Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for “The Acolyte.”
The next in a line of mediocre additions to the Star Wars saga, “The Acolyte” concluded its 8-episode run on Tuesday. The series revolves around force-sensitive twins Mae and Osha (Amandla Stenberg) and the mysterious circumstances behind their separation at a young age.
Set 100 years before the events of “The Phantom Menace,” “The Acolyte” takes place in the “high republic era.” In this period of Star Wars history, the Jedi Order — the force-using protectors of the galaxy — were at the height of their power. Unbeknownst to the Order was the rising threat of the Sith, a group of evil force-users. Long time fans are familiar with the trajectory of this story, with the Sith ultimately usurping power from the Jedi in “Revenge of the Sith.”
The premise of “The Acolyte” is that the Jedi Order was a fundamentally flawed organization. It attempts to answer the question: How did these flaws lead to their ultimate defeat and the reign of the Sith?
The inciting event of the series takes place 16 years before the central narrative. As young girls, Mae and Osha were raised in a coven of force-using witches, which existed outside the control of the Order. Tensions rose when a group of Jedi discovered the coven, wiping them out and taking Osha to be trained as a Jedi. Unbeknownst to Osha and the Jedi, Mae survived. With most details of the event initially obscured from the viewer, the show is structured around discovering what truly happened that night.
Although not as poor as the likes of “Obi-Wan Kenobi” or “The Rise of Skywalker,” “The Acolyte” leaves much to be desired.
A good episode of TV should be satisfying to watch on its own and simultaneously entice the viewer to keep watching. Despite struggling to break a 40-minute runtime, the episodes of “The Acolyte” feel tedious and empty. To put it bluntly, the show feels like a first draft. Conceptually it has potential, but in execution “The Acolyte ” lacks a sense of substance.
The show explores themes that are truly novel and exciting for a Star Wars project. For instance, it touches on the idea of some religious institutions seeking to control and suppress others. Unfortunately, subtlety is not the show’s strong suit. “The Acolyte” often takes a tell, don’t show approach to conveying its themes.
This speaks to the greatest issue with “The Acolyte”: the writing.
There are exchanges of dialogue so pointedly unnatural the characters seem as though they are speaking directly to the camera. “The Acolyte” has no trust in the interpretive abilities of its audience, preferring to spoon-feed thematic exposition. Moments like these reveal the show’s hand, so to speak, preventing the audience from organically experiencing what it has to offer.
Another disappointing aspect of “The Acolyte” is the characterization of the Jedi. In Star Wars media, the Jedi are often depicted as stoic, though this trait has never replaced the individuality of the characters. “The Acolyte” seems to fundamentally misunderstand this concept. The Jedi characters in the show are incredibly bland; their lack of personality is seemingly their only personality trait. Though this appears to be an intentional choice, designed to portray the Jedi less sympathetically, it inspires apathy toward the story and characters.
Despite boasting an absurd $180 million budget, “The Acolyte” falls flat from a technical standpoint as well. The series uses practical filmmaking techniques in an attempt to recreate the feel of the original films, a departure from the digital technology used in most modern Star Wars shows. Unfortunately, the end product is visually indistinct from these series.
Similar to its fellow television projects on Disney Plus, “The Acolyte’s” entire production has a noticeably artificial appearance. The lighting is flat and unnatural – a far cry from the dynamic and substantive visuals of the original George Lucas films. Though high quality, the sets and costumes never quite seem credible, ensuring the viewer never forgets they’re watching a TV show.
The series does have a few highlights. The fight choreography is exciting to watch and a welcome respite from the monotony of the show. There is an emphasis on martial arts, taking inspiration from the fantastical action sequences of “The Matrix” franchise.
Director Hanelle M. Culpepper is particularly deserving of praise, whose episodes titled “Teach/Corrupt” and “The Acolyte” are the standouts of the series. These episodes not only have the best direction by far, but highlight the performances of the actors. The series desperately needed more episodes like these that endear the audience to the characters.
Is “The Acolyte” the worst thing that has ever happened to Star Wars? No. In this era of franchise filmmaking, audiences have grown accustomed to the constant stream of lackluster projects. “The Acolyte” is just another to add to the list.
Drew Askeland is an Arts & Entertainment Intern for the summer 2024 quarter. He can be reached at daskelan@uci.edu.
Edited by Alaina Retodo and Annabelle Aguirre.