The Acolyte Doubles Down on One of the Prequel’s Most Interesting Ideas

For well-documented reasons, George Lucas’ trilogy of Star Wars prequels are largely not very good. They are marred by endless dry exposition, garish CGI, painful performances, groan-inducing dialogue, and one of the most justifiably disliked “comic relief” characters in recent memory. But despite their largely inept execution (at least until Episode III — Revenge of the Sith), there are still some fairly interesting ideas buried under the wreckage of unfilled promises and fan disappointment.

For starters, the films detail the Galactic Republic’s slow walk into fascism, depicting how an unending war is used to justify increasing authoritarian stances, like the suspension of certain liberties and expansion of executive power. While the fall of the Roman Republic is often touted as the most direct inspiration, intentionally or not, the films also parallel the War on Terror era they were released during, as a deeply flawed liberal democracy comes apart at the seams.

And throughout the decline of the Republic, the Jedi Order, the institution we may have expected to stop this power grab, not only fails to stop it but directly enables this collapse by reorienting their entire organization to spearhead the war effort. Although they can tell something is wrong and butt heads with the chancellor and Senate, they largely do what the soon-to-be Empire asks of them with little pushback. On top of this, they ignore slavery in the Outer Rim, are totally okay with commanding a clone-slave army, and non-critically employ violence afforded to them by their proximity to the state. And beyond just being led by the nose by Palpatine and ignoring these broader injustices, the deep-seated flaws in the Jedi’s belief structures eventually created a monster who helped drive the final nail into the Republic’s coffin (more on this later).

By contrast, the original films framed the Jedi Order with gravitas and morality, or at least, that’s how the group is remembered by the nostalgic old hermits we meet in the original movies, Obi-Wan Kenobi and the little goblin man Yoda. The prequels shattered this myth, and since then, the series has wavered between depicting the Jedi as uncomplicated warriors of justice, more ambiguous “keepers of the peace” (i.e., space cops), and a clan of largely misguided goobers whose ideology cyclically brings about explosions of destruction.

While they’re obviously never depicted as outright Evil (as there is always a rotating cast of red lightsaber-wielding cartoon bad guys waiting in the wings to fulfill this role), the many shows and movies under the Disney umbrella have felt a little muddled in their stance, best exemplified by the tonal whiplash of going from the Jedi-skeptical The Last Jedi, to the incompetently executed, uncritical nonsense of The Rise of Skywalker. For whatever its issues, Disney+’s The Acolyte eventually makes its own stance on the Jedi quite clear. Here, we see an institution that deeply believes it’s doing the right thing but that keeps repeating the same mistakes out of a refusal to change.

To briefly set the stage for The Acolyte, the show follows twin sisters, Osha and Mae (both portrayed by Amandla Stenberg), whose lives are forever altered when the Jedi come to their planet, Brendok. These events are shown twice: the first time through Osha’s incomplete, flawed memory of the event and a second through a more objective lens as we see the full truth of what happened. After a group of Jedi arrive on the planet to investigate a strange phenomenon, Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) assumes that Osha and Mae are in danger living with their Force Witch Coven.

In reality, things are more complicated, and although Osha ultimately feels out of place in the Coven and wants to leave, she doesn’t seem to actually be in harm’s way. The Jedi test the girls for force sensitivity, and after Osha passes the test, they say she is a candidate for Jedi training. As the Coven deliberates on whether to let Osha join the Order, Sol storms their home. He cuts down Osha and Mae’s mother, assuming her to be a threat, while the rest of the Coven are wiped out in a fire Mae accidentally created. After the disaster, this group of Jedi co-conspirators decide to cover up what happened from the rest of the Order, justifying this deception as a way to give Osha a shot at becoming a Jedi (which, ultimately, doesn’t happen).

The sequence demonstrates a whole host of longstanding issues with the Order: the fact that they separate children from their families and cultures, their perceived monopoly over usage of the Force, and their function as police-like agents who unilaterally enforce their will (resulting in an unlawful killing that they cover up). Later, we see how Vernestra (Rebecca Henderson), another Jedi Master, views this tragedy as a political liability that needs to be pinned on a single “bad apple” (Sol) so it doesn’t jeopardize her own position or the Order’s power.

However, it’s when Vernestra exchanges barbs with Senator Rayencourt (David Harewood), a politician who has been gunning for more government oversight on the Jedi, that the series’ central criticism of the Order is put front and center. After Vernestra asks why Rayencourt is so skeptical of the group, he responds, “I think the Jedi are a massive system of unchecked power, posing as a religion, a delusional cult that claims to control the uncontrollable.” After Vernestra assumes that the Force is the uncontrollable thing they’ve claimed mastery over, he adds, “Not the Force. Your emotions. You project an image of goodness and restraint, but it’s only a matter of time before one of you snaps. And when, not ‘if’ that happens, who will be strong enough to stop him?”

It’s a scathing critique that bears a lot of credence, especially considering a certain figure who comes along later: Anakin Skywalker. He was unable to live up to the Jedi’s lofty ideals due to an inability to control his bottled emotions, something that increasingly drove him away from his colleagues. He fell into feelings of anger and loss following his mother’s death and ultimately succumbed to the fear of losing Padmé, too. In the end, his alienation from the Order’s precepts drove him towards Darth Sidious, facilitating the transformation of the Republic into the Empire. Now, you could argue that Anakin is just sort of an asshole, and you wouldn’t be wrong; he does massacre a whole troupe of Tuscan Raiders and later cuts down Jedi children on his path to becoming Darth Vader, one of the great big bads in cinematic history.