Star Wars You have a tendency to feel small. Even though the franchise has expanded with shows like The Mandalorian and Andor, the stories are still connected in some way to Luke and Vader, the Empire and the Rebel Alliance, and other elements introduced in 1977. A universe that once seemed vast and full has been progressively shrinking. But the last program, The acolyte, has a good solution for this: turn back the clock 100 years. You don't need to worry about Skywalkers if they haven't been born yet.
The show begins like a whodunit, with a mysterious assassin targeting specific Jedi masters and killing them one by one. Initially, all signs point to Osha (Amandla Stenberg), a former Jedi student who left the order because she couldn't let go of the pain of losing her twin sister, Mae. (No matter the era, Jedi love to suppress their emotions.) Eventually, Osha teams up with her former teacher Sol de ella (Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae) to investigate, and as is the case with most murder mysteries, the more they investigate the murders, the bigger the crime becomes. I won't spoil things, but the reveal of the killer isn't that hard to predict, and it's also probably the least interesting part of the mystery, which is rapidly growing in scope.
The acolytedirected by showrunner Leslye Headland (Russian doll), might be more notable for what's missing. Yes, the Jedi are a focal point and still have a temple on Coruscant, wield colorful lightsabers, and take promising young boys from their families to train. But outside of those Force wielders, The acolyte is largely free of the typical telltale signs of Star Wars. That means no Stormtroopers, no x-wings or TIE fighters, no Tatooine, and hardly any droids (and certainly none as advanced as C-3PO). Because there is no Empire yet, there is not even a war in this. Star Wars.
A galaxy at peace is a refreshing change of pace and allows The acolyte focus on its new sects and characters without all the political machinations that can stop modernity Star Wars below. That includes a coven of exiled witches who can wield the Force (but call it the Thread, since it connects all things) and dark Force users who secretly train under the tutelage of a new great evil so secretive that not even its students they know. his identity.
The show even has a different look, with the technology adapted to the time period. Osha has a job as a freelance ship mechanic, for example, because droids like R2-D2 aren't common yet. Instead, his best friend is an adorable handheld tool that is also a little robot named Pip. (It wouldn't be new Star Wars without a nice new droid). Some of the changes and additions are purely superficial: one of my favorites is a convict who looks like a Cenobite cyborg from hellraiser – but they all give the show enough of their own distinctive flavor.
For a show where mystery is so key, that flavor is vital. Uncertainty increases. You know the main villain isn't a returning figure or group because none of them exist yet. It's not like Darth Maul is going to show up unexpectedly. Instead, he is the familiar Jedi investigating what appears to be an unknown threat. For me, and I say this as someone who really enjoyed people like Ahsoka and Obi Wan — has done the Star Wars The universe not only feels big again but also unpredictable in a way it hasn't experienced in a long time.
Of course, it's entirely possible that the program won't be able to keep up with this pace. I've only seen the first half and there are some major questions. The acolyte you still need to respond, which could alter how fresh you finally feel. But it's off to a solid start, and hopefully the rest will show just how rife with possibilities this older era is. Maybe Star Wars You'll finally have a new story to build on.
The first two episodes of The acolyte start streaming on Disney Plus on June 4 at 6 pm PT / 9 pm ET.
