yet they’re not, and their decisions foreshadow what we see in the Prequels. The arrival of this Acolyte changes everything for them and questions their place in this galaxy. I love what Headland is doing with the Jedi Order in this series. She explores the flaws and complexities of the Jedi in a meaningful way.
Undeniably, this series is a love letter to the Prequels. So, as someone who grew up with this trilogy, it makes me incredibly happy to have a series like The Acolyte. It just warms my heart to see so many Jedi at the same time again in live-action. It’s a dream come true for me. As of now, Ahsoka remains my favorite Star Wars series, but The Acolyte comes in a close second position. When the season ends, it may even reach the top spot and be a tie with Ahsoka. One thing is sure, it is the best series of 2024.
CAST AND CHARACTERS
Furthermore, The Acolyte introduces compelling new characters portrayed by a stellar cast. Both Lee Jung-jae and Amandla Stenberg shine as the leads. Master Sol is my favorite character in this series and has become one of my favorite Jedi. I think it will be the same for a lot of fans. He is very much the ideal of what the Jedi should be, like Qui-Gon Jinn. Lee Jung-jae delivers a powerful multi-layered performance. At times, he can show great emotions and at others, a more contained side of his character. The humanity of his character is what makes him so loveable. Amandla Stenberg also delivers an incredible dual performance. She puts a lot of heart into it.
Yord (Charlie Barnett) and Jecki (Dafne Keen) are two Jedi characters who are similar yet very different, which creates a fun dynamic between them. On top of that, Carrie-Anne Moss playing a Jedi and being able to do a big fight scene is the cherry on the cake. The Acolyte also gives us the first live-action Jedi Wookiee, Master Kelnacca. We previously saw a Jedi Wookiee in animation – Gungi in The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch. And who better to play him than Joonas Suotamo, who has played Chewbacca since The Force Awakens? Seeing a Jedi Wookiee in live-action is incredibly cool.
With Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith), the series explores another side of the Force with witches, as we have seen with the Nightsisters in other series. I love that we get points of view different from the Jedi. This allows us to put what we know of the Jedi in perspective with other Force users. Finally, Manny Jacinto plays an interesting character. There is definitely more to him than it seems. I am looking forward to seeing where this goes. I will also say that this Star Wars is so sexy, I’m not just talking about this beautiful looking cast, but about one scene in particular.
VISUALS & SOUNDTRACK
Michael Abels has composed a wonderful score imbued in Star Wars DNA. It draws inspiration from John Williams’ Prequels score while still being its own thing. In addition, The Acolyte has stunning visuals; I will even say that it is visually the best Star Wars series. Something about the cinematography, the visual aesthetic, and filming on location really elevates this series above the others (not that the others aren’t good visually). Several shots had me like, “Wow,” this is breathtaking! It’s the series that feels the most cinematic.
Because it’s close to the Prequels era, this series draws a lot of inspiration from the Prequels’ visual aesthetic. Obviously, for me, it’s an excellent thing. Seeing Coruscant and the Jedi Temple again makes me so happy! The Jedi Temple has some differences from the one we see in The Phantom Menace. It’s these small differences that make it stand out for its era. And since it’s part of the High Republic era, it also incorporates designs from books like The Jedi Vector Starfighters and the Jedi Robes. They use two different types of robes – a formal one that feels elegant and a field robe that is more practical for missions. It’s a smart design choice that I absolutely love. I do hope that Galaxy’s Edge will start selling these field robes because I will surely get one!
The Acolyte has a lot of new ship designs, new planets, new aliens, and new droids. It’s a substantial addition to the franchise that creates a distinct visual aesthetic for this era, halfway between the Prequels and the height of the High Republic. Speaking of aliens, we also see known species from the Sequels, Solo, but more importantly, species from the Prequels! I have been waiting to see Prequels era species again for so long, and this series is finally doing it. It doesn’t get any better! There are plenty of surprises.
Since there are Jedi and murders, this means there are fight scenes. This series has incredible fight choreography with heavy influence from martial arts. Think a bit like Matrix. The Jedi didn’t always use their lightsabers during the High Republic era, so the martial arts style of fighting totally makes sense for this period. Lightsabers are used when the Jedi don’t have any other choice. It’s great to see Jedi fighting like this. Impressive is the right word for these fight sequences. Speaking of lightsabers, we see designs closer to the High Republic era, which means simpler in style. The color of the blades includes yellow/orange, too! We hadn’t seen it in live-action apart from Rey’s final lightsaber. So, it’s nice to see that color more prominently during this era.
I have good news for you. The Acolyte has the planet names appearing on screen, like Rogue One and Andor. We should always have this. There are a lot of new planets, so it’s helpful to know where the characters are.
VERDICT
The Acolyte is fresh and different while still feeling very much like Star Wars. It’s a gripping mystery thriller with compelling new characters, stunning visuals, and incredible fight choreography! Undoubtedly, Leslye Headland knows what she is doing with this series. She has crafted a love letter to the Prequels. Lee Jung-jae and Amandla Stenberg shine as the leads of this stellar cast.
The 2-episode series premiere of Star Wars: The Acolyte releases tonight in the US at 6 pm PT/9 pm ET and in the UK tomorrow at 2 am on Disney Plus.
Collectables and Anime Editor for Future Of The Force.
Star Wars expert and Japan connoisseur.
