“The Acolyte” Bingo
We are just days away from the next era in the Star Wars universe with the premiere of the Disney+ TV show The Acolyte. Set at the end of the High Republic era and approximately 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte is summarized as:
An investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master against a dangerous warrior from his past. As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems… (Via www.starwars.com)
Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, parts of the fandom have already proclaimed the series garbage based on cast/showrunner comments and approximately five minutes of footage strewn throughout multiple trailers.
I, however, am excited as hell for this series. I think it is interesting that it is being billed as a mystery/thriller, and I think Star Wars is good at red herrings/throwing you off the plot. I mean, The Mandalorian put it in the script that Plo Koon, whom we watched get blown up in Revenge of the Sith, was going to rescue Grogu & friends to keep hidden that it would actually be Luke Skywalker. And the false flag didn’t even leak. Anything I think I know from the previews, I understand I most likely don’t know anything at all. And that’s one of the things that makes shows like The Acolyte so exciting for me - we are dealing with pretty much unknowns all around.
Showrunner Leslye Headland has said that the show includes inspiration from all throughout the current canon but is also an unexplored era. Taking place approximately 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte is a link between the High Republic era - which has not yet been shown in live action. The High Republic era has primarily been viewed through comics and book media, although Disney+ has streamed the preschool cartoon Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures. I have really enjoyed this era.
While many look forward to stories not centered around the Jedi, I frankly can’t get enough. The High Republic era has also explored other sects of Force users, including Dark Side users. Headland told Den of Geek that the struggle between good and evil within the Force is central to the story of The Acolyte:
“The character of Mae was rooted in a very early idea I had, even before we had her character, which was: do the Jedi have a monopoly on the Force?” Headland explains to Den of Geek magazine. “Or are there Force users that exist in the galaxy, who are either dealt with and disposed of, or do they have to keep themselves hidden? Are they good guys or bad guys?”
Headland has also said that she is taking inspiration from throughout the Star Wars universe, so I’m really excited to see the different tie-ins we have. Although the Den of Geek article says not to expect legacy characters like Yoda, I would be highly surprised that we don’t even mention the legendary Jedi Master.
The Resistance Broadcast discussed all the different potential eras for inspiration in a recent episode, which you can listen to here. I found it super interesting, and it got me thinking.
I made a bingo card for The Acolyte.
There were so many potential items to fill the card! So much so that I made a row basically be “pick a” [whatever], like a character, planet, group, etc.
What do you hope to see in The Acolyte?
