The Acolyte Premiere Review: Star Wars mystery series set in the High Republic era begins in murky fashion

For the first time in live-action, Star Wars dives into the High Republic with the two-episode premiere of The Acolyte.

Set 100 years before Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the Jedi are at the heights of their popularity. However, when a Jedi Master is murdered, an investigation ensues that could have dire consequences in a galaxy, far, far away.

The aforementioned setup is terrific. Since Andor, production design and visuals are easily the best in a Star Wars show. Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae and Dafne Keene deliver compelling performances. While these elements prove The Acolyte‘s potential, everything else about the show leaves something to be desired.

The dialogue ranges from cringe-inducing to ho-hum with occasional flourishes whenever Stenberg’s Osha and Jung-jae’s Sol share the screen. Charlie Barnett is a capable actor, but his character, Yord Fandar, is the most boring Jedi in Star Wars. The Jedi, supposed to be among the wisest in the galaxy, are frequently portrayed as stooges. Even Sol, who believes a certain character to be dead, is easily proved wrong less than five minutes later.

Stenberg plays two roles in The Acolyte to varying degrees of success. She portrays Osha, a former Padawan trying to find her way after leaving the Jedi order. Like Ahsoka, her relationship with her former master, Sol, is one of solace and regret. Stenberg also portrays the villain Mae. She is Osha’s twin sister and is believed to be dead at the series’ outset. Stenberg is great in the action scenes but struggles to come across as a truly evil threat.

Overall, there’s potential for The Acolyte to succeed. If the series can continue to mine the relationship between Osha, Mae, and Sol while building out this older but unknown era of Star Wars, then this could be similar to the success of The Mandalorian.

With the overview complete, let’s explore the two-episode premiere of The Acolyte, which is streaming on Disney Plus.

Recurring Star Wars themes in The Acolyte

There are a few nods to multiple Star Wars eras with slight twists.

The biggest element in The Acolyte‘s world is the return of force-sensitive twins. Instead of Luke and Leia from the original and sequel trilogies, there’s Osha and Mae. Osha is the good twin who was trained by Sol. Mae adheres to the dark side of the force and sets out on a dangerous quest to kill Jedi.

The complicated relationship between Masters and Padawans returns with Osha, Sol, as well as Jecki Lon (Keene) as Sol’s new Padawan. There’s a mix of guilt and warmth between Osha and Sol that’s reminiscent of Anakin and Ahsoka. Although it doesn’t appear as if Osha has any dark tendencies, yet.

These are the main elements driving the story of The Acolyte forward. The almost aloof nature that many of the Jedi outside of Qui-Gon Jin possesses in the prequels also returns in The Acolyte. Sol is similar to Qui-Gon in many ways. While he respects the principles and is in no way a rebel, he shows compassion, allowing for an almost fatherly bond with Osha.

Lost / Found

The first episode begins with the attack on Jedi Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss). The twin’s aspect of the story isn’t apparent yet. Indara is more powerful, but Mae uses deception to drop Indara’s guard.

The story shifts to Osha, who works as a ship mechanic in space. Yord appears and issues the warrant for her arrest. Osha denies any involvement and is set to a prison vessel. After an escape by other prisoners, the ship is marooned on another planet.

Meanwhile, Sol receives news from Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson) about Osha’s arrest. He doesn’t believe Osha committed the crime and convinces Rwoh to let him form a small search party. Sol, Yord and Jecki leave Coruscant to find Osha.

Osha begins seeing visions of her sister. Sol reveals that Osha’s twin sister died years ago. However, after Sol uses the Force to save Osha from falling off a cliff, Osha claims Mae is alive. Sol believes Osha without any reservation and the trio becomes a foursome.

The first episode shines on Stenberg and Sol’s performances, but the series struggles to generate much mystery.

Revenge / Justice

Episode two continues where the first episode left off. Mae is on a quest to kill another Jedi. The reasoning behind her murderous crusade is hazy. She appears to be a part of a group of people who want to humble the Jedi by revealing their flaws. For instance, in the first episode, Mae used Indara’s desire to protect others against her. In Revenge/Justice, she offers absolution to a Jedi Master who can’t listen to his past. Jedi Master Torbin accepts the deadly elixir and dies. Torbin’s sins are never revealed in the episode. Mae only offers vague hints.

Meanwhile, Rwoh drops the charges against Osha. Mae tries to kill him while Osha is in Sol, Yord and Jecki’s custody, but fails to break Torbin’s Force shield. Sol decides to investigate, and together, they can catch up with Mae. Osha gets a chance to pull the trigger and stop Mae, but she misses what appears to be an easy shot.

Following Torbin’s death and Mae’s crusade, Rwod orders Sol back to Coruscant to take stock of the situation.

The second episode shines when focusing on Sol and Osha’s relationship. Both feel like failures. Osha feels like she is a poor student, and Sol regrets not being a better teacher.

The Acolyte Premiere final thoughts

Overall, The Acolyte is a puzzling show featuring a charismatic lead performance, a new take on force-sensitive twins, and a complex Master-Padawan relationship. Unfortunately, the mystery angle features little suspense or context. There’s not enough time given to either murdered Jedi to feel for them. Bizarre character choices weaken wise characters.

If The Acolyte can shore up the dialogue and smarten up the characters, there’s plenty of room to grow for the 2024 Star Wars series.

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