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The latest instalment of Disney’s Star Wars takes fans to the High Republic years and offers a familiar tale. The Acolyte does not differ from Ninjago’s early seasons regarding siblings at odds. I feel this series set the bar regarding how Sensei Wu and Lord Garmadon represent two extremes but still remain family, and I have yet to see another tale that can do better. There’s Dragonlance with Cameron and Rastilin, but I digress.
But here, they are twins created under mysterious circumstances, and I doubt their nature was modified by genetics. Instead, it was through the bending of midichlorians to create the next generation of witches belonging to the Brendoks Sisterhood. By nature, one is kind and the other heartless. While I don’t care how the tale is from a matriarchal perspective, I want something that focuses more on the mystique that made Episode IV and V spectacular.
With this series, we’re dealing with a very weak murder mystery, which is the grander arc (and revenge fantasy if Mae was the focus; there’s potential to make the series good if she was in charge, but it’s not). The priority is really on Osha (Amandla Stenberg plays both characters), despite the fact the first episode begins with the other challenging a Jedi to the death. Most tales commonly start with introducing the protagonist, and it’s rare to deviate from that. In this case, we see Mae is out to kill four specific individuals from the Jedi Order because her Master ordered it.
That’s rather unusual since in “Destiny” the idea she wants payback is more on her mind than any other agenda. That’s because after the Jedis ask if they can be taken away from home, one is resistant whereas the other is okay with it. They are close, but when these protectors of the galaxy say these kids are better off with them, little do they know their interference furthered the rift between them–along with how other cultures perceive why this warrior/monk class exists. As a result, Jedis Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman) bite the bullet through non-traditional ways (there’s no classic duel), and if Sol (Lee Jung-jae) and Kelnacca (Joonas Suotamo) will survive, that’s because they are playing it safe.
The latest chapter provides a good back story, but it’s very problematic. All this revisionist Force theory is not my cup of tea. I’m okay with it being known under different names, but the way the concept got dumbed down is killing everything that is Star Wars. Just why this “Thread” exists is nothing like how Hesiod’s Theogony regards Clotho, Atropos, and Lachesis as The Three Fates, ladies who weave The Thread of every human life. One spins, the other determines, and the eldest cuts; the screenplay doesn’t elevate the material to the level Yoda once characterised as ethereal.
I also see a missed opportunity to instil African lore into the canon. When I see there’s a costume, hair design and Jodie Turner-Smith‘s character, Mother Aniseya, plays with that image, what’s presented doesn’t go far! She wants to be as powerful as a god and and I would’ve loved witnessing some space age Voodoo over that weird song offered. Although the only related figure is Anansi, a trickster spider, his role as friend and enemy to humanity must be noted!
On another front, the biggest problem this series regularly shows is how Mae is overconfident. She’s not that experienced. The way she challenges her enemy makes her a neophyte. To utilise stealth over a direct assault is a better tactic. And the person who took her in is probably no high-level Sith (assuming this individual is one; anyone can hold a red lightsaber) to help cultivate the fire within her. He agrees to teach her the ways, but that’s only if she calls him “The Master.”
Curiously, the Jedi Order behaves no different from what they become in Phantom Menace–keeping an eye out for people showing an attunement to The Force. Every other tale rarely echoes the route that Luke took–he came into it by circumstance and Obi-Wan agreed to mentor. Ezra in Star Wars: Rebels fell into it, and that’s why I love that series over every other. And as for why this council continues to interview instead of putting potential Force users in an obstacle course is odd. I’d rather see a test for prowess to consider if new recruits got the right stuff, like in what this animated series did.
If the Lucasfilm Story Group was smart, they’d retcon the whole idea of midichlorians and get back to the roots. That would include explaining why the Jedi and Sith are constantly at war. While Episodes IV to VI were about The Empire’s attempt to expand their reach and balance out the status quo, The Clone Wars / Rebels branched out to reference a similar mystic struggle. I have yet to see a narrative that delves deep into the Mortis Gods involvement with mortal affairs. Hopefully, the Ashoka series will go down that route!
Right now, The Acolyte doesn’t offer any excitement. This world should not be a vehicle for other filmmakers to inject woke culture into it. I’d love it more if it stuck with themes that made this IP special, or gets inspired by other talented filmmakers which showrunner Leslye Headland and Kathleen Kennedy really didn’t want to keep on going with. Lucas had the right idea with incorporating what he enjoyed (WWII, Kurosawa and the pulps) back when he was in charge. These days, the people involved don’t care to honour that cinematic language and just want to be left-wing. To deconstruct this world is the wrong way to go.
I can only imagine what this series could look like had it drawn upon the works of Ingmar Bergman; his best films concern where devotion to god lies. I’d prefer a tale designed around ideas from The Virgin Spring or even The Seventh Seal. It’d bring meaning behind why this title was used. Had this drama been about how one twin will ultimately sacrifice herself in order for the other to keep the faith, that’d be a story to remember!
At present, there’s not enough moments to identify what’s going on. I’ll continue to watch out to morbid curiousity despite having no hope the finale can redeem this side story. It’ll require someone new coming in to fix all that went wrong, much like how J. J. Abrams returned to change around all the ideas Rian Johnson put in with the middle part of the sequel trilogy. I can see it happening here,. if the execs at Disney is smart to act on this idea fast!
2 Stars out of 5
Star Wars: The Acolyte Trailer
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