Released on June 4th, the long awaited television show The Acolyte is giving the fans a new perspective of what Star Wars could be. Created by Leslye Headland, who’s wanted to work with the franchise for a long time, the series is yet again breaking familiar ground for the saga.
The Acolyte is set at the end of the High Republic era, before the first chapter The Phantom Menace (1999) or any other events from the Skywalker Saga. The two-episode premiere suggests a thrilling and complex adventure surrounding this period in the timeline – which still hasn’t been much explored outside of books and comics.
Four episodes have come out in the past weeks, which represents half of the show. There are four more chapters yet to be seen, and you can catch up on them every Tuesday night at 10 PM (Brazil official time) on the streaming service Disney+, which also has every other Star Wars movie, series and animation available.
OSHA AND MAE
Both interpreted by Amandla Stenberg, the protagonists of The Acolyte, Osha and Mae, are twin sisters who were separated by a tragedy in their home planet Brendok when they were kids. Osha was once the padawan of Jedi Master Sol, who is interpreted by Lee Jung-Jae, whereas Mae explores the dark side of the force hunting her sister’s former master and his colleagues.Â
Stenberg says she sees this duo as the representation of yin and yang. Osha and Mae are connected through the force – which their family, the Aniseya witches, call “the thread”. The third episode reveals Mae was behind the fire that destroyed the twins’ land, but fans are speculating this might have not been the case, and that the truth will be brought on as the story unravels.
DIVERSITY IN STAR WARS
Despite being loved all over the world, it is unfortunately a fact that Star Wars has never been a racially diverse universe – which is ironic since the franchise has always included many different species in the movies. From A New Hope (1977) to The Rise of Skywalker (2019), we’ve seen Wookies, Togrutas and Gungans, but very few people of color.
The Acolyte is here to change that. The cast of the show is considered to be the most diverse ever seen in the franchise. With actors like Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-Jae, Charlie Barnett, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen and Jodie Turner-Smith, Star Wars is finally giving its POC fans good representation.Â
A NEW LOOK INTO THE FRANCHISE
The Aniseya sisters have been showing the fanbase a new side to the Star Wars universe, and although this has been bothering some of the older fans, who’ve been claiming that Star Wars isn’t the same anymore, the younger audience seems to appreciate that.
Movies-and art in general-change as the decades go by, and new ideas and attempts shouldn’t be seen as a threat to the industry. If the idea of a more diverse Star Wars is appealing to you, make sure to check out the next episodes on Disney+.
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The article below was edited by Bruna Blanco.
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