Credit: LucasfilmStar Wars: The Acolyte is the franchise’s next live-action series to hit Disney+, promising to show a very different side of the galaxy far, far away while exploring a relatively unexplored point on the canon timeline. And according to its star, the show could change how we view the Force forever.
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There are currently numerous Star Wars projects in the pipeline at Lucasfilm, with shows like Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Ahsoka Season 2, and a sophomore season of the Tales of the Jedi Anthology series all slated to premiere on Disney’s streamer in the coming years, on top of movies such as Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026).
Of all these upcoming film and TV endeavors, perhaps none are as mysterious as The Acolyte, helmed by Russian Doll showrunner Leslye Headland. The series stars Amandla Stenberg as the titular Jedi Padawan and Lee Jung-jae as her former Jedi Master, and sees the pair reuniting in order to investigate and solve a series of crimes.
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Lucasfilm has described The Acolyte as a “mystery-thriller,” but beyond exploring the galaxy’s criminal underbelly, it sounds like we can expect to learn some major revelations about the Force as a whole.
Speaking with C Magazine, Amandla Stenberg opened up about her Star Wars journey thus far, admitting that joining the franchise was not an easy undertaking for her. “I definitely have been feeling a little more trepidation than I thought,” she said, which is understandable, given the often aggressive discourse that tends to follow any Disney+ Star Wars content these days.
But any doubts Stenberg might’ve had about signing onto The Acolyte were trampled when she first met with Leslye Headland. “All the artwork was conceptualized with my face, and Leslye was like, ‘So I’ve been working on this for about three or four years for you. I don’t know what I’m going to do if you don’t do it. No pressure,’” she said, before adding, “So I was sent to the moon, of course.”
Now that The Acolyte is approaching its reported Summer 2024 release date, Stenberg teased a storyline that we can expect to see play out in the show, one that involves the source of a Jedi’s powers, the Force. While the upcoming series won’t change its origins and meaning, per se, its lead actress revealed that it will “challenge” the ideas surrounding the Force, “hopefully harmoniously:”
In the context of the ‘Star Wars’ universe, it’s a time of great peace, theoretically. It’s also a time of an institution, and it’s a time in which conceptions around the Force are very strict. And I think what we’re trying to explore within our show is when an institution has a singular conception of how power can be used…we try to provide a lot of different perspectives and answers to that question. The idea is to kind of honor the ethos of ‘Star Wars’ and ideas around the Force and also challenge them, hopefully harmoniously.
Recent Star Wars projects like The Mandalorian and Dave Filoni’s Ahsoka have explored what it means to be a Force user in a galaxy where they’re an increasing rarity after the execution of Order 66 and the fall of the Jedi Order. So it’ll be interesting to see how The Acolyte, which takes place 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I -The Phantom Menace (1999), illustrates this generally prosperous time for the Jedi at the height of their power.
There’s no denying that the pressure is on for The Acolyte to win over fans, given that the show will mark the first time the High Republic Era has ever been portrayed onscreen — well, in live-action, at least, as Young Jedi Adventures technically accomplished that feat first in animation.
And with the series supposedly set to “challenge” audiences’ perception of the Force, it will have to tread carefully to not step on any ideas established by George Lucas himself.
Fans weren’t exactly happy to see how suddenly Rey’s (Daisy Ridley) Force abilities manifested in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy and, more recently, how showrunners went about Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) developing Jedi-like powers in Season 1 of Ahsoka. However, George Lucas has always said that anyone can wield the Force despite their midi-chlorian count; it’s just a matter of training and one’s willpower.
Given that The Acolyte will follow a shadowy, dangerous side of the galaxy far, far away and will, presumably, see Stenberg’s character dipping her toes into the Dark Side of the Force, it’s not exactly surprising to hear that the series will redefine what it means to wield such power. And if Stenberg’s remarks are anything to go by, we could be in for the most intriguing Disney+ Star Wars show yet.
Star Wars: The Acolyte is rumored to premiere on Disney+ in June 2024, though a specific release date has yet to be confirmed by Lucasfilm.
Are you hopeful for The Acolyte? Do you think “challenging” what audiences believe about the Force is a bad idea? Let us know in the comments below!