There’s intense debate over how Star Wars movies and TV shows should be viewed. Although some prefer release order, many push for chronological order from an in-universe perspective. That would essentially mean The Acolyte is now a prologue for the entirety of Star Wars, which naturally raises the question of just how well the Disney+ TV show works when viewed in this way.
You Open The Story With A Warning… The Empire Is Coming
The Acolyte’s Opening Crawl Is a Major Clue For Where The Galaxy Is Headed
A recent Star Wars trend has brought back the iconic opening crawl. In just the past year, Ahsoka season 1 started with an opening crawl, and The Acolyte has continued this, cementing where in the timeline The Acolyte takes place and what relevant information is needed to describe the state of the galaxy. The first part of The Acolyte‘s opening crawl reads: “A hundred years before the rise of the Empire, it is a time of peace. The Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic have prospered for centuries without war…”
This first piece of the crawl indicates that while things have been stable, trouble is brewing. Not only that, but the crawl makes it clear that a change in government is coming — one from a peaceful republic to an empire. In some ways, The Acolyte is daring audiences to see the show as the beginning of the end of a peaceful galaxy. Name-dropping the Jedi and the Republic highlights that those are the two institutions that will be brought down with the rising darkness.
The Flaws Of The Jedi Order Are Apparent From The Start
Long Time Knows How Flawed The Order Really Was
While the Jedi Order had always been portrayed as the “good guys,” one of the biggest aspects of Star Wars is realizing that while the Jedi always had good intentions, they were flawed at their core. The Acolyte best highlights the flaws of the Jedi and implants the thought process that while they are the good guys they are not without their faults. The actions of Master Sol, Master Indara, Master Kelnacca, and Padawan Torbin after the events of Brendok highlight that the Jedi aren’t always in the right.
Sol was so blinded by justifying that killing Mother Aniseya was for Mae and Osha’s protection, that he couldn’t see that it ruined so many lives.
Master Sol’s inability to admit he made a mistake on Brendok demonstrated another flaw of the Jedi, and ultimately led to the Jedi’s death. Sol was so blinded by justifying that killing Mother Aniseya was for Mae and Osha’s protection, that he couldn’t see that it ruined so many lives. These flaws were also highlighted by Senator Rayencourt in The Acolyte episode 8 when he told Master Vernestrea Rwoh that the Jedi claimed to control the uncontrollable — their emotions. For someone watching Star Wars in chronological order, this is some key foreshadowing of what’s to come.
The Force Is About More Than Just Jedi & Sith
The Original Trilogy and Prequels Made it All About the Binary
For so much of Star Wars, it’s in some way about light versus dark, or Jedi versus Sith, but as the galaxy has expanded, other Force-sensitive groups have emerged. Star Wars: The Clone Wars introduced the Nightsisters of Dathomir and the Mortis gods, and now, The Acolyte introduced the Force as “The Thread” for the witches of Brendok. While the original Star Wars trilogy is a great place to start watching the franchise, The Acolyte’s introduction of a Force-cult of witches shows the strength and vastness of the Force’s power.
There is so much to learn about the Force, and it can no longer only be learned from the Jedi and Sith, but instead it encompasses all living things and so many different perspectives. The Acolyte did a great job of blending the mysticism of the Force from the original trilogy with the scientific approach largely seen in the prequel trilogies. If one were to start watching Star Wars with The Acolyte they’d already have a good, solid foundation for understanding the basics of the Force.
You Have A Better Understanding Of What The Sith (Claim To) Want
Other Titles Don’t Make it Nearly As Clear
During the original and prequel trilogies, it wasn’t always clear what the Sith’s end goal was until it was ultimately revealed and executed. However, with The Acolyte being on a much smaller scale, it allowed for the Sith Lord, Qimir (Manny Jacinto) to fully explain what he wants. While audiences who watch other Star Wars titles know that the Sith ultimately want the extinction of the Jedi and to control the galaxy, Qimir makes it much simpler.
In The Acolyte episode 5, Qimir explains that he wants the freedom to wield his power how he wants and without Jedi intervention. While his larger goal has still yet to be revealed, it likely aligns with what audiences have seen in titles set later in the Star Wars timeline — control. Qimir tells Sol that he wants an Acolyte, something he finds in Osha by the end of The Acolyte season 1; however, only future seasons will reveal why he seeks one — for the Sith Rule of Two, or something else.
