The Acolyteonly lasted a single season, but fans still carry a torch for the late Star Wars spinoff. One element the show seemed eager to continue, and something a specific sect of fans were looking forward to, was the relationship between ex-Jedi Osha (Amandla Stenberg) and future Knight of Ren founder Qimir (Manny Jacinto).
To put it bluntly, people wanted to see those two smooch, and Jacinto’s among those ranks. During a recent interview with TV Insider, he talked about Qimir and Osha’s relationship—Oshamir, for short—being a dynamic that interested him to begin with. In his eyes, the big thing missing from “a lot” of franchises today is “the romance, the love and relationships. It’s a weird thing: we have the big fight scenes and the origin stories of these heroes and whatnot, but they don’t really have a relationship with other people.”
“I’m incredibly proud of what we did in The Acolyte and I loved Qimir and Osha relationship, because we were taking it back to having a relationship in this big world,” he continued. “[Relationships] made the characters and the story more compelling as opposed to just having big fight sequences. We were taking it back to a relationship in this big world.”
The lack of romances in blockbuster movies has long been a talking point, and Star Wars has been part of those conversations. Relationships and romance has always been a core part of the franchise, which Disney hasn’t always been the best about accepting, much less portraying. Most romances in the franchise don’t end well, but maybe summer 2026’s YA romance book Eyes Like Starsfrom Ashley Poston will buck the trend. And maybe if it’s successful enough, it’ll lead readers to Oshamir or whatever other ship is waiting.
The fact that The Acolyte won’t return to the world of Star Wars has many downsides, but few are as painful as the story of the Stranger. Season one’s main villain, played by Manny Jacinto, was a fascinating, complex character whose views on the Force, the Jedi, and the Sith were poised to change everything we knew about Star Wars and more. And while we are now unlikely to ever see it, there was a loose, tentative plan to keep his legacy around for a long, long time.
Early next year, Abrams Books is publishing The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte by Kristin Baver, and this weekend, a few pages came to light that revealed some of Acolyte creator Leslye Headland’s plans for the character. “[The design of the mask] felt like it foreshadowed a possible connection to the Knights of Ren with the Kylo Ren shape we landed on,” Headland said. “We just started to go in that direction.”
It gets better. “It was in the design of the character, as well as knowing that we were going to introduce Darth Plagueis, who has to end up with Palpatine as his apprentice,” she continued. “Following the Rule of Two—a precept that limited the Sith to just two at any given time, a master and an apprentice—one way to keep it going is if the Stranger is the first Knight of Ren, part of a Sith-adjacent cult that we know eventually survives.”
Headland even hinted at the eventual connection by having some of John Williams’ Kylo Ren music in Michael Abels’ score for the show. “And since we never name him, you don’t know,” she said. “Does he have a first name, and then his last name is Ren? It’s a good way to nod to it without having to give away too much information.”
Of course, all the hinting in the world no longer matters because the show is done and, most likely, so is our chance to explore the character. But it does make sense. The Sith are usually few due to their evil ways, but what about other Force users that embrace the Dark Side? Wouldn’t they have someone to follow? And maybe, that was the original Knight of Ren.
You can see the images from the book in the tweet below. The book itself is out in January and can be pre-ordered here.
Here’s the page from The Art of The Acolyte book where Leslye reveals that The Stranger was supposