Star Wars: The Acolyte Already Has Something In Common With The Last Jedi

Gone are the days when a "Star Wars" property could just throw a wacky Gungan sidekick at the wall to see if he sticks. These days, the hands steering the fate of the galaxy far, far away are acutely aware of the fandom's keen eyes, which rarely fail to spot things like Easter eggs in "Ahsoka" or small details in "The Mandalorian" trailers. As such, it's highly unlikely that the new, surprisingly bloody poster for the Disney+ show "Star Wars: The Acolyte" is just a random design choice. 

Tomorrow. #TheAcolyte pic.twitter.com/ILIfVu11ve

— Star Wars (@starwars) March 18, 2024

Fans looking for connections might notice that the poster deals with the color red in a way that hasn't been seen since Rian Johnson's "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," which was also marketed with posters that prominently combined a stark, light background with bloody crimson. The similarities don't end there, either. Two of the central themes of "The Last Jedi" are the concepts of bloodlines strong in the Force and betrayal. These plot points could easily be explored in "The Acolyte," which just so happens to feature literal blood lines in place of a traditional lightsaber blade in its poster. 

"The Acolyte" is about darkness rising in the final heyday of the Jedi Order, and "The Last Jedi" reveals how its second coming was destroyed. Combine this thematic similarity with the fact that these are the only prominent live-action "Star Wars" projects with red and white poster artwork, and it starts to seem like the kind of "coincidence" fans might want to pay attention to.

In "The Last Jedi," the truth of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) nearly killing Ben "Kylo Ren" Solo (Adam Driver) after sensing his corruption effectively wrecks the former's attempts to rebuild the Jedi into a proper force for good, as Kylo destroys his uncle's school in retaliation. The revelation also deeply shocks Rey (Daisy Ridley), who nevertheless later opts to continue the Skywalker bloodline in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" despite technically being a Palpatine, thus setting up a potential new swing for the whole Jedi Order thing.

Meanwhile, the premise of "The Acolyte" seems to take the opposite approach. Here, the Jedi Order is as powerful as it's ever been. Still, a rising darkness is slowly starting to gain influence, and regardless of how small the danger may initially seem, things are moving toward the inevitable, Order 66-themed end that every "Star Wars" fan is all too familiar with.

The official plot synopsis for "The Acolyte" only makes things even more interesting. "In 'The Acolyte,' an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems..." This could mean that, like Rian Johnson's film, the Disney+ series will very well feature Force users betraying other Force users. How the series handles things remains to be seen. However, it wouldn't be a massive shock if its events at least somewhat mirror the Luke-Kylo situation in "The Last Jedi."

Apart from the thematic connections, let's take things one step further and embrace the possibility that "The Acolyte" poster carries the same meaning as "The Last Jedi" posters. While initially looking quite bloody, the scarlet-and-white theme in "The Last Jedi" posters turns out to be a fairly clear reference to the unique visuals of the planet Crait, which plays a pivotal part in the movie's climax.

Crait is where the epic confrontation between the betraying and betrayed Force users — Luke's Force-projected spirit and Kylo Ren — takes place. The winner of the match is famously difficult to decide, seeing as Luke succeeds in his mission to delay Kylo's forces but ultimately passes away from the strain. Wouldn't that be a pretty delicious concept to reference in "The Acolyte," either in spirit or potentially going as far as taking the action to the same visually captivating planet?

Sure, again, this is a whole lot of assumptions to make from some superficial similarities in "The Acolyte" and "The Last Jedi" posters. Or rather, it would be if this wasn't "Star Wars" — the franchise that once openly telegraphed supposed villain Reva Sevander's (Moses Ingram) true alignment with the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" lightsaber posters.