Let’s be real: Everything not directly named The Mandalorian or Andor has been an utter shambles for Disney’s attempts to bring the Star Wars universe to streaming. Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett — all are pretty stale attempts at telling stories set within a pretty limited framework, which could be called the “Original Trilogy-adjacent” era. Hell, we’d argue the cartoons have been so successful because they’re about other periods (Visions, Clone Wars, Bad Batch, etc.). Folks want to see shit they’ve never seen before, or at least have the shit they have seen before feel new and well-suited for the medium.
This is why we’ve been super interested in Leslye Headland’s The Acolyte, which is the first major live-action media to be set in the same era as one of Disney’s biggest publishing initiatives, which has been dubbed “The High Republic” — meaning the time when things were good for the Jedi, when they really were those real “Guardians of Peace and Justice” you hear so much about. So, intrigue! Lightsaber fights! Cool clothes! Carrie-Anne Moss! There’s all that and more in this trailer that Disney dropped on Tuesday.
Peep it:
Instead of a longer synopsis, we’ve made an assemblage one from this post on the official Star Wars website. It’s pretty good copy, we think:
“”Close your eyes. Your eyes can deceive you. We must not trust them.’
‘The Acolyte’ is set during the High Republic era and the prime of the Jedi Order. But trouble is brewing for the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy. An investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….”
It’s a little awkward, but we can’t fuck with the quotes too much. Anyhow, the first two episodes of Star Wars: The Acolyte will premiere on Disney+ on June 4, with weekly installments to follow. It’s kind of weird how resistant Disney is to the corporate feasting day known as “Star Wars Day,” especially since this is hitting exactly one month later. “June the 4th be with you” just doesn’t have the same built-in copy.