{🚨SEMI-SPOILERS🚨} Helmed by Leslye Headland, The Acolyte Season 1 takes place at the end of the High Republic Era, 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, and follows an investigation into a shocking crime spree that pits a respected Jedi Master against a dangerous warrior from his past. As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal that all is not what it seems.
This series marks the first time we see Star Wars in a completely new era, one that allows the universe to be expanded and new stories to be told that are away from the Skywalker Saga events and characters. With fewer restrictions, this series had the opportunity to deliver something bold as well as stand out from previous Star Wars installments, and because of that I was intrigued to see what this series would be like.
After watching all eight episodes I can honestly say I ended up really liking and even loving this first season of The Acolyte a lot more than I expected I would. It is one of the boldest and most creative shows that Star Wars has delivered in years in terms of its characters, story, and themes, making it feel like such a refreshing series that isn’t held down by nostalgia or narrative restraint.
This first season is definitely not perfect and it has some faults but it is definitely not the “worst show on earth” that online grifters, review bombers, and the toxic side of the Star Wars fandom would have you think it is. It is a captivating murder mystery and conspiracy thriller that takes unique narrative approaches that expand the lore of Star Wars beyond what we know, and it actually has the guts to take dark turns and creative swings. It has a mature tone like Andor, though it also fully embraces and thematically connects to the prequels in various ways, making this series stand out on its own yet also still feel like a part of the same universe that has always been a fantasy space soap opera since its creation.
Now due to the way this series is I will need to discuss some spoilers regarding certain characters and plot points so if you have not seen the series yet do not read past this point. With that said let’s get into the good elements, the great elements, the mixed elements, and the weak elements of this first season of The Acolyte.
To start things off this series features probably the most diverse cast we have had in a Star Wars installment so far, full of many talented actors and actresses that for the most part all delivered really solid performances for their respective characters.
But interestingly enough there are some performances this series has that end up hugely overshadowing the rest by a landslide, due to immense commitment by these cast members, and some are given stronger writing compared to others. I did like most of the of the characters in this season but there were some I just ended up loving, to the point that I didn’t like some of the other characters as much in comparison. Now granted, some of these characters are just being introduced for the first time so I wasn’t expecting to instantly fall in love with all of them right from the start, but there were definitely a few that won me over instantly and made me wish I felt the exact same way for the others.
Easily my favorite actor and character of this first season is Lee Jung-Jae as Jedi Master Sol. What a phenomenal performance! Honestly, this may be one of the best performances in all of Star Wars it’s that incredible. From the first moment he stepped on screen Lee gives Sol immense presence as a Jedi master and feels like a part of the universe already, which is impressive given that this is his first-ever English-speaking role. Then as the series progresses he showcases so many emotional layers and depth, making him one of the most complex and compelling original Jedi characters we have had in a very long time.
Sol is shown to be a victim of his own good will and emotional compromise within the Jedi Order as we see an exploration of complex ideas of intent, empathy, guilt, and choice through his character that are all so investing, not only because of fantastic writing but also Lee Jung-Jae’s incredible dedication to the role in every single scene he is in.
The moment that I feel sealed him as the best actor in all of Star Wars for me personally was this one moment in Episode 6 where Sol is processing his shock and grief of the events that transpired in the previous episode. Without any dialogue or music the camera lingers on his face and you see him going through a completely heartbreaking internal battle right in that moment, and it was executed with absolute perfection. I didn’t need to be told what he was feeling or thinking because I knew exactly what he was feeling and thinking at that moment because it spoke volumes. There have been many amazing performances across all of Star Wars but I personally feel that Lee Jung-Jae as Sol has set a whole new bar that is going to be extremely difficult for anyone to top going forward.
Another strong performance we get is in the form of a double performance by Amandla Stenberg who plays identical twins Verosha “Osha” and Mae-ho “Mae” Aniseya. Next to Sol, these two are the primary lead characters of the season, with most of the story and themes largely focused around them, and given that these are two individuals with different personalities, motives, and experiences it was important for Amandla Stenberg to be able to nail both and make them compelling in their respective paths. Ultimately I believe she succeeded and was able to convince me that these were two very different people despite how identical they look.
You get to learn over the course of the series about where they come from and what made them into the people they are today after both experienced a horrific and mysterious tragedy at an early age that resulted in the death of their family and people. They set up a basic path of light and dark for both of the twins but just when you think it’s that simple you see both of them change as a result of shocking events they endure as well as revelations they discover that change their initial paths, creating a fascinating journey of two deeply connected characters that has never really been seen before in previous Star Wars installments, or at least not explored as in-depth like this.
Amandla Stenberg did an awesome job portraying these two characters, giving them emotional and psychological layers respectively, but I also have to give credit to Lauren Brady and Leah Brady as young Osha and young Mae in the flashback episodes, who despite playing younger and naive versions of the characters absolutely nail their respective personalities that they would grow into as young adults.
