My take on the first two episodes of Star Wars: The Acolyte

Luca Fontana

4/6/2024

Translation: Katherine Martin

This Star Wars series might be the most hotly anticipated ever for me. Either way, The Acolyte is definitely the most refreshing one I’ve seen in a long time. Here’s my take on the first two episodes.

Let me start off by saying that this review contains no spoilers. I won’t be mentioning anything that hasn’t already been revealed in the trailers. This coming Friday, I’ll be sitting down with fellow Star Wars aficionado Patrick Vogt and king of toys Ramon Schneider to discuss the latest episode in Spoilerfabrik, a new Digitec podcast (in Swiss German). We’ll be doing this every week to coincide with new Acolyte episodes coming out – spoilers and all.

The High Republic era? As yet, it’s only ever been mentioned in books and comics. Technically, it’s only been a thing since 2020, when Disney brought the era to life under the project name «Luminous». The Acolyte is likely to be many viewers’ first encounter with the High Republic. And an extremely exciting one at that.

The unique thing about the High Republic is that it existed about 100-500 years before Star Wars: Episode 1, managing to bring prosperity and order to even the outermost regions of the galaxy. Though not part of the High Republic, the Jedi were key allies. When the Old Republic was on the verge of collapse 1,000 years ago following the Great Sith War, it was the Jedi who narrowly held the fragments of the shattered galaxy together. At least until the High Republic finally rose from the ashes of the Old Republic and led the galaxy to centuries of peace.

But then, an acolyte emerged from the shadows…

The plot of Star Wars: The Acolyte

It’s 100 years before Star Wars: Episode 1 and the Jedi Order’s at the height of its power. Never again will they have the strength or the numbers they do now. Rarely has the galaxy experienced a more peaceful time, with no conflicts the Jedi can’t keep at bay. At this point, the Sith are the stuff of mere myth.

If mentioned at all.

In the shadow of the Jedi’s hubris, however, an acolyte rises. A young girl seduced by the dark side of the Force. Sent on a journey by a mysterious master, she murders Jedi. Something that’s supposed to be an impossible feat. No one but the Jedi themselves are meant to be able to take on the Jedi. As a result, suspicion soon falls on a former Padawan. Together with a small crew, Jedi Master Sol (Squid Game star Lee Jung-Jae) sets out to recapture her, unaware he’s on the trail of a dark secret.

Jedi with Asian martial arts skills

Honestly, it’s hard for me to resist getting caught up in the hype of the series. To finally see the High Republic era outside of books and comics is a dream come true for me, a diehard Star Wars fan. Partly down to the fact that although Disney has produced a lot of Star Wars content in the past decade, it all takes place shortly before or after the movies. This leaves little room for completely new settings, fresh characters and unfamiliar political landscapes.

The High Republic is an exceptional case. Until now, stories stemming from it have been set around 200 years before Star Wars: Episode 1. In other words, 100 years before The Acolyte. Disney divides them into three phases. The first begins with the construction of Starlight Beacon, a Jedi fortress on the Outer Rim of the galaxy, and ends with the great final battle against the Nihil, a dangerous group of space Vikings. Phase two tells the Nihil’s backstory – essentially Disney’s own version of the prequels. Meanwhile, phase three follows on directly from the first phase, and hasn’t been finished yet.

The Acolyte marks the end of the High Republic era. And not only that. The series is also supposed to show how the mighty Jedi Order could paradoxically be in its Golden Age and at the same time on the brink of downfall. On the one hand, we see the Jedi in their magnificent, golden-white uniforms, moving through the galaxy as if it’s their God-given right to be there. On the other hand, we see almost unbearable snootiness, most prominently exuded by Jedi Knight Yord (Charlie Barnett), a jobsworth who wants to do everything according to the Jedi textbook.

The best demonstration of Jedi superiority, however, comes in the form of the breathtakingly cool first battle with Jedi Master Indara (The Matrix star Carrie Anne-Moss). The Acolyte doesn’t even try to top the insanely paced duels in George Lucas’s prequels. Instead, the series has found its own stylistic device. One that makes «its» Jedi literally untouchable.

