Once again we are venturing to a galaxy far, far away as we finally arrive at today’s premiere of the first two episodes of Star Wars: The Acolyte on Disney+. In the time of the High Republic, someone is murdering Jedi, and it is up to the Order to find the culprit.
Only a few tidbits have so far been circulated about the series, which stars Amandla Stenberg in dual lead roles. Luckily for you, we’ve put together a quick top 10 list of things that you should know before diving into a story of a new era, new characters, and a new form of Jedi.
1. This isn’t the Star Wars era that we’re used to.
Everything that has taken place thus far in the Star Wars movies and TV shows has been set during the “Skywalker Saga,” which encompasses the timeframe covering the fall of the Republic (Episodes 1-3), the reign of the Empire (4-6), and the new Republic (7-9). The Acolyte takes place 100 years before The Phantom Menace in an era newly dubbed by Disney as “The High Republic”—so this will be a brand new setting that we haven’t seen before on screen.
2. You can get up to speed on the High Republic with comics and novels.
While this is the first time we are seeing the High Republic on screen, there have been multiple comic books and novels that were first released in 2021 that take place during this era. These stories go even further back in time, occurring 200 years before Phantom Menace. Since The Acolyte will feature references to these stories and characters, you might want to pick one up for a broader understanding of the world. We recommend this Marvel set of comic books to start.
3. However, homework is not required.
The people behind The Acolyte have stressed that this will be a contained story that will not require audiences to be familiar with High Republic lore. Unlike some Marvel projects and previous Star Wars saga entries, you will not have to look to other comics or TV shows to understand what is going on. Yes, reading some of the High Republic literature will give you some context of the time period, but going into the series cold will not impact your understanding of the plot and the characters surrounding it.
4. The story will essentially be a crime thriller.
The plot of The Acolyte surrounds a crime spree involving the murder of Jedi and it’s up to the Order to discover the culprit of these murders and bring them to justice. It’s important to note that the Sith are still very much operating in the shadows, actively practicing the “Rule of 2,” which allows for only a master and an apprentice to be active at one time. The Sith very well could be behind all these murders, but we will have to wait for the show to run its course to know for sure.
5. We are getting our first Wookie Jedi!
In the Acolyte series we will see the arrival of Kelnacca, a Jedi Master of the High Republic era. Not much is known about the character yet other than that he is “a loner who lives a solitary life.” Regardless, the idea that we will finally get to see a Wookie wield a lightsaber is something all Star Wars fans have been clamoring for.
6. We will be introduced to the “lightsaber whip.”
Throughout Star Wars history we have seen a variety of different lightsabers: the traditional single blade, the dual blade first introduced by Darth Maul, the cross guard wielded by Kylo Ren, and—my personal favorite—the curved hilt used by Count Dooku. (And let’s not forget the wide spectrum of colors used by the different Force wielders.) In The Acolyte we will see a new type of weapon, which is basically a lightsaber with a fluid blade—essentially a whip. We have only seen a brief glimpse of this weapon but Star Wars fans are eager to see how this new form of combat will come into play.
7. Yoda may make an appearance.
By and large, all the characters in The Acolyte will be new, but we can’t leave out the fact that Yoda lived to be 900 years old before he passed in Return of the Jedi. The era that The Acolyte takes place in definitely falls within Yoda’s lifetime, plus he’s mentioned sparsely in the High Republic literature, so it wouldn’t come as that much of a surprise to see a younger version of everyone’s favorite green little friend.
8. We may finally see Darth Plagueis.
In Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, Darth Sidious tells the story of Darth Plagueis, who was a very powerful Sith Lord who apparently had the power to stop death itself. Ever since that creepy meeting at the theater between Sidious and his future apprentice, we have always wanted to know more about this legendary Sith. It has been established that Plageuis was active during the High Republic timeframe, so it’s entirely possible that we may finally get a live-action representation of the character.
9. The Jedi order wasn’t so dogmatic.
In the movies and TV shows set during the Skywalker era, the Jedi order is viewed as a very strict and specific way of life without much leeway or room for interpretation from its members. To deviate from it meant being branded a member of the Dark side. During the High Republic era, the Jedi order was much more flexible with its rules and practices. Each member had the freedom to interpret and practice the code in their own way, so far as it didn’t result in acts of cruelty or wickedness. It will be interesting to see a new form of Jedi that we haven’t seen on screen before.
10. We will see new Force powers that we’ve never seen before.
Because this was a time of peace and prosperity for the Jedi, members were more in tune with the Force than we’ve seen in previous iterations. In The Acolyte we will see powers wielded by the Jedi that we haven’t seen before such as telepathy and an ability to know how a piece of technology works at first glance. These powers are just what are being teased so far in the synopsis and the books that have come before the series, so it will be very interesting to see what new powers are manifested in The Acolyte.
