The Hamilton Spectator

Darkness and light

‘The Acolyte’ rises on Disney+

Anew threat to the Jedi way of life rises. “The Acolyte,” the newest entry into the Star Wars universe, makes its series premiere Tuesday, June 4, on Disney+.

Based, as always, on the world, characters and original stories by Star Wars creator George Lucas, this new series takes a turn to the thrilling and mysterious side of sci-fi. Set in the High Republic era — for the first time in a live-action series — “The Acolyte” moves from the intergalac­tic battles of the Empire to smaller, more personal battles during this time of rare peace in the galaxy far, far away.

In the waning days of the High Republic, a time when Jedi Knights reigned supreme under the rule of the Senate, this story takes place about a century before any of the Star Wars universe’s most famous live-action characters — including Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill, “The Fall of the House of Usher”), Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher, “When Harry Met Sally...,” 1989), Han Solo (Harrison Ford, also star of the Indiana Jones franchise) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by both Alec Guinness, “The Bridge on the River Kwai,” 1957, and Ewan McGregor, “A Gentleman in Moscow”) — came to prominence.

“In ‘Star Wars: The Acolyte,’” says the official Disney+ news release, “an investigat­ion into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master [Lee Jung-jae, “Squid Game”] against a dangerous warrior from his past [Amandla Stenberg, “The Hunger Games,” 2012]. As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems...”

While further plot details are being kept tightly under wraps, series creator and showrunner Leslye Headland (“Russian Doll”) — who also directs the series’ first two episodes and writes for the show — assures audiences that the series is set to move beyond the binaries of a battle of good versus evil, with twists and turns that are sure to keep viewers on their toes.

“If Star Wars is about the underdog versus the institutio­n, [in ‘The Acolyte,’] the Jedi are the institutio­n,” Headland said in an interview with Kristin Baver, associate editor of StarWars.com. “I was so interested in a storyline where the Jedi were at the height of their power — and I don’t mean [‘The Phantom Menace’], because at that point, there’s a Sith Lord in the Senate that they’re not picking up on.”

She later continued, “If the bad guys are actually the underdog, it just seemed like a cool reversal.”

Included in the main series cast are Jung-jae as the wise and highly respected Jedi Master Sol, alongside Carrie-Anne Moss (“The Matrix,” 1999) as Master Indara, “a Jedi Master of great physical and mental skill,” as described by StarWars.com. Stenberg’s character is Mae, a former padawan who grew to become a dangerous warrior.

Also included in the series ensemble cast is Jodie TurnerSmit­h (“The Last Ship”) as Mother Aniseya, the leader of a coven of witches.While it is yet to be seen how her character folds into the story, Smith, when speaking to Collider’s editor-in-chief Steve Weintraub, revealed that: “I’m allowed to say … I’m really powerful. I use the Force, but I’m not a Jedi or a Sith . ... My character is a very powerful leader.”

The remainder of the series cast is filled out by Manny Jacinto (“The Good Place”) as Qimir, a smuggler-turned-trader; Dafne Keen (“His Dark Materials”) as Jecki Lon, Master Sol’s padawan apprentice; Charlie Barnett (“Russian Doll”) as Yord Fandar, a by-the-book Jedi Knight and guardian from the Jedi Temple; Rebecca Henderson (“Single Drunk Female”) as elder Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh, who became one of youngest Jedi Knights in a generation; DeanCharle­s Chapman (“Game of Thrones”) as Jedi Master Torbin; and Joonas Suotamo (“Solo: A Star Wars Story,” 2018) as Kelnacca, a solitary Wookiee Jedi.

Also being introduced to audiences in the series is the pint-sized, handheld droid Pip, a “handheld repair droid with a wide array of tool attachment­s, [who] has a chipper, can-do personalit­y” (per StarWars.com).

Like any good droid — including iconic characters like R2-D2 and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels, “Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope,” 1977), and more recently BB-8 and K-2SO (Alan Tudyk, “Resident Alien”) — Pip is set to bring some levity to the drama-packed adventure, as an adorable technologi­cal sidekick.As the StarWars.com descriptio­n continues: “The pocketsize­d droid is always eager to help, often suggesting just the right tool for the task at hand.”

Behind the scenes, “The Acolyte” sees Hanelle M. Culpepper (“True Story”),Alex Garcia Lopez (“Cowboy Bebop”) and Kogonada (“Pachinko”) directing alongside Headland. The writing team, meanwhile, includes Headland, Jason Micallef (“Heathers”), Kor Adana (“Mr. Robot”), Charmaine DeGrate (“House of the Dragon”), Jocelyn Bioh (“Tiny Beautiful Things”), Claire Kiechel (“Watchmen”), Jen Richards (“Her Story”), Eileen Shim (“Light as a Feather”), Cameron Squires (“Final Space”) and firsttime screenwrit­er Jasmyne Flournoy (“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”).