Martial arts.

Jedi use their lightsabers for defence, not attack, and this is exactly what Indara and other Jedi masters embody. Less fast-paced, but more acrobatic – almost ballet-like, in fact – they use the Force to flit through their scenes on cables that have evidently been edited out, running along walls and performing a dramatic dance with their duel opponents. They only use their lightsabers when it’s absolutely necessary. It’s so reminiscent of Chinese martial arts films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that I can’t help but clap my hands together in enthusiasm.

A demonstration of the Force.

Mystery thriller in a Star Wars setting

The Acolyte presents itself first and foremost as a mystery thriller. Like any mystery worth its salt, the first two episodes ask more questions than they answer. Who’s the mysterious master who has sent the acolyte out into the galaxy to kill Jedi? Why these specific Jedi? And why now? While all this is going on, it’s Master Vernestra (Rebecca Henderson) who senses the acolyte is merely a pawn in a much bigger, more dangerous plan to tip the balance of power.

Vernestra is a familiar face to High Republic veterans like me. In fact, she made her first appearance in The High Republic – Light of the Jedi, the first book set in the High Republic era. At that point, she’s still a 15-year-old Padawan. Soon afterwards, she becomes the youngest Jedi Knight in history. In The Acolyte, she’s over 100 years old. She’s long since shed the youthful recklessness she had when I first encountered her. Instead, she embodies the strict, austere side of the now-rigid Order.

Emotionally, she’s the polar opposite of Jedi Master Sol. Actor Lee Jung-Jae, who most people know from Squid Game, supposedly learned English especially for the role. This is evident in his occasionally clunky pronunciation, but his facial expressions radiate all the warmth and kindness that the rest of the Order appear to lack. No surprises there – Master Sol does things differently. He’s a little like Qui-Gon Jinn, who, a century later, will train the chosen one Anakin despite the Jedi Council strictly forbidding it.

This considered, The Acolyte serves up an illustrious cast of characters right from the start. Good stuff.

Beautifully staged Star Wars worlds

Another break from most other Star Wars productions comes in the form of the budget. The eight episodes reportedly cost around 180 million US dollars combined. That makes The Acolyte the second most expensive Star Wars series ever. It’s topped only by Andor, which racked up 250 million dollars. The others come in around or below the 100-million mark.

This expense is evident in every shot – The Acolyte looks fantastic. And not just because of the flawless computer-generated special effects. It’s mostly down to the elaborate sets, bursting with detail and inventiveness. Then, there’s the abundance of creatures that populate the Celtic-style cliff villages, Asian-inspired watering holes and bustling towns. The Acolyte is clearly set to become a great Star Wars vehicle in the Disney universe, especially in comparison to productions on the cheaper side, such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett.

This is no coincidence – both The Acolyte and Andor were filmed in the UK, where sizeable tax breaks create more room in the budget. Series such as The Mandalorian, on the other hand, are Californian productions. Producers rely on «volume» there in order to cut costs. In other words, sets with high-resolution LED screens that create a world to be captured by the camera. This looks much more realistic than adding computer effects later and is more cost-effective too. But it’s also restrictive. Action scenes in particular never take on the same epic proportions as filming in real locations or on gigantic sets.

Watching The Acolyte, on the other hand, you can see it’s been shot on location or on meticulously designed sets. This makes the series seem bigger, more genuine, grounded and real. It’s also even more cinematic than many previous Star Wars series, including The Mandalorian. Andor is the only one that’s more beautiful and epic. At least until now.

The truth is, Andor remains unrivalled in its writing and maturity. However, I didn’t expect the still relatively unknown director and showrunner Leslye Headland to be able to compete with the Edgar Allan Poe Award winner Tony Gilroy. As much as I liked the start of The Acolyte, I very much doubt that it’ll make waves outside of Star Wars circles in the way Andor did. The Acolyte caters too much to younger Disney viewers for that.

Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.» more

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