Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Episodes 1 and 2 in The Acolyte.
The Big Picture
-
The Acolyte
takes viewers back 100 years before the films, exploring shadowy secrets and dark side powers. - Familiar species like Neimoidians and Zygerrians make their live-action debut.
- The series features unique elements like a yellow lightsaber and Force floating, expanding Star Wars lore.
The Acolyte, the latest Star Wars entry of the Disney era, just made its two-episode debut, and it’s already garnering well-deserved praise and piquing plenty of interest. Amandla Stenberg, of The Hunger Games and Bodies Bodies Bodies fame, serves excellently as the series lead, accompanied by top-notch co-stars Lee Jung-jae, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, and Carrie-Anne Moss, to name a notable few. Set in the High Republic era, about 100 years before the events of any Star Wars film, The Acolyte may stand alone in its timeline and cast of characters, but this is still the same galaxy far, far away that we know and love. Of course, there’s the expected return of that classic Star Wars look, with film grain, wipe transitions, and even a snowy planet evocative of Hoth. Series creator Leslye Headlandknows the playing field well, so, naturally, with that comes lots of Easter eggs and lore to spot and unearth.
The Trade Federation Returns
Neimoidians and a Visit From Jedi
Some of the most familiar faces seen early on in The Acolyte are those of the Neimoidians. Nute Gunray (Silas Carson) from The Phantom Menace, who served as the Viceroy of the Trade Federation, will immediately come to mind upon seeing the Neimoidians in The Acolyte. Similarly, the Trade Federation gives off the vibe of being up to no good even a century prior. When the Jedi arrive in search of Osha (Stenberg), the Neimoidians appear just as tepid and apprehensive to welcome them as they did when Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) made their entrances in the first prequel film.
Force Mind Probe
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
No, this isn’t an Easter egg referencing 2012’s The Avengers. “Thank you for your cooperation,” Yord (Barnett) says to the Neimoidians, a fun and likely accidental echo of Scarlett Johansson‘s Black Widow saying the same to her duped captors. The true nod is Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) of the sequel trilogy, who we saw using the Force Mind Probe technique to siphon information off his detainees. Interestingly, this is the first we’ve seen a Jedi (the “good” ones, if you will) use this interrogation, even though the Neimoidians comply willingly before the probe is needed.
Zygerrian & Selkath
Two Species Make Their Live-Action ‘Star Wars’ Debut
The Zygerrians, a cat-like humanoid species, are well known to Star Wars fans who delve outside the live-action ventures. They appeared in The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Bad Batch, and have an extensive history in Star Wars literature. In the latter, they’re often villainous, commonly associated with the galactic slave trade. That makes it all the more interesting and exciting to see a Zygerrian as a Jedi, with Thara Schöön appearing as Tasi Lowa. Moreover, although brief, we get a moment with a Selkath, which is a familiar sight for fans of theKnights of the Old Republic video games but has never been seen in live-action.
Coruscant
The Jedi Order, The Jedi Temple, & The Republic
The captivating wide shots when we reach Coruscant will make you feel right at home in the Star Wars universe. The city-covered planet and capital of the Republic has served as a mainstay throughout the franchise, and it’s great to see it flourishing even long ago at the time of The Acolyte. The Jedi Temple, despite slight differences, has been standing strong for some time before the prequels. Inside, we see the Jedi Order operating in a familiar fashion — training younglings in open-concept rooms with a panoramic view of the city.
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Balance, Fire, & Life
Force Visions & Hinting at Osha’s Past
When Sol (Lee) is mentoring a group of younglings in the Jedi Temple, they’re meditating on the Force and encouraged to name the visions that come to mind. In this order, Sol is given three answers by separate pupils: balance, fire, and life. Based on the visions that come to Osha when she’s pierced by her connection to Mae (her twin sister, also played by Stenberg), these answers seem to foreshadow the backstory that’s unraveling. Balance — the twins, who may represent another Dyad in the Force, appear to oppose each other at the light and dark ends of the spectrum. Fire — Osha’s visions are spurred by the sight of fire, which is what ravaged her family years ago. Life — although presumed dead, Mae is alive, and that’s becoming increasingly evident to Osha at this point in the story.
Dybbuk & Bor Gullet
Prisoners of ‘The Acolyte’ and ‘Rogue One’ Are Put Through Similar Tactics
When Osha is locked away in a holding cell, a prisoner in the cell next to her has a creature wrapped over his mouth, subduing him. This is a Dybbuk, which, aside from being a striking nod to the Facehuggers of the Alien franchise, calls back to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed) was a former Imperial pilot imprisoned by Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker), and a menacing creature was used on him in captivity, too. Bor Gullet, much larger than a Dybbuk, could extract information from someone, although it came with a heavy mental toll.
Yellow Lightsaber
Jedi Weapons Shined Yellow Long Before Rey
From trailers and bits of information divulged in advance, we know to expect a lightsaber or two that are unlike any we’ve yet seen in live-action. The first unique saber, however, is wielded by Yord Fandar, and it will conjure that final image with Rey (Daisy Ridley) in The Rise of Skywalker. Blue, green, red, and even purple, are the most common versions of a lightsaber, but yellow is a rare sight to see. We can’t help but wonder why there’s such a large gap in the occurrence of this particular hue.
Force Floating
A Powerful Form of Jedi Mediation
It seems simple enough, considering the vast array of powers we’ve seen from Force users, but floating above the ground when mediating isn’t too common. Master Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman) is hovering in solitude when Mae arrives to attempt her second assassination. This ability is never seen in the original trilogy or the prequels. In live-action Star Wars, only Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Rey have been depicted showcasing this power.
An Iconic ‘Star Wars’ Line
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
Something to this effect is said in nearly every piece of Star Wars media, from A New Hope to The Clone Wars. “I got a bad feeling about this,” Han Solo (Harrison Ford) exclaimed while trapped in the enclosing walls of a trash compactor. Even BB-8 beeped and whirred an unintelligible version of the line in The Last Jedi, according to Rian Johnson. The tradition continues in The Acolyte, with Yord saying the line as they prepare to ambush Mae on Olega.
The Acolyte is streaming on Disney+.
WATCH ON DISNEY+
