”The Acolyte” premiere review: “Star Wars” with a fresh coat of paint

The Acolyte, Disney+’s newest Star Wars series, has one irrefutable thing going for it. Unlike most of the series that grace the streamer, The Acolyte cannot lean on established fans of its era or canon maintenance. The two episode premiere showcases more subtle ways to use the Star Wars IP and build a new kind of narrative. That narrative isn’t what the marketing implied, but at this point, anything new is worth exploring.

The Acolyte takes fans back to the High Republic

Despite appearances, The Acolyte isn’t really a murder mystery as much as it is a cop procedural. By the end of the second episode, there’s a culprit, motive, and method already well established. It makes sense to keep things lean and moving along. Even though the “High Republic” age is a big initiative in Lucasfilm’s other media efforts — particularly in books and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor — this is its first live-action introduction. 

Frankly, the High Republic is probably one of the stronger post-The Last Jedi ideas Lucasfilm has put out. It is just far enough in the past to disconnect from any other projects, but not so far in the past to use an entirely different visual aesthetic from the prequels. The differences then become more engaging as a result. High Republic Jedi seem to be far more politically minded and more comfortable with their effective roles as space cops, fitting into the reputation they’d eventually fall into during the prequels. That even extends to the costuming, with the Jedi having “field gear” in the form of more familiar earthy tones in their robes, combined with armor pieces.

A strong cast is the foundation of the premiere

All of this thought is in service of a surprisingly straightforward plot in the first two episodes. Amandla Stenberg is actually playing two characters, twins separated after a traumatic event. The marketing kept this pretty secret but it’s hardly a spoiler. True to Star Wars fashion, one twin is a former Jedi padawan and the other trained by a secret Sith cell on the fringes of the galaxy. The latter, Mae, stands out over her sister. Stenberg is thriving in balancing Mae’s thirst for vengeance with her very specific assignment. Her sister, Osha, is less compelling at the time but that seems to be because The Acolyte intends to explore what led her to depart the Order and how it plays into the events that separated the twins. 

That exploration goes hand in hand in her reconnection with her former Master, Sol (Lee Jung-jae). Sol is easily the most well adjusted Jedi since Qui-Gon Jinn, which makes him instantly compelling. Jung-jae commands every scene he’s in and remains a revelation. The rest of the cast is already strong, but still feeling the space out. Likely fan favorites will be Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen), Sol’s straight-laced padawan who has no issues talking down to fellow Jedi Yord (Charlie Barrett). Yord’s also by-the-book to a fault, but his own history with Osha very much promises to compromise him at some point in this investigation. 

The true standout of the first two episodes is Qimir (Manny Jacinto), a sleazy ally of Mae’s. Jacinto’s proving here he’s not his lovable dweeb character from The Good Place. He’s a chameleon, switching from drunkard to malicious to cowardly, right into manipulative all in a single episode. He seems bound for more of the series, which will be to The Acolyte’s benefit.

Sleek choreography

However, there’s also some who aren’t long for this story. For those excited to see Carrie-Anne Moss kick ass with a lightsaber, I regret to inform you that Star Wars remains the champion in casting award winning actors only to immediately throw them to the side. To The Acolyte’s credit, Moss has an appropriately cool fight scene befitting her pedigree. In fact, the choreography is stunning all the way through.

While The Acolyte keeps the action sparse and focused, every moment in the first two episodes is inarguably cool. There’s a level of polish that the other series haven’t used, even the ones with lightsaber battles. It’s been a long time since a Star Wars production has needed the sharp and hyper stylized combat of the prequels, and I hadn’t realized I missed it. 

The destination is the real mystery

That’s all probably enough to buoy the show, but this is still a Star Wars series. Starting isn’t the problem, it’s sticking the landing. The Acolyte has already laid most of its cards on the table, barring a real left field twist. Osha starts off accused of Mae’s crimes, but is quickly exonerated through the show’s own (admittedly reasonable) logic. By the end of Episode 2, Mae’s halfway through her hit list off and en route to the next target. 

In terms of mystery, all that remains is the secret of what actually happened the night Mae and Osha were separated. Given the other specific Star Wars-isms The Acolyte is using, it seems likely this will turn out to be a Rashomon situation rather than a mystery for the audience to solve. As a result, the narrative is kind of in a holding pattern. There’s the possibility that there is a bigger twist waiting in the wings, but these shows have long since lost the benefit of the doubt. 

Judging from the premiere, The Acolyte will be at least a breath of fresh air. That’s definitely something Star Wars could use. The series does seem to be less interested in wearing the skin of what once worked, but it has to earn that success still. Whether or not The Acolyte leads to a franchise renaissance in a new timeline remains to be seen. 

The Acolyte releases new episodes weekly on Disney+.

Featured images via Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd.