Star Wars Finally Reveals The Acolyte Title Is More Dangerous Than We Thought
Contains spoilers for "The Acolyte," Season 1, Episode 1
The veil has finally been lifted on "The Acolyte," the latest adventure set within the "Star Wars" universe. Ttaking place 100 years before Anakin Skywalker's induction into the Jedi Order, this part of the "Star Wars" story isn't about that Tattooine-born terror. Instead, the story focuses on another pair of siblings that are taking very different paths, one of which is Mae (Amandla Stenberg), who may or may not be "The Acolyte" in question. More importantly, she could be more of a threat to the galaxy's protectors than even she might think.
That's the air of mystery that still feels pretty pungent after the first episode of the new Disney+ show, which ends on a cliffhanger that sees Mae reconvene with a mysterious assailant that feels Sith in all but name. Wielding a red lightsaber and a black cloak, this unknown enemy reveals that there's something more powerful than the Jedi and the Force, and this time of peace the Jedi have been keeping for centuries is about to be upset.
Mae is told that conventional weapons can't hurt the Jedi, but as an Acolyte, she represents something more, something deadlier; because they are assassins that cannot just kill Jedi, but the dream of the Jedi itself. They can extinguish their light and strength in the galaxy. In fact, this set-up sounds like a twisted version of another beloved Disney+ series that details a specific corner of the "Star Wars" universe, but instead comes with its own manifesto.
Is The Acolyte showing the dark side of rebellion we saw in Andor?
To quote "Andor's" Nemik (Alex Lawther), who at this point hasn't been born yet, "Remember this, Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction. Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy," he explains. "Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward." What's even more interesting about this view is that the way things might be going with "The Acolyte," those ideals could be similar to the ones being forced on Mae and directed at this eras imposing entity, the Jedi themselves.
Jedi might have always been seen as the good guys Force-pushing their through conflict when it's called for, and we're at a point in the galaxy's timeline when the Jedi reign supreme, applying a level enforcement that feels far more imposing than what we're used to. It only makes sense that an opposer would step up to try and bring down an establishment that seems to be going unquestioned.
By the end of the series, could we find ourselves in an unthinkable position and actually see ourselves siding with "The Acolyte" and their actions? Or could we stay on good terms with the Jedi in what appears to be their golden era? For now, we can only wait and see and keep our lightsabers at the ready while doing so.
Now, skip the ancient Jedi text and head here for everything we know about The High Republic, an era of "Star Wars" that informs the kind of Jedi we're seeing in "The Acolyte."