“Star Wars” fans are likely to be particularly interested in the new “Ahsoka” series, which begins August 23, 2023 on Disney Plus. But there are already two live-action series from the galaxy far, far away in the pipeline: “Skeleton Crew” with Jude Law, which is scheduled for release in 2023, and “The Acolyte”, which is currently scheduled for a Beginning 2024. And this series is going to break a very special record, according to showrunner Leslye Headland.
According to Headland, Star Wars: The Acolyte “will feature more Jedi than any Star Wars content.” In our opinion, the showrunner is leaning a bit out the window with this – even in the prequels, the battle scenes were already swarming with the Jedi, and strictly speaking, Star Wars content also includes the myriad of novels and video games, which aren’t exactly either Jedi arm.
The Jedi at the height of their power
But as series creator of The Acolyte, Headland will know what she’s talking about – and sure enough, we got to see a record number of Jedi in one in the first trailer for the sci-fi series, which we saw exclusively this year’s Star Wars Celebration sees a common scene. Among them is a Wookie Jedi Master for the first time: Kelnacca, played by Joonas Suotamo.
But the series is breaking new ground elsewhere, which is what Leslye Headland covered in the podcast also a: “I’d say ‘The Acolyte’ stands out because it’s set at the earliest point in the Star Wars timeline that we’ve seen live action.”
And “The Acolyte” will keep this special feature for quite some time to come – namely, until “Indiana Jones 5” director James Mangold’s planned “Star Wars” adventure about the creation of the Jedi Order hits theaters, then many sooner will be found in the timeline. If you want to get an overview of the chronological order in the “Star Wars Universe”, check out our big overview here:
But what is “Star Wars: The Acolyte” really about and why are there so many Jedi in this series? “The Acolyte” is set towards the end of the High Republic, ie in the golden age of the Jedi, who are already on the verge of falling – which then became the subject of the prequel cinema trilogy. The galaxy was relatively peaceful during this period, but this posed a challenge for Headland: “How to Make ‘Star Wars’ [also ‚Krieg der Sterne‘]if there is no war?”
“The Acolyte”: Jedi has gone astray
And so “The Acolyte” is not about a galactic conflict, but rather about the disintegration of the structures within the Jedi Order – and the whole thing is told from the perspective of the renegades, according to Headland:
“What makes this series so different and interesting is that it’s seen from the perspective of the or the villain of Star Wars is told. These people use the Force in their own way, delving into the dark side of the Force, but not being punished for it by a larger institution, in this case the Jedi. To me, Star Wars has always been your version of the underdogs vs. the institution’ story.”
Star Wars: The Acolyte stars Amandla Stenberg, Jung-jae Lee, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jodie Turner-Smith, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman and Margarita Levieva.