The Acolyte, very similar to its foremost characters, resists definition and placement in Star Wars’ decades-long legacy, and that’s its greatest power. The Disney+ sequence 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 scorching unhealthy man and heaps of sexual rigidity. 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 unhealthy actors right into a frenzy, The Acolyte is definitely the Star Wars sequence we’ve all been ready for.
Showrunner Leslye Headland and firm have clearly taken nice pains to weave in depth, deep, and considerate lore via the complete sequence. Till The Acolyte, we’ve by no means seen the Excessive Republic (a time frame by which each the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order had been at their peak) depicted in Star Wars TV or movies. As such, the sequence gives fascinating tidbits of knowledge, nods to outdated lore, and extra for the actual Star Wars sickos to get pleasure from—whether or not it’s exhibiting a new planet that is perhaps related to Darth Plagueis or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live-action model of an alien we’ve solely ever seen earlier than in a 2003 online game (a Selkath from Knights of the Outdated Republic).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 find it irresistible, from a scene by which we see a Jedi take the Barash Vow (an oath by 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 might 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 lead to shlock like The Rise of Skywalker. However The Acolyte doesn’t really feel like empty fan-service—apart from the attractive shit, for as soon as.
The most recent episode, titled “Educate / Corrupt,” leans closely into the raucous and raunchy transport facet of Star Wars, by which the web daydreams about its perfect area 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 nearly instantly after, the Reylos have felt each vindicated and robbed.
The Acolyte dips again into that nicely 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 seems at one another. There’s even a complete scene by which Qimir disrobes in entrance of Osha earlier than stepping right into a tide pool and alluring 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 consider, the primary time somebody has been bare in Star Wars media.
Naturally, the web has gone wild over how unapologetically attractive 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 sequence’ 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, and so they’re not ashamed nor afraid of it.
For years I’ve seen Star Wars take massive steps ahead simply to be pressured backwards when Disney caves to right-wing reactionaries complaining about each Mary Sue, Black character, or queer individual that 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 complete boring-ass sequence, and each new piece of media circle again on outdated Star Wars tales like a tedious ouroboros. The Acolyte is one thing totally completely 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 excellent, it’s a minimum of thrilling.
And it’s doing all of this whereas nonetheless giving us probably the greatest lightsaber fights in live-action Star Wars. What extra might you need?
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