Most of the Star Wars content we’ve seen play out on the screen over the last decade has taken place in a time where the Jedi are largely extinct. While there’s still been no shortage of epic Jedi moments from characters like Luke Skywalker, Rey Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, they’re all in a period post-Order 66.
That’s all going to change when The Acolyte hits Disney+ next year.
That series is set at the tail end of the High Republic era, a time of great advancement and achievement for the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic in general. The series will explore how the Jedi began to lose their way leading up to the prequel trilogy, and it will have a dark side centric focus, but it will nonetheless feature lots of Jedi.
In fact, showrunner Leslye Headland recently said that it will feature more Jedi on-screen than we’ve ever seen. In a podcast interview with Entertainment Weekly, transcribed by IGN, Headland said this:
“What makes this show different and interesting is it’s from the perspective of the bad guys or the villains of Star Wars. These are people who are using the Force in their own way, dipping into the darker sides of the Force, and are doing it without being sanctioned by the larger institution which in this case is the Jedi. I think Star Wars is always about some version of the underdog versus the institution, and I just thought it was very interesting to do a show about the bad guys. It’s almost flipped. We have more Jedi than you’ve seen in any of the Star Wars content, but at the same time I think you see more morally ambiguous characters.”
I’m completely sold on that description, and I can’t wait to see it play out on-screen. While talk about the Jedi starting to lose their way will be uncomfortable for some fans, it’s perfectly in line with the Jedi Order of George Lucas’s prequel trilogy, and I’m excited to see how they began to shift there. I’m excited to see a series that connects with the High Republic era. I’m excited to see a series that includes lots and lots of Jedi. And I’m excited to see a series that focuses more on the dark side of things.
And if it’s true that this features more Jedi than we’ve seen, then we’re in for a treat. We saw tons of Jedi on-screen in the prequels and The Clone Wars, and if this delivers on that in an even bigger way, it’s sure to be a real treat for fans. This is a time where the dark side lurks in the shadows, growing in the darkness and lying in wait, but a time where the Jedi are also grappling with their place in the galaxy and their purpose as an Order. The Acolyte will plunge us right into that, and I can’t wait.
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