The Acolyte Is The Star Wars Show That Will Ditch Its 'Galactic Conflict' Roots
Of the approximately 3,720 "Star Wars" projects currently in the works, "The Acolyte" might be the one with the greatest potential to truly shake things up for the franchise. Developed by "Russian Doll" co-creator Leslye Headland, the show takes place 100 years prior to "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace," near the end of the High Republic era. It's a period in "Star Wars" history that we've yet to see depicted in live-action — a time when, as Obi-Wan Kenobi once infamously put it, "For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times, before the Empire."
The key word there is "peace." The High Republic era isn't bereft of conflict (this is still "Star Wars," after all), but there's no actual war being waged in "The Acolyte," at least not on a galactic scale. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly's "Dagobah Dispatch" podcast (conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike), Headland, along with "The Acolyte" actors Amandla Stenberg and Lee Jung-jae, discussed what it was like tackling this unique challenge.
Headland pointed out "The Acolyte" takes place earlier in the Disney-era "Star Wars" timeline than any other live-action project released to date, "so we are looking at a time period where the Jedi are at the height of their power." That also means the Sith and other nefarious dark side types are still lurking in the shadows, waiting for their time to strike.
"We're looking at a time period where there is peace throughout the galaxy. It was very challenging and interesting to make a 'Star Wars' with no war in it," said Headland. "So the question became, 'Well, what should the show be about if it's not going to be about galactic conflict?'"
What indeed.
A certain point of view
Mind you, "The Acolyte" won't be the first glimpse we've gotten of what a galaxy far, far away is like in the absence of a galaxy-wide dispute. To be sure, the thing that made "The Mandalorian" so refreshing in its earlier seasons was the way it showed what the "Star Wars" universe looks like from the perspective of working-class stiffs just trying to get by in the wake of the Galactic Civil War.
"I think that what makes this show different and interesting is that it's from the perspective of the villains of 'Star Wars,'" said Headland. "These are people who are using the Force in their own way, dipping into the darker sides of the Force and are doing it without being sanctioned by the larger institution, which, in this case, is the Jedi."
To that same point, "The Acolyte" will be the first time we've really gotten to see what the Jedi Order was like as an institution prior to the prequel trilogy, at least outside of animated series like "Tales of the Jedi." (Yet again, "Star Wars" animation proves to be ahead of the curve.) "'Star Wars' is always about some version of the underdog versus the institution," noted Headland. "And I just thought it was very interesting to do a show about the bad guys and to set that during that time period made the most sense. So it's kind of almost flipped."
"We have more Jedi than you've seen in any of the of the 'Star Wars' content, but at the same time, you see more morally ambiguous characters than you've seen in other 'Star Wars' content," she added. I don't know about you, but I'm getting strong "Andor" vibes from the way Headland is describing "The Acolyte," and I'm digging it.
Moral and ethical conflict
Without a clearly-defined threat, Stenberg said "The Acolyte" is able to delve deeper into the grey moral areas of "Star Wars" than other projects have (again, much like "Andor"). "It's a really interesting time in the galaxy," said Stenberg. "Because there are no wars, we get to lean into the underdogs and the moral ambiguity of these characters. And so I have the opportunity of playing something that holds a lot of moral and ethical conflict, which I think is my favorite part of 'Star Wars.'"
How, then, will "The Acolyte" meet its action quota without massive space battles? In the past, Headland has talked about taking a lot of inspiration from Wuxia martial arts epics — meaning, we should be getting some pretty sick lightsaber duels and choreography. "I can say this pretty confidently," said Headland. "I don't think you're going to see action in other shows the way that you see it utilized in our show."
Lee, of course, is no stranger to unorthodox action after starring in "Squid Game." He confirmed he plays a Jedi master in "The Acolyte" ("I can't believe I'm playing a Jedi master and I get to use a lightsaber!"), but suggested it was the show's philosophical subject matter that really made an impression on him. "Back in the day, I thought ['Star Wars'] was just a cool film, full of surprises," said Lee. "Now as an older person, I realize the topics that they talk about are much deeper than what's first perceived. And actually working on the project, I understand more of the themes and the topics that they talk about. And I really get to explore the emotions and express the themes and the topics very well."
"The Acolyte" will premiere on Disney+ in 2024.