The first trailer for Star Wars The Acolyte is here showing the first-ever live-action look at the High Republic Era in the larger canon of the Space Opera’s saga. This “High Republic” setting is a look at the past, hundreds of years before the events of The Phantom Menace and chronicles the Jedi Order at its height.
Following on the release of Ahsoka, The Acolyte is the latest Star Wars series on Disney+. In terms of what viewers can expect, Disney says that in the show “an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems.”
The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-Jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and the legendary Carrie-Anne Moss. Episodes are beings scored by Michael Abels, known for his work on “Get Out” and “Us.”
There is a running gag online that despite the events of Revenge of the Sith and the Jedi being wiped out during Order 66, the events following the third prequel film see a lot of surviving Jedi, especially in the Disney+ shows.
The Acolyte is the show Disney has been waiting for so it can showcase large amounts of Jedi on screen. It wastes absolutely no time to reveal several Jedi engaging their lightsabers in unison, something we haven’t seen since Attack of the Clones. These Jedi are quickly crunched by a figure offscreen wielding the lone red lightsaber.
Unlike the human drama of Andor and the, let’s face it, fanservice of Ashoka, The Acolyte is all about Star Wars being epic. We have Coruscant, different colourful species and a Wookiee Jedi. It’s going big and bold, and we expect the series to introduce the primary Jedi Sith conflict that continues across to the other films.
According to the opening crawl of the official High Republic page on the Star Wars website, the first phase of the setting will see the shining and glorious Jedi Knights, having brought peace to the galaxy, face “a frightening new adversary,” one that is “a threat to themselves, the galaxy, and the Force itself.”
While this piece of lore is mostly for books using the setting, this being the first live-action media of the High Republic, we’re thinking The Acolyte will be set in the first phase, and that the first season will introduce this adversary to the Jedi and the Force. Bells ringing yet?
We’re hoping that The Acolyte will have something new and interesting for Star Wars fans, and perhaps could start an exploration of the much wider Star Wars universe. The first episode will be live on Disney+ on 4th June 2024.
