******JEDI TEMPLE-SIZED SPOILERS!******
Recently, I wrote a column about what it was like to be a young “Star Wars” fan in the late 1970s. Just writing that column was a sentimental trip that awakened all kinds of childhood nostalgia. But part of growing old with a franchise like Star Wars is watching it evolve over time. Sometimes it takes twists and turns you really enjoy (“The Empire Strikes Back,” “Rogue One”), and sometimes it doesn’t (“The Star Wars Holiday Special,” “Attack of the Clones”).
Those are the highs and lows of pop entertainment; it has to be crafted for more than an audience of one. Many of us look for a custom fit in an off-the-rack universe. So, it’s with appropriately scaled-back expectations that I watched the trailer for Disney+’s new Star Wars series, “The Acolyte.”
A Few Observations
The first line of dialogue heard in the trailer–delivered by Jedi Master Sol to his youngling pupils–is a callback to Obi-Wan Kenobi from the original 1977 film, when he instructs Luke Skywalker not to place too much faith in his worldly senses. It’s interesting that 19-year old Luke was getting a basic lesson usually reserved for younglings.
And here we see Indara getting into it with Mae (Amandla Stenberg); a former Padawan Jedi who’s gone rogue. Star Wars has a long tradition of good Jedi going bad. Maybe the Jedi need to rethink that whole kidnapping-recruitment thing?
The trailer doesn’t really hint at a strong central story, beyond a lot of vague, dark threats (Star Wars 101).
Suotamo also played “the mighty Chewbacca” in the Star Wars sequels and in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” The Finnish actor played the role under the guide of original Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew for “The Force Awakens” (2015), and continued the role after Mayhew’s passing in 2019.
Korean actor Lee Jung-jae had to learn English for the role–no small task!
Stenberg played the memorable, heartbreaking role of “Rue” in the “The Hunger Games” (2012).
Jodie Turner-Smith plays Mother Aniseya, the leader of a Force-witch coven. Force witches are Dark Side force wielders who were recently seen in the Star Wars series “Ahsoka.”
Jedi Master Sol faces a new challenge on a snowy ice planet.
“Yes, you Mae.”
Once again, the landscape reminds me very much of the Skellig Islands of Ireland, a location used in “The Force Awakens.”
The End.
Summing It Up
Trailers usually put their best bits up front, otherwise, what’s the point? However, the trailer for this eight episode season (or series) didn’t quite light my fire, to be honest. Yes, it has many familiar elements of Star Wars (Jedi, lightsabers, aliens, even a Wookiee), but beyond those elements, it reminds me of those martial arts movies I used to watch on local TV stations back in the day, with stoic, monk-like characters fighting those who threaten their order, etc. Granted, Star Wars creator George Lucas was originally inspired by legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (“Yojimbo,” “Seven Samurai,” “Hidden Fortress”), so perhaps a trace of that vibe is to be expected. Yet, for some reason, “The Acolyte” trailer left me curiously nonplussed.
“The Matrix” star Carrie-Anne Moss stands with her fellow Jedi
Set 100 years before “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” (1999), this trailer feels more geared to fans of the prequels, which (to their credit) have an increasingly sizable fan base these days. There’s lots of lightsaber-twirling Jedi, force-witches, and other super-powered mystical types, but it left me wondering where were the everyday folks of the Star Wars universe? Part of what I love about classic Star Wars is its fascinating cross-section of characters (as we saw in Kurosawa’s films), such as the bickering peasants (reimagined as the droids), the cynical rogue (Han Solo), the crime boss (Jabba), the farmers (the Lars farm) and even an “old wizard” (Obi Wan Kenobi).
The Star Wars prequels were more concerned with heads of state, Senators, soldiers, Sith Lords, Masters and Jedi Knights; a somewhat loftier lot than we saw in the original trilogy. I got that same walking-statue feeling with the characters I saw in the trailer for “The Acolyte,”as well. The trailer has all the elements we’ve come to associate with Star Wars of late, but it felt surprisingly sterile and cool. It lacked the warmth and charm I’ve come to associate with that beloved ‘galaxy far, far away,’ and which I still see in it from time to time (“The Mandalorian,” “Rebels,” “Ahsoka”). Of course, that could just be how the trailer was cut, and I look forward to eating my words if I’m wrong.
Series creator Leslye Headland (“Bachelorette,” “Russian Doll”) doesn’t seem like the sort of writer who’d pursue a Star Wars gig, but then again, such offbeat perspectives often turn out to be good and healthy things. While I can’t say this trailer made me an instant believer, I still plan to give “The Acolyte” a try; mainly because I’m still a dyed-in-the-wool Star Wars fan under this increasingly gray hair of mine, and because my inner-optimist enjoys being surprised.
Here’s hoping the force is strong with this one. We’ll all find out in June.
Where To Watch
“The Acolyte” will be exclusively streaming on Disney+, for eight episodes, beginning the week of June 4th, 2024.
Carrie-Anne Moss joining the Star Wars universe is interesting. Thank you for this glimpse into yet another new addition to the SW legacy.
Much appreciated, Mike. 😊
Looks terrible. Disney just don’t seem to know which way to turn with Star Wars, like its a surprisingly tough nut to crack. They spent all those billions buying Lucasfilm thinking it would be no work at all. Some of its been ok but most of it has seemed like the Star Wars knock-offs we were inundated by in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Not good.
Rogue One was really good, and The Mandalorian was a real breath of fresh air to the franchise.
Overall, I think Disney’s track record with Star Wars is about the same ratio as Lucas’ tenure; an even mix of excellent, mediocre and terrible.
My Star Wars collection in 4K comprises of Rogue One, A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back- I have no need for any of the others. Return of the Jedi felt like a betrayal even in 1983 and the prequels were pretty poor (revisionism has it that the films are better than that but… no not really) So its clear that the Disney isn’t alone in messing up the Star Wars franchise. While I have all the films on Blu-ray (yeah and DVD, VHS etc) those three are the ones I deemed worthwhile buying again on 4K and are THE Star Wars Trilogy far as I’m concerned.
I’m looking forward to catching up with that Andor series, mind. Heard good things about that.
Giving new dimensionality to the Star Wars universe either in the last century or this century has agreeably not been easy, as opposed to Dr. Who and Star Trek. Even with the most focused appeals of what Star Wars is all about, there’s not too many new creative avenues, with all the prequels or interquels for familiar characters now seemingly like the most attentive trends. Something might finally break someday as Rogue One most triumphantly did.
Agreed 100%.
And disappointments are a predictable side-effect of any longtime franchise that needs to court both the faithful and new viewers.
Sad but true. That’s why I tend nowadays to have a healthier regard for the smaller and more obscure SF franchises.
“It’s not about power but who gets to use it” says to me this could feel like a lecture dressed up as a Star Wars show. And since this is focusing on the Sith I’m betting they will attempt to reframe the embodiment of evil in Star Wars as the good guys.
Or perhaps that morality isn’t as clean cut as good guys and bad guys, as we saw in “Rogue One” and “Andor”?
That’s a pretty good point and certainly in retrospect for how we mature as sci-fi fans. As morally ambiguous as some sci-fi classics may often get, even Star Trek which says a lot, it’s the not-so-clean-cut good or bad guys that make the characters in Star Wars significantly more interesting. I think that this has rubbed off on quite a few sci-fi legacies starting with Blake’s 7.
Morality is clean cut. Humans make it complicated.
To quote Amanda in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home:
“They do indeed.”
Morality is also based entirely on perspective.
Sci-fi can easily teach us that for sure.