You Know The Sith Are Out There In The Shadows
Darth Plagueis is Here
Throughout so much of Star Wars, the Jedi are certain that there is no Sith, something that ultimately leads to their eventual downfall. Even though all of the Jedi who saw Qimir’s face died by the end of The Acolyte season 1, Vernestra Rwoh knows that her former pupil is alive, even if she may not know that his allegiances lie with the Sith. With The Acolyte featuring a cameo from Darth Plagueis, audiences would know that there is a larger Sith conspiracy going on, even if they didn’t know who Plagueis was when he appeared onscreen.
Darth Plagueis seemingly had no real impact on The Acolyte’s story, but this revelation serves to prove how little the Jedi know. Additionally, it shows that they aren’t willing to step into the shadows to see if there is a threat rising. While the Sith historically were only two strong at a time, that doesn’t mean they always remained in the shadows. In Legends, Plagueis was a successful and powerful Magister of Damask Holdings, which was part of the InterGalactic Banking Clan (IBC), while in canon, Palpatine hid in plain sight.
There Are Ominous Signs The Jedi Are Too Involved With Politics
Vernestra Rwoh’s Storyline Hints At This
If one was watching The Acolyte without any preconceived knowledge of how the Republic and Jedi work together, it would still be clear that the two are intimately connected, and it’s not for the Jedi’s benefit. One of the criticisms of the Jedi is that they did the Republic’s bidding, instead of protecting everyone in the galaxy. Master Vernestra Rwoh’s storyline in The Acolyte season 1 highlights how she keeps the investigation of Jedi murders under wraps because if the Republic Senate found out, there’d be chaos.
While the Jedi should operate outside of politics and simply act as keepers of the peace, Vernestra knows that to continue to do that they have to play the Senate’s political game.
While this isn’t a good reason for not informing a governing body of issues within the Jedi’s ranks, it does show that Vernestra is aware of the politics involved with being a Jedi. The Jedi should operate outside of politics and simply act as keepers of the peace, but Vernestra knows that to continue to do that they have to play the Senate’s political game. Audiences who know what to come are aware of how this issue only gets worse, but The Acolyte may be seeing how this systemic issue began, or at least increased.
You’re Already Familiar With The Idea The Force Can Create Life
Mae and Osha Won’t Be The Last To Be Created From The Force
Anakin Skywalker is famously the Chosen One because he was created by the midi-chlorians and the Force, The Acolyte shows that Anakin wasn’t an anomaly. It’s worth noting that it was the will of the Force that Anakin was created without the need for a father and not some kind of manipulation. However, The Acolyte informs the audience that Mother Aniseya manipulated the Force to create life, then split that life into two—twins Mae and Osha.
Master Sol believed that the twins were created using a vergence in the Force. This means that while the twins are not a vergence, a vergence’s power was used to create them. On the other hand, Anakin was the vergence in the Force, something that elevated his power level significantly. Because Mother Aniseya manipulated the Force to create the twins, it sets a precedent that other life could be created by the Force. This would help viewers understand Anakin’s origins in The Phantom Menace if watching for the first time.
Yoda’s Importance Is Underlined
THAT Scene Shows How Vital He Is
Master Yoda is one of the most iconic Star Wars characters of all time, and he has appeared in all three film trilogies, as well as multiple television shows like The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. It’s known that Yoda is about 900 years old when he dies in The Empire Strikes Back, meaning he’d be alive and training Jedi during The Acolyte. Because of his age, he is well respected, meaning it seems only natural that Master Vernestra would go to Yoda with her concerns after the revelations about what happened on Brendok.
While audiences are not privy to what was discussed between the two Jedi, just seeing the outline of Yoda’s head in The Acolyte and a well-respected Jedi like Vernestra going to speak with him speaks volumes. Even if watching Star Wars for the first time, audiences know that this character is important moving forward, and it will ultimately make people pay closer attention to the small green Jedi. No matter one’s feelings about The Acolyte it’s interesting whenever one can think about or watch Star Wars from a new and different perspective, and The Acolyte allows fans to do just that.