Then we come to the main villain of this season who is a Sith called The Stranger, played by Manny Jacinto, and he may be one of the best original Sith villains we have ever had. Initially, he fools the characters and the audience by hiding in plain sight as a timid weasel of a smuggler named Qimir but then reveals himself to be a terrifying and deadly adversary almost instantly as he showcases great power and skill that he uses without mercy nor remorse. This man shows himself to be an absolute monster both physically and mentally, yet is immensely compelling due to the phenomenal performance by Manny Jacinto, as well as the great writing by Leslye Headland, who gives an interesting spin on the Jedi vs Sith conflict through this new villain.
The Stranger is under the belief that he is being restrained from being able to wield the power of the force freely due to the Jedi’s firm authority over the galaxy and therefore attempts to rationalize the death and chaos he causes by claiming he is being “oppressed”. This is a very interesting motive for a Sith villain to have that is different from many other Sith villains in the past as he seemingly has no desire to conquer any planets or the galaxy but instead attempts to gain independence from what he considers to be an oppressive regime in his point of view.
To accomplish his goal he needs an acolyte and it is fascinating to see what he does to try to get one, whether it be through promises of revenge or through seduction. But it’s clear there is a lot more to his story than we know, especially when two major revelations regarding his past are revealed in the season finale that add a lot more intrigue to his character. He truly is a force of nature and made a big impression in this series that I will personally never forget. I highly praise Manny Jacinto for his work as this character and I am eager to see more of him be explored going forward.
We do get a pretty great supporting cast in this series involving mostly Jedi characters both in the present, with Jecki Lon, Yord Fandar, and Vernestra Rwoh, as well as in the past with Indara, Torbin, and Kelnacca. Jecki, played with fantastic energy by Dafne Keen, represents a pure Jedi who has great spirit, heart, and wisdom even as a young Padawan. She is essentially what a Jedi should strive to be rather than become the flawed and by-the-book Jedi Knights that make up a large part of the Order in this era, which brings us to Yord Fandar, played by Charlie Barnett.
Yord is what I can best describe as the mascot of everything wrong with the Jedi Order at the height of their power and their arrogance. Barnett does an excellent job portraying Yord as that kind of workplace asshole who isn’t malicious but just can’t help being a bit of a dick because of how full of himself he is as a Jedi Knight of that time.
We have two very different representations of the Jedi order that are played wonderfully by their respective cast members but I will admit I wish they were given a lot more development as characters than they got in this season.
The same goes for Vernestra Rwoh, a senior member of the Jedi Order, played by Rebecca Henderson, who I feel didn’t receive as much interesting development in the series until the last few episodes. Rebecca Henderson does a great job giving a commanding presence every time she is on screen with this character but I felt there just needed to be a lot more development given to her, which I hope we will be getting in the next season given the path they have set up for her character. On a side note though her purple whip lightsaber is badass in live action.
The Jedi victims of the season’s murder/conspiracy plot including Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss), Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman), and Kelnacca (Joonas Suotamo) are not given as much screen time in typical murder mystery fashion but they do end up having some awesome moments of their own, both in terms of action and drama in various parts of the series.
There is one other notable supporting performance that I do have to highlight because of just how incredible she was in certain scenes this season and that is Jodie Turner-Smith as Mother Aniseya, the leader of a coven of Force witches and the mother of the twins. Jodie pulls off the cult leader side of the role as well as one would expect but what really stood out to me was the emotional human side of her that we get to see on screen when she is with both of her daughters and I thought it was beautiful. You see that she is torn between her duties as a coven leader and mother to the point that it impacts the lives of her daughters and her people, eventually leading to some of the tragic events that unfold. She may not be in the season that long but damn it she brought her A-game for the role.
As mentioned before the season’s narrative follows the structure of a murder mystery/conspiracy thriller, but it takes some rather unique approaches to the usual formula that had me hooked and invested from start to end, even with the crazy turns and creative decisions it takes thanks to the immense freedom it has over other Star Wars installments. This season gives certain answers from one point of view from the start but doesn’t tell you the whole story until much later as pieces of the puzzle start coming together, leading to a shocking outcome by the end.
I loved the way this season played with perspective and it does a wonderful job illustrating the dangers of half-truths, making for an investing mystery that you can’t stop watching and making you desperate for the answers. And when we do get those answers all of them end up being extremely satisfying and truly do make you look at the season in a different way once everything comes full circle by the end.
At the same time, this plot has plenty of intriguing and layered themes surrounding it, including multiple subjects that have been explored in Star Wars before but are approached in a different way, especially when it comes to exploring the flaws of the Jedi and the Republic in this era that would plant the seeds for future events to occur. The Jedi, particularly during this era, feel strongly that they are the arbiters of how the Force should be used and who should be free to use it, developing this illusion of control shown through various characters. The thought process is that they’re protecting the galaxy from potential bad actors who might use the Force to harm, but really, they’re treating the Force like a religion that they must have full control of and not allow any loose ends that could potentially threaten the peace, such as the witches coven on Brendok.
This season does an excellent job showcasing how the Jedi work as the blade of colonizers for the Republic and show how they are also forcing, what amounts to religious conversion on those who practice a similar, but different faith. And it’s this kind of practice that leads to tragic events like the ones that happen in this season and the rise of villains in the shadows.
Now despite having so many fantastic thematic elements involved, there is one thing that does end up holding back the season’s narrative, which is its pacing and episode runtimes. I personally felt that a lot of episodes in this season (with the exceptions of 5, 7, and 8) were way too short and impacted the overall pacing of the story, leading to a lack of extensive development of certain characters in need of it, as well as leading to a lack of proper flow between episodes.
I’ve seen some people say that this story could have flowed better if it was a film instead of an 8 episode series and I am inclined to agree with them, based on how some things were done here. One of my biggest asks for the next season would be for the episodes to be longer or to have more than 8 episodes similar to Andor.
Every live-action Star Wars series we have had up to this point has had the best visual and technical elements made for them and this series continues that trend but is given its own unique identity. While it obviously takes place in the same universe you can tell that it looks and feels like a different era visually when you compare it side by side with the other shows, from the way the costumes, technology, set pieces, and action look.
Speaking of action I am going to go ahead and say right now that the Jedi and Sith action of The Acolyte might be my favorite of all of modern Star Wars next to Ahsoka. This series delivers amazing hand-to-hand and lightsaber combat that is choreographed and shot masterfully to the point that it is so addictive to watch. I was hooked on the action as early as the first episode and it just continued improving as the series progressed.
The series sets itself apart from the other eras with its fighting styles, going for Iaidō-inspired combat for the lightsaber conflicts and Force-Fu for the hand-to-hand moments, all of which are executed flawlessly on screen and really establish this era as being the peak of the Jedi’s power and skill. There are many moments in the action that could have ended up being as cheesy and ridiculous, like the action in the Prequel trilogy, but thankfully never goes that far. And to be completely honest this series features some of the most brutal Jedi and Sith action moments we have ever had that don’t hold back and add great stakes to the story.
Complimenting the action and the visuals of this series is the insanely high usage of practical effects that are perfectly crafted. We get an incredible amount of practical costumes, props, animatronics, sets, real-life locations, wire work, and stunts that all look absolutely magnificent and definitely show where a lot of the budget went, considering that practical work is more expensive compared to CGI.
As for the CGI effects, I will say a majority of the effects looked stunning in this series but I will admit not all of it is perfect. There were some very glaring moments of unpolished CGI that popped up occasionally in this season that definitely took me out of the moment a few times. Thankfully this is made up for in other areas including for the sequences involving the heavy usage of lightsabers and the use of the force in the action. This is where the CGI needed to be perfect and thankfully it is, especially when it has some unique elements that get thrown in to give the action more style and flair. Also whoever did the sound design for some of the lightsaber clashes in this series deserves a major raise because it was extremely satisfying to listen to.
The cinematography is outstandingly gorgeous with every frame oozing with vibrant and thematic beauty that matches with the show’s era and tone as well as allows for some excellent visual storytelling moments where dialogue isn’t present. Enhancing everything further is a mystical and sometimes haunting score from composer Michael Abels, who many may know to be responsible for some of the masterful music in all of Jordan Peele’s films. Yes, the same composer who did the music for Get Out, Us, and Nope has composed music for this Star Wars installment and is a welcome addition to the club of amazing composers who have done work for Star Wars.
This first season may have not been perfect in all areas but I still think it is a very impressive series that had me hooked from start to end and is unjustly over-hated for the most ridiculous reasons. I can understand that this series may not be for everyone for various legitimate reasons but there are other reasons that people have been pushing out publicly that I completely refuse to agree with or respect.
As of right now there has yet to be an official green light for the second season of the series but based on recent interviews with creator Leslye Headland as well as how things end in this season it seems highly likely we will see this story continue, which I hope it does, especially when the finale introduced a major figure of Star Wars lore to live action for the first time that changes everything. There is no way in hell they are going to let a jaw-dropping character reveal like that happen and not follow up on it with a second season.
It’s a bold series that is a unique and refreshing installment in the Star Wars universe that I would love to continue and see what other avenues it could explore without the restrictions of the Skywalker Saga. I highly recommend giving this series a fair chance and not let certain individuals manipulate you into not watching it. I’m going to give The Acolyte Season 1 an A- = 93.
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