Despite being surrounded by several controversies, Star Wars’ The Acolyte was Disney+'s biggest series premiere this 2024, which just goes to show how fans are looking forward to a brand new story told in the High Republic era. From lightsaber fights to Jedi politics, here are more reasons to love the franchise’s latest TV show.
High Republic Era - The Jedis Are at Their Peak
While the era is fairly new to television, The High Republic has already been explored in various Star Wars media such as novels and comic series. The Acolyte is the first on-screen media that portrayed the Jedi during their peak. Albeit set in the tail end of the High Republic era, The Acolyte was able to depict how Jedis kept the peace throughout the galaxy as space cops.
The show also tackled how Jedi viewed themselves during the peak of their power, with Senator Rayencourt perfectly describing what the Jedi are to those who look outside the Jedi Order. The characters such as Torbin, Sol, Vernestra Rwoh, and many others also showed how the Jedi had trouble controlling their emotions and connections, which showed how some Jedi were already conflicted with what the Order teaches, despite wanting to follow the Jedi Order. The Acolyte did a fantastic job portraying conflicted characters during the Jedi’s peak.
Compelling Characters - Both From the Order and the Dark Side
The Acolyte also has a set of compelling characters, from the Jedi themselves to the twins and The Stranger. The Jedi Masters perfectly captured the essence of a prominent Jedi Order, with them having individual troubles during their mission on Brendok and how vindicated they felt doing what they thought was best for a group of witches whom they never encountered before.
The dark-side users are as interesting as the Jedi. From Qimir’s unique combat style to the motives of collecting acolytes with Darth Plagueis in the background, scenes with the Sith on them were captivating and interesting. The witches of Brendok may not be considered to be walking on the lighter side of the Force nor manipulating it through the Dark Side but their rituals and culture added more to the Star Wars lore.
A New Perspective on the Force
The witches of Brendok interpreted the Force differently compared to what previous Star Wars media has portrayed through different movies and shows. The famous tale of Darth Plagueis The Wise has been around in Star Wars media since Palpatine mentioned it in Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith. The witches may have set the foundation for Plagueis to pursue immortality through the conception of the twins Osha and Mae.
The Force itself has had various names throughout Star Wars canon. For example, the Lasat race calls it the Ashla, a personification of the Force while the Zeffo calls the Force the Life Wind. Other entities such as the Mist-Weavers worshipped the Force and called it the Luminous Mist; the Sorcerers of Tund referred to the Force as The Unity. The witches of Brendok gave another perspective on how people around the galaxy aside from the Skywalkers and the Palpatines view the Force itself.
Another Wookie Jedi
Wookies are prominent races in Star Wars media, with Chewbacca being the most famous Wookie in the galaxy. Tarfful is another Wookie known to be a great chieftain and a freedom fighter for the Rebellion. Having Kelnacca on the list of great Wookies in history is a win for Wookie fans all over the galaxy.
While Kelnacca isn’t the only Wookie Jedi in both canon and Legends, it is interesting that The Acolyte added a Wookie among the four main Jedi Masters of the series. His exile also delved deeper into Wookie culture and became the opportunity for fans to know more about how Wookies became madclaws. Kelnacca will also have an upcoming one-shot comic that will be published by Marvel Comics this year.
Astonishing Lightsaber Fights
Lastly, The Acolyte has shown fantastic lightsaber fights and tried to top the climactic lightsaber fight in The Phantom Menace. Arguably, Qimir’s fight with the Jedis in Episode 5 and his duel with Master Sol during Episode 8 were great on their own, and this goes to show how future lightsaber fights should be choreographed. Qimir’s unique combat style and lightsaber are a fresh take on dual-wielding sabers, similar to how Star Wars Jedi Survivor depicted Cal’s dual-wielding capabilities. Vernestra Rwoh’s lightsaber whip is also another excellent showcase in the television show.
Osha’s bleeding of the kyber crystal on Sol’s lightsaber is the very first of its kind in Star Wars TV shows. Canonically, the process of bleeding kyber crystals is done by dark-side users to corrupt the crystal and bend it to their will. Pouring rage, hate, fear, and pain bleeds the kyber crystal, rendering it to become crimson-red, the famous lightsaber color associated with the Sith.
Many fans argue how Osha bled the crystal during the encounter with Sol while Anakin’s blade stayed blue while killing the younglings. Apparently, Anakin has yet to bleed a kyber crystal and only did it as Darth Vader right after Darth Sidious told him about it, which is depicted in the canon comic book called Star Wars: Darth Vader.
Overall, The Acolyte is a refreshing take on the High Republic era and has an interesting take on Star Wars lore. Regardless of whether it will have a second season or a new story to tell, be sure to stay updated with the latest Star Wars news by following Epicstream.