The Acolyte creator Leslye Headland recently discussed how the upcoming Star Wars series offers a critical look at the Jedi by adding new context to just how wrong they were in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
"When you're doing something completely original, like we are, you want to question the status quo of the era that you live in," Headland told Empire. "What I think is so interesting right now is that everybody thinks they’re right! The Jedi really think they're right -- and George [Lucas] tells us that they're wrong in Phantom. They missed a huge aspect of the dark side rising. That just felt like fertile ground to look into what's going on for all of us right now."
The Phantom Menace and the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy as a whole revealed exactly how the Jedi Order's arrogance and dogmatic nature led to its own downfall. The Jedi were so arrogant that they were blind to the fact that the Sith Lord Sheev Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious, was able to infiltrate and take control of the Galactic Republic completely undetected. The Jedi refused to believe such a thing could happen, despite being directly warned of it. In turn, Palpatine was able to reform the Republic into the oppressive Galactic Empire, effectively destroying the Jedi Order in the process.
The Phantom Menace is also notable for featuring the first and only big-screen appearance of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), who was highly critical of the Jedi Order itself. Qui-Gon even told the Jedi High Council that the Sith had returned, only for his concerns to immediately be dismissed. Of course, Qui-Gon was right, and the Council was wrong. Qui-Gon didn't live long enough to see the Jedi Order fall, but he was hardly its only member to take issue with the Council's dogmatic attitude. In writer-director Rian Johnson's 2017 film Star Wars: The Last Jedi, former Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) openly and bitingly criticized the Jedi for their arrogance, and for allowing Palpatine to rise to power right under their noses.
On that note, Headland previously discussed the influence The Last Jedi had on The Acolyte. "I think it's difficult to do a show that is critical in any way of the Jedi. And I think that you saw that with [Rian Johnson's] film," she said. "Do you know what I mean? Like, I think that, especially in that moment, people were very nervous about saying this particular institution may not be the light and perfect, stunning group of heroes that are totally nobly intentioned... That's really the story that George [Lucas] told with the prequels, right? The fall of this particular group."
The Acolyte Premieres in 2024
The Acolyte was initially announced at The Walt Disney Company's Investor Day in late 2020, and is currently expected to premiere on Disney+ in 2024. The series takes place during the waning days of the High Republic era, roughly a century before the events of The Phantom Menace. It stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, Carrie-Anne Moss, Margarita Levieva and Joonas Suotamo.
"The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era," an official synopsis reads. "A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.
The Acolyte is slated to premiere on Disney+ in 2024.
Source: Empire