Star Wars’ Next TV Show Is The Most Important In The Last 5 Years

The next upcoming Star Wars TV show, Star Wars: The Acolyte, is the most important to the franchise in 5 years. The Acolyte will be Star Wars’ second show set during the High Republic era. Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, the animated show set 200 years before the start of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and designed for young children, beat it to the title of first. Still, The Acolyte will take a more mature approach, and as the first live-action High Republic era TV show, it is making Star Wars history in its own right.

Set about 100 years before the prequels, The Acolyte takes place at the very end of the High Republic era. It will show how the Sith infiltrated the senate undetected. A mystery thriller, The Acolyte will center around a Jedi and Padawan looking into rising dark powers. However, since the Sith are still believed to be extinct at the time of the prequels, they will likely not discover the full extent of the Sith’s involvement in High Republic politics. It will draw from novels and video games set during the era and will include popular characters such as Vernestra Rwoh.

The Acolyte Will Introduce Viewers To A Whole New Era

In 2019, The Mandalorian made Star Wars history by opening up a whole new era along the Star Wars timeline, focusing relatively early on in the New Republic era. Since then, several shows and upcoming movies have been set during what has now been dubbed The Mandalorian era. The Acolyte has the opportunity to do the same.

While Young Jedi Adventures is also set during the High Republic era, it is set earlier than The Acolyte. As such, it focuses more on the peak years of the era. Since The Acolyte is set at the end of the High Republic era, it will open up a time when the High Republic was coming to a close. It will set up the beginning of the end for the Republic and Jedi’s golden age, offering a wealth of story ideas and new lore.

If The Acolyte Is A Success, The Possibilities Are Endless

If The Acolyte is successful, it will revolutionize the Star Wars franchise. It will allow Star Wars to explore a time when the Jedi Order was strong, fleshing out its backstory. Just as Star Wars: The Clone Wars gave cool new lore and offered important context for Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, The Acolyte will do the same for the prequel trilogy as a whole.

The Jedi of the prequel era had gotten into politics and adopted very strict rules. However, the High Republic era Jedi encouraged more individuality and exploration of one’s personal connection to the Force. The Acolyte and any prequels and shows set at the same time will explain what changed that. As such, this era has the chance to redefine the entire Star Wars franchise in the most exciting way.

Behind the scenes, The Acolyte is already preparing itself to be a major success for Star Wars. With Amandla Stenberg, known for her roles in The Hunger Games and The Hate U Give, starring in the show and the unique take on the Star Wars universe that the show will offer, it is set to be one of the most interesting TV shows in the franchise’s history. Stenberg is just one of an incredible cast of The Acolyte characters, also including Carrie-Anne Moss and Lee Jung-jae.

As for familiar Star Wars faces, it’s possible that Grand Master Yoda himself could appear, as well as Master Yaddle. After all, they were both alive during the High Republic era. In fact, Yoda in particular plays a significant role in Young Jedi Adventures. While he will likely play less of a role in The Acolyte since, as Young Jedi Adventures shows, Yoda spent a lot of time training younglings, he could make a few appearances. This would help The Acolyte and its success even more, defining a brand-new era with just a touch of what viewers know and love.

Star Wars: The Acolyte starts streaming June 4 on Disney+.