The Acolyte, very similar to its fundamental characters, resists definition and placement in Star Wars’ decades-long legacy, and that’s its greatest energy. The Disney+ collection ticks many bins that the extra conventional, masculine followers of the franchise have been begging for for years (Excessive Republic lore, uncommon aliens, wild lightsaber fights) whereas additionally aggressively and unapologetically catering to the femme facet of fandom with a sizzling dangerous man and heaps of sexual pressure. We’ve by no means seen something like this in Star Wars media earlier than, and it’s breaking some brains. Regardless of its mere existence sending dangerous actors right into a frenzy, The Acolyte is definitely the Star Wars collection we’ve all been ready for.
Showrunner Leslye Headland and firm have clearly taken nice pains to weave intensive, deep, and considerate lore by your complete collection. Till The Acolyte, we’ve by no means seen the Excessive Republic (a time period during which each the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order had been at their peak) depicted in Star Wars TV or movies. As such, the collection gives fascinating tidbits of knowledge, nods to previous lore, and extra for the true Star Wars sickos to take pleasure in—whether or not it’s exhibiting a new planet that might be connected to Darth Plagueis or giving us a live-action model of an alien we’ve solely ever seen earlier than in a 2003 online game (a Selkath from Knights of the Previous Republic).
The present gives us so many nice moments and particulars which are new and contemporary however nonetheless firmly rooted within the universe as we’ve come to know and like it, from a scene during which we see a Jedi take the Barash Vow (an oath during which they chorus from all acts and enter a meditative state as penance) to season-long thematic arcs that illuminate how the autumn of the Excessive Republic may be traced on to the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker. Except for Andor, a lot of what Star Wars has given us since Disney subsumed Lucasfilm again in 2012 has felt paint-by-numbers, with the slightest of deviations (The Final Jedi) inflicting violent course-corrections that end in shlock like The Rise of Skywalker. However The Acolyte doesn’t really feel like empty fan-service—apart from the sexy shit, for as soon as.
The newest episode, titled “Train / Corrupt,” leans closely into the raucous and raunchy transport facet of Star Wars, during which the web daydreams about its best house couplings—a tradition completely encapsulated by the Reylos, who yearn for extra Kylo Ren/Rey content material. Ever since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker sealed the romance with a kiss simply to kill Kylo virtually instantly after, the Reylos have felt each vindicated and robbed.
The Acolyte dips again into that properly and scoops up a beneficiant serving to of candy, candy, transport nectar to serve us, as Qimir (Manny Jacinto) and Osha (Amandla Stenberg) argue up shut and in hushed tones and take lengthy, lingering appears at one another. There’s even a whole scene during which Qimir disrobes in entrance of Osha earlier than stepping right into a tide pool and welcoming her in. When she threatens to kill him, he asks if he can put his garments again on first, and when he emerges from the water she takes her candy time averting her eyes. That is, I imagine, the primary time somebody has been bare in Star Wars media.
Naturally, the web has gone wild over how unapologetically horny Qimir is, and is praising the powers-that-be for lastly giving them some good fucking meals. However what’s most notable is that the collection’ advertising and marketing push is leaning into the horniness—the official Star Wars X (previously Twitter) account posted a god rattling fancam of Manny Jacinto’s lightsaber coaching. They know what they’re doing, they usually’re not ashamed nor afraid of it.
For years I’ve seen Star Wars take huge steps ahead simply to be pressured backwards when Disney caves to right-wing reactionaries complaining about each Mary Sue, Black character, or queer person who comes inside a parsec of their beloved franchise. I’ve seen de-aged Luke Skywalkers pop up the place they shouldn’t, Boba Fett get a whole boring-ass collection, and each new piece of media circle again on previous Star Wars tales like a tedious ouroboros. The Acolyte is one thing solely totally different—it’s taking an opportunity with a brand-new setting, unfamiliar characters, and an unapologetic (and unapologetically sexy) perspective, and whereas it isn’t good, it’s not less than thrilling.
And it’s doing all of this whereas nonetheless giving us among the finest lightsaber fights in live-action Star Wars. What extra may you need?
.