Star Wars Takes Us Back To The High Republic In First Trailer For The Acolyte
It's now been five years since Lucasfilm and parent company Disney made a new "Star Wars" film. Instead, stories about that galaxy far, far away have been chronicled in Disney+ TV shows and in a multimedia project of books and comics that you might not even be aware of: "Star Wars: The High Republic."
Set a few centuries before the Skywalker Saga begins in "The Phantom Menace" (returning to theaters this May), "The High Republic" is so named because it follows the Republic and the Jedi Order at the height of their powers. The Sith are in hiding, believed to have been vanquished, and the Jedi instead face a pirate horde called the Nihil.
These two modes of "Star Wars" storytelling combine in "The Acolyte," a new Disney+ series set during the High Republic era. We at /Film previously saw series footage at the 2023 "Star Wars" celebration (where creators of "The Acolyte" described the series as "Frozen" meets "Kill Bill"). Now, the series' first trailer has dropped online and you can catch your own glimpse into the past of the "Star Wars" universe.
The darker sides of the Force
"The Acolyte" was created by Leslye Headland (co-creator of Natasha Lyonne's time-travel series "Russian Doll") and is set to run for eight episodes. There's been much speculation that the series will finally show what the Sith were up to in the High Republic era. Headland made comments to Entertainment Weekly in July 2023 that could support this:
"I think that what makes this show different and interesting is that it's from the perspective of the villains of 'Star Wars.' 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."
Still, the officially released material focuses more on the Jedi. The synopsis of "The Acolyte" is as follows: "A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated."
The series lead is Amandla Stenberg as the former Padawan, while other Jedi cast members include Carrie Anne-Moss, Lee Jung-jae, and Dafne Keen. Rebecca Henderson plays the previously established High Republic Jedi, Vernestra Rwoh, while Joonas Suotamo plays the Wookiee Jedi Kelnacca. Manny Jacinto plays a non-Jedi (per Collider), while Jodie Turner-Smith plays a character who wields the Force without being a Sith or a Jedi (also via Collider).
"The Acolyte" premieres June 4, 2024, on Disney+.