Review: ‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ is action-packed, rewatchable

“The Acolyte” in the “Star Wars” Timeline

“The Acolyte” is the first live-action story set during the High Republic era of “Star Wars,” prior to the events of the Skywalker Saga. As a huge fan of the High Republic novels and comics since their debut in early 2021, I’m glad to finally see this era on screen, even if the show is set quite a while after the books. But don’t let that discourage you if you haven’t read them! The plot of “The Acolyte” (or at least the first four episodes that I had the chance to see early) is original, with only one character from the books making an appearance so far. (That’s Vernestra Rwoh, all grown up since her debut as one of the youngest ever to become a Jedi Knight at just 15!)

100 Years Before the Empire

Since the plot has not been revealed prior to the release of the first two episodes, I feel I have to say, WARNING: SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 1 AHEAD!

Set around 100 years before the reign of the Empire, “The Acolyte” follows two young women: Mae, the dagger-wielding, Force-sensitive Acolyte of a mysterious (and seemingly Sith) master who is out for revenge against the Jedi …

… and Osha, a Jedi-Padawan-turned-starship-mechanic, suspected by the Jedi of murder.

As you may be able to tell from the images above, the two are twins, and both played by Amandla Stenberg, who knocks it out of the park with her performance as both girls.

The show is very action-packed and definitely not afraid to get a bit gruesome. The kids may want to stick with the Disney Junior series “Young Jedi Adventures” for their High Republic fix. That being said, this brutality, along with the costuming of the Jedi, really captures the feel of the majority of High Republic stories we’ve seen so far.

Preview of Episodes 3 & 4 of “The Acolyte”

Spoilers ahead for episodes 3 & 4!

The first two episodes (which debut today) set up the plot mentioned above, but the third episode (which premieres June 11, 2024) has an entirely different cast. It delves into Osha and Mae’s childhood, being born into a coven of witches that seem to use the Force in a different way to any other faction we’ve seen before, even to other witches like the Nightsisters.

“The Acolyte” continues the great LGBT representation we’ve seen from the rest of the High Republic by introducing the twins’ mothers, who lead the coven, characters I hope we get to see and learn more about in later episodes. (Notably, the coven has a very similar aesthetic to another faction, one which was introduced in phase 2 of the High Republic, the Path of the Open Hand. It remains to be seen if the two are connected at all.)

The elephant in the room is the mysterious red-saber-wielding master that Mae follows. Is he a Sith? What is his end game? He says Mae must prove herself by killing a Jedi without using any weapons. He says this while wielding a lightsaber himself. Hypocrite much? Most importantly, will this affect the larger “Star Wars” story as a whole? Any way it goes, I’m incredibly eager to see the second half of the show, and will definitely rewatch the episodes I’ve seen as they release to spot any clues I’ve missed along the way.