Credit: Lucasfilm“Star Wars Celebration 2023” had the passionate fanbase buzzing in April with several upcoming projects that will take place in “a galaxy far, far away.” They presented the first footage for the highly-anticipated, Ahsoka, as well as announced plans for other projects, such as Skeleton Crew, Andor Season 2, The Bad Batch Season 3, and three untitled Star Wars movies. Despite the hype for all these future properties, the presentation for The Acolyte raised some of the most eyebrows for fans. The showrunner/creator, Leslye Headland, delivered some provocative commentary both at the event and afterwards about the prequel series. She recently professed that this will be a standout project in Star Wars canon because the true villains will actually be the Jedi.
Most of the serialized Star Wars projects on Disney+ have mainly followed timelines that have been covered in the first six films. Yet, Star War’s The Acolyte will be set hundreds of years before The Phantom Menace during the High Republic Era of the Jedi Order. The series showrunner stated that this will make it a distinctive addition because it is the first ever live-action depiction of this time period. The Jedi are at the height of their power during a time of peace. So there will be no wars in this Star Wars story.
Headland continued to articulate that this show will be from the perspective of the villains. They will utilize the dark sides of the Force to justify their means. The series creator implied that because the Jedi carry so much clout during this time, they are unregulated in their actions. She went on to disclose that even though there is no galactic conflict, there will be more action in The Acolyte than what has been seen before on Star Wars shows. It will also include more Jedi portrayed on screen than anyone has seen previously from Star Wars content.
While any further details have been frozen like Han Solo in carbonite, Headland has been outspoken about her opinions on the Star Wars Universe in the past. The self-proclaimed Star Wars fan has garnered backlash for her belief that George Lucas is no longer the key to Star Wars. She believes that the fate of this culture-defining phenomenon needs a new direction to flourish again and Headland will seek to innovate the future of Star Wars within its past.
The Acolyte has no official release date, but will debut on Disney+ in 2024.