I’m very curious about this new Star Wars series that Lucasfilm is developing titled Star Wars: The Acolyte. While we don’t know much, I’m intrigued by what we do know. The series is described as “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.”
The show is being developed by showrunner Leslye Headland, and in a recent interview with The Wrap, Headland revealed that the series was heavily inspired by Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. She said:
“What I can say is the reason it did appeal to me personally is that I was 18 when Phantom Menace came out and I was a very, very big Star Wars fan. I remain a big Star Wars fan, but at that particular time, right after the re-releases and the fact that I was in high school, it just kind of all coincided at a time where I was discovering who I was sexually, I was discovering who I was artistically, I was kind of realizing what I wanted to do with my life, and then this big, huge movie event, cultural event happened that was The Phantom Menace. And I know there were varying reactions to it. And certainly, there were a lot of people that had grown up with the original trilogy who were disappointed by it.
“But I actually was very intrigued by why George Lucas had started us at that particular point. I kind of wondered, but what happened to lead up to this? That’s kind of where my Star Wars fan brain went was like, ‘How did we get here? And why are the Jedi like this?‘ When they are in power, why are they acting this way and how is it that they’re not having the reaction that you would think they would to Anakin’s presence and what Qui-Gon Jinn is saying about how passionately he feels about training him and bringing him into the fold. It’s like, even the discovery of Darth Maul is kind of met with this like, ‘Hm, interesting’ kind of feeling. So I just think for me, my brain has always buzzed around that area and wondered what’s going on here – or what has been going on here.”
I’m fascinated by this time period in the Star Wars universe as well, and it’s been great to see it explored in the series of book and comics that Lucasfilm has been producing, and it will be explored even more in this series.
Are you excited about Star Wars: The Acolyte? How do you feel about The Phantom Menace being an inspiration for the show?