Summary
Now that all episodes ofThe Acolytehave premiered, audiences can now see how the show operates as a prologue to the Skywalker Saga.The Acolyteis set earlier in the timelinethan viewers have ever seen before, roughly a century beforeStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. It’s positioned at the tail-end of theHigh Republic Era, the golden age of the Jedi and the Republic, which naturally meant it had to thread the needle of telling an original story without breaking canon.
There’s intense debate over howStar Warsmovies and TV shows should be viewed. Although some prefer release order, many push for chronological order from an in-universe perspective. That would essentially meanThe Acolyteis now a prologue for the entirety ofStar Wars, which naturally raises the question of just how well the Disney+ TV show works when viewed in this way.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Season 2: Cancelation, Franchise Future, & Everything We Know
Will The Acolyte season 2 happen, and if it does then what’s next for this ultimate Star Wars prequel? Here’s everything we know to date!
8You Open The Story With A Warning… The Empire Is Coming
The Acolyte’s Opening Crawl Is a Major Clue For Where The Galaxy Is Headed
A recentStar Warstrend has brought back the iconic opening crawl. In just the past year,Ahsokaseason 1 started with an opening crawl, andThe Acolytehas continued this, cementing where in the timelineThe Acolytetakes place and what relevant information is needed to describe the state of the galaxy. The first part ofThe Acolyte’s opening crawlreads:“A hundred years before the rise of the Empire, it is a time of peace. The Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic have prospered for centuries without war…”
This first piece of the crawl indicates that while things have been stable, trouble is brewing. Not only that, but the crawl makes it clear that a change in government is coming — one from a peaceful republic to an empire.In some ways,The Acolyteis daring audiences to see the show as the beginning of the end of a peaceful galaxy. Name-dropping the Jedi and the Republic highlights that those are the two institutions that will be brought down with the rising darkness.
7The Flaws Of The Jedi Order Are Apparent From The Start
Long Time Knows How Flawed The Order Really Was
While the Jedi Order had always been portrayed as the “good guys,” one of the biggest aspects ofStar Warsis realizing that while the Jedi always had good intentions, they were flawed at their core.The Acolytebest highlights the flaws of the Jedi and implants the thought process that while they are the good guys they are not without their faults.The actions of Master Sol, Master Indara, Master Kelnacca, and Padawan Torbin afterthe events of Brendokhighlight that the Jedi aren’t always in the right.
Sol was so blinded by justifying that killing Mother Aniseya was for Mae and Osha’s protection, that he couldn’t see that it ruined so many lives.
Master Sol’s inability to admit he made a mistake on Brendok demonstrated another flaw of the Jedi, and ultimately led to the Jedi’s death. Sol was so blinded by justifying that killing Mother Aniseya was for Mae and Osha’s protection, that he couldn’t see that it ruined so many lives. These flaws were also highlighted by Senator Rayencourt inThe Acolyteepisode 8 when he toldMaster Vernestrea Rwohthat the Jedi claimed to control the uncontrollable — their emotions. For someone watchingStar Warsin chronological order, this is some key foreshadowing of what’s to come.
Senator Rayencourt called for an external review of the Jedi Order which will likely be seen ifThe Acolytegets renewed for a season 2.
6The Force Is About More Than Just Jedi & Sith
The Original Trilogy and Prequels Made it All About the Binary
For so much ofStar Wars, it’s in some way about light versus dark, or Jedi versus Sith, but as the galaxy has expanded, other Force-sensitive groups have emerged.Star Wars: The Clone Warsintroduced theNightsisters of Dathomirand the Mortis gods, and now,The Acolyteintroduced the Force as “The Thread” for thewitches of Brendok. While the originalStar Warstrilogy is a great place to start watching the franchise,The Acolyte’s introduction of a Force-cult of witches shows the strength and vastness of the Force’s power.
There is so much to learn about the Force, and it can no longer only be learned from the Jedi and Sith, but instead it encompasses all living things and so many different perspectives.The Acolytedid a great job of blending the mysticism of the Force from the original trilogy with the scientific approach largely seen in the prequel trilogies.If one were to start watchingStar WarswithThe Acolytethey’d already have a good, solid foundation for understanding the basics of the Force.
5You Have A Better Understanding Of What The Sith (Claim To) Want
Other Titles Don’t Make it Nearly As Clear
During the original and prequel trilogies, it wasn’t always clear what the Sith’s end goal was until it was ultimately revealed and executed. However,withThe Acolytebeing on a much smaller scale, it allowed for the Sith Lord, Qimir (Manny Jacinto) to fully explain what he wants.While audiences who watch other Star Wars titles know that the Sith ultimately want the extinction of the Jedi and to control the galaxy, Qimir makes it much simpler.
InThe Acolyteepisode 5, Qimir explains that he wants the freedom to wield his power how he wants and without Jedi intervention. While his larger goal has still yet to be revealed, it likely aligns with what audiences have seen in titles set later in theStar Warstimeline — control. Qimir tells Sol that he wants an Acolyte, something he finds in Osha bythe end ofThe Acolyteseason 1; however, only future seasons will reveal why he seeks one — for the Sith Rule of Two, or something else.
4You Know The Sith Are Out There In The Shadows
Darth Plagueis is Here
Throughout so much ofStar Wars,the Jedi are certain that there is no Sith, something that ultimately leads to their eventual downfall. Even though all of the Jedi who saw Qimir’s face died by the end ofThe Acolyteseason 1, Vernestra Rwoh knows that her former pupil is alive, even if she may not know that his allegiances lie with the Sith. WithThe Acolytefeaturing a cameo from Darth Plagueis, audiences would know that there is a larger Sith conspiracy going on, even if they didn’t know who Plagueis was when he appeared onscreen.
Darth Plagueis seemingly had no real impact onThe Acolyte’s story, but this revelation serves to prove how little the Jedi know. Additionally, it shows that they aren’t willing to step into the shadows to see if there is a threat rising.While the Sith historically were only two strong at a time, that doesn’t mean they always remained in the shadows.In Legends, Plagueis was a successful and powerful Magister of Damask Holdings, which was part of the InterGalactic Banking Clan (IBC), while in canon, Palpatine hid in plain sight.
3There Are Ominous Signs The Jedi Are Too Involved With Politics
Vernestra Rwoh’s Storyline Hints At This
If one was watchingThe Acolytewithout any preconceived knowledge of how the Republic and Jedi work together, it would still be clear that the two are intimately connected, and it’s not for the Jedi’s benefit.One of the criticisms of the Jedi is that they did the Republic’s bidding, instead of protecting everyone in the galaxy.Master Vernestra Rwoh’s storyline inThe Acolyteseason 1 highlights how she keeps the investigation of Jedi murders under wraps because if the Republic Senate found out, there’d be chaos.
While the Jedi should operate outside of politics and simply act as keepers of the peace, Vernestra knows that to continue to do that they have to play the Senate’s political game.
While this isn’t a good reason for not informing a governing body of issues within the Jedi’s ranks, it does show that Vernestra is aware of the politics involved with being a Jedi. The Jedi should operate outside of politics and simply act as keepers of the peace, but Vernestra knows that to continue to do that they have to play the Senate’s political game. Audiences who know what to come are aware of how this issue only gets worse, butThe Acolytemay be seeing how this systemic issue began, or at least increased.
2You’re Already Familiar With The Idea The Force Can Create Life
Mae and Osha Won’t Be The Last To Be Created From The Force
Anakin Skywalker is famously the Chosen Onebecause he was created by the midi-chlorians and the Force,The Acolyteshows that Anakin wasn’t an anomaly. It’s worth noting that it was the will of the Force that Anakin was created without the need for a father and not some kind of manipulation. However,The Acolyteinforms the audience that Mother Aniseya manipulated the Force to create life, then split that life into two—twins Mae and Osha.
Master Sol believed that the twins were created using a vergence in the Force.This means that while the twins are not a vergence, a vergence’s power was used to create them. On the other hand, Anakinwasthe vergence in the Force, something that elevated his power level significantly.Because Mother Aniseya manipulated the Force to create the twins, it sets a precedent that other life could be created by the Force. This would help viewers understand Anakin’s origins inThe Phantom Menaceif watching for the first time.
1Yoda’s Importance Is Underlined
THAT Scene Shows How Vital He Is
Master Yoda is one of the most iconicStar Warscharacters of all time, and he has appeared in all three film trilogies, as well as multiple television shows likeThe Clone WarsandStar Wars Rebels. It’s known that Yoda is about 900 years old when he dies inThe Empire Strikes Back, meaning he’d be alive and training Jedi duringThe Acolyte. Because of his age, he is well respected, meaning it seems only natural that Master Vernestra would go to Yoda with her concerns after the revelations about what happened on Brendok.
While audiences are not privy to what was discussed between the two Jedi, just seeing the outline ofYoda’s head inThe Acolyteand a well-respected Jedi like Vernestra going to speak with him speaks volumes. Even if watchingStar Warsfor the first time, audiences know that this character is important moving forward, and it will ultimately make people pay closer attention to the small green Jedi. No matter one’s feelings aboutThe Acolyteit’s interesting whenever one can think about or watchStar Warsfrom a new and different perspective, andThe Acolyteallows fans to do just that.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
