The Acolyteas well as its main characters, resists definition and placement in war of stars‘ decades-long legacy, and that’s its greatest strength. The Disney+ series ticks many boxes that the franchise’s more traditional, masculine fans have been begging for for years (High Republic lore, rare aliens, wild lightsaber battles), while also aggressively and unapologetically catering to the female side of the fandom with a hot villain and lots of sexual tension. We have never seen anything like this in war of stars media, and it breaks some brains. Although its mere existence sends bad actors into a frenzy, The Acolyte is actually the war of stars series we have all I waited.
Showrunner Leslye Headland and his team have obviously put a lot of effort into filling the entire series with a comprehensive, deep and thoughtful story. The Acolytewe have never seen the High Republic (a time when both the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order reached their peak) in war of stars television or movies. As such, the series offers fascinating information, references to ancient lore and more for the real war of stars Perverse things to enjoy – whether it is the depiction of a new planet that could be connected to Darth Plagueis or to present us with a live-action version of an alien that we have only seen in a 2003 video game (a Selkath from Knight of the Old Republic).
The series gives us so many great moments and details that are new and fresh, but still firmly rooted in the universe as we have come to know and love it, from a scene where we see a Jedi take the Barash Vow (an oath where he refrains from all actions and enters a meditative state as penance) to thematic arcs that span the entire season and explore how the downfall of the High Republic can be traced directly back to the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker. Aside from Andormuch of what war of stars has been with us since Disney took over Lucasfilm in 2012 felt like painting by numbers, with the slightest deviations (The Last Jedi) causes severe price corrections, which result in trash like The Rise of Skywalker. But The Acolyte doesn’t feel like empty fan service – apart from the awesome shit, for once.
The latest episode, titled “Teach / Corrupt,” focuses heavily on the rough and sleazy shipping side of war of starswhere the internet dreams of its ideal space couples – a culture perfectly embodied by the Reylos who crave more Kylo Ren/Rey content. Since 2019 The Rise of Skywalker sealed the romance with a kiss, only to kill Kylo almost immediately afterward, the Reylos felt both vindicated and robbed.
The Acolyte dips back into that well and scoops up a generous helping of sweet, sweet, satisfying nectar to serve us, while Qimir (Manny Jacinto) and Osha (Amandla Stenberg) argue up close and in hushed tones, giving each other long, lingering looks. There’s even a whole scene where Qimir strips down in front of Osha before stepping into a tidal pool and inviting her to go in. When she threatens to kill him, he asks if he can put his clothes back on first, and when he emerges from the water, she takes her time averting her gaze. This is, I think, the first time anyone has been naked in war of stars Media.
Of course, the internet is going crazy about how unabashedly sexy Qimir is and is praising the powers that be for finally give them damn good foodBut most notably, the series’ marketing campaign is aimed at horniness – the official war of stars The account X (formerly Twitter) posted a damn fancam of Manny Jacinto’s lightsaber training. They know what they’re doing and they’re not ashamed or afraid of it.
For years I have seen war of stars make huge strides forward, only to be pushed back when Disney caves to right-wing reactionaries who complain about every Mary Sue, black character, or queer person who comes even a parsec away from their beloved franchise. I’ve seen rejuvenated Luke Skywalkers pop up where they don’t belong, Boba Fett get an entire boring series, and every new piece of media fall back on old war of stars Stories like a boring Ouroboros. The Acolyte is something completely different – it dares to tackle a brand new setting, unknown characters, and an uncompromising (and uncompromisingly awesome) perspective, and while it’s not perfect, it’s at least exciting.
All while giving us one of the best lightsaber fights in live-action. war of stars. What more do you want?
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