Annlyel James 
Annlyel is incredibly excited about Leslye Headland’s new Star Wars series, The Acolyte, and can’t wait to share her enthusiasm.
The Acolyte has finally arrived, igniting excited chatter on the internet and within our team. Annlyel joins in to share her enthusiasm for the show.
As a Star Wars fan, I find the last few years interesting, filled with highs and lows. There have been moments when this franchise has given me so much joy (Luke’s return in The Force Awakens, the last fifteen minutes of Rogue One, the entire One Way Out episode, Hayden Christensen’s return in Ahsoka, etc.). Still, there has also been an equal number of moments that have not been as enjoyable to watch. And so, because I didn’t know what to expect anymore, my excitement for The Acolyte was muted in case it was another disappointment.
I am happy to report that “The Acolyte” is the best thing Disney has produced since “Andor.” If we compare multi-episode premieres, I’m picking it.
A NW ERA OF STAR WARS STORYTELLING?
One of the things I’ve been starving for as a Star Wars fan is the cinematic feeling that the movies provide. No matter how good the shows get, they still feel like series. Still, The Acolyte manages to feel surprisingly cinematic. This show isn’t shying away from taking us to multiple locations. As each new planet appeared, I felt a little giddy inside, like when I was a child. And then, there are the characters.
Ever since they announced that Lee Jung-jae was going to star in The Acolyte, I have been extremely excited to meet his character. He has not disappointed. In the span of two episodes, Jedi Master Sol has stepped into the echelon of Jedi in this franchise with his kind-heartedness. I found myself clinging to every word he said and all of the emotion that he managed to convey in such a quick amount of time.
While we still don’t know the extent of his relationship with Amandla Stenberg’s Osha and Mae, the history is there. I’ve always been a fan of the family dynamics in this franchise. That is why Star Wars: Rebels is my favorite story in all franchises.
OSHA AND MAE
Of course, that leads me directly to Amandla Stenberg’s Mae and Osha. She is phenomenal. As the lead of this series, she is utterly captivating from the moment she arrives on the screen. There is such intensity in her performance as Mae. But when she plays Osha, there is another side to her. This silent strength makes me wonder how incredible she would’ve been if she had remained a Jedi. I am constantly blown away by how invested she made in these twins’ stories in so short a time.
That leads me to another delightful aspect of this story: it has nothing to do with the Skywalkers. For so long, it has felt like Star Wars, a franchise that is supposed to be set in a galaxy far, far away, has been revolving in a circle of familiarity. The Force Awakens was great, but it was A New Hope all over again with a new Imperial threat, a new Death Star, a new bad guy in a mask, and a new protagonist from a sand planet. And the familiarity never ceased.
The first season of The Mandalorian felt fresh and exciting. But they relegated the series the second season to becoming a cameo farm to score nostalgia points. We go round and round, telling the same stories with the same characters repeatedly. After a while, that storytelling can get stale.
A CLEAN SLATE?
The Acolyte is a breath of fresh air because it genuinely feels like Disney can finally tell their own story. There’s no Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Palpatine, Ahsoka Tano, Empire, or Separatists. It’s a clean slate filled with the first signs of what will become the story we know in The Phantom Menace, and I can’t tell you how much I love that. And that’s not all there is to love about this fantastic new series.
The score invokes that feeling that only Star Wars can. The action, so far, is stellar, but I have to commend the series for its level of diversity, unlike anything I’ve seen in this franchise. I never thought I’d ever get to see so many different people in this series. As a Black Star Wars fan, it makes this show feel a little more special. I also have to thank the creators for filling this story with aliens. One of the gripes I had with the Andor was the surprising lack of aliens, so it’s nice to not only see aliens everywhere but that even one of the main characters, Dafne Keen’s Jecki Lon, is an alien.
LOOKING AHEAD
Overall, I haven’t been this excited about Star Wars in a long while, and if the series continues to be this good, I think Lucasfilm should continue to tell more stories set in The High Republic era and beyond.
The Acolyte two-episode launch event is streaming on Disney Plus now.
Our team will cover this series comprehensively, providing traditional review coverage and prominent character posters, bios, and teasers. To stay updated and never miss a story or review, please subscribe to our mailing list on our homepage.
Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
