To set the stage for this humble assessment of the brand new Star Wars collection The Acolyte, please think about this scrolling up the display:
100 years earlier than a punk child named Anakin Skywalker stated “yippee,” a galaxy far distant is in a spot of relative peace — partially because of the Jedi, a trustworthy order of lightsaber-wielding badasses with a variety of energy and various secrets and techniques.
A type of greater secrets and techniques is on the verge of being revealed, because of a mysterious murderer out for revenge: Caught up in that murderer’s quest is a younger girl named Osha (Amandla Stenberg), who as soon as skilled as a Jedi however flunked out of Jedi college on the age of 18. Six years later, she’s working as an area mechanic when a surprising dying on the opposite facet of the universe brings bother to her door, and she or he’s compelled to not solely face her previous, however work out her actual place within the universe…
Whereas the brand new Disney+ collection would possibly technically be a prequel, because of its time setting The Acolyte is deliciously unburdened from the issues that the majority prequels face. In contrast to Obi-Wan Kenobi, a present the place we actually knew how everybody would finally die, this collection is free to inform its personal story, that includes a brand new ensemble of fascinating characters tackling a homicide thriller with probably galactic implications.
And, based mostly on the primary 4 episodes offered to critics, it does this whereas nonetheless managing to really feel like Star Wars, because of the lived-in particulars of its numerous distant settings, the spectacular motion sequences, and the exploration of common themes like energy and corruption and loyalty and betrayal. Somebody even says “I’ve a foul feeling about this!” The one factor that makes it stand out from previous Star Wars tales is that it has a lot of ladies in it, actively taking part within the story. (What an idea.)
The Acolyte comes from creator Leslye Headland (Russian Doll), marking the primary Star Wars journey made for the display that’s absolutely the creation of an precise girl — vital as a result of up till about 10 years in the past, the one ladies to have any actual behind-the-camera impression on Star Wars have been the long-lasting Leigh Brackett co-writing The Empire Strikes Again, and the ghost-writing Carrie Fisher did over time.
The previous couple of years particularly have featured quite a few ladies making in-roads with regards to telling tales on this universe: Past Kathleen Kennedy now serving as president of Lucasfilm, animated collection together with the Tales shorts and Star Wars Resistance have featured feminine writers, with Jennifer Corbett serving as the top author for The Unhealthy Batch. Plus, administrators together with Deborah Chow, Susanna White, Bryce Dallas Howard have helmed episodes of The Mandalorian, The E book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Andor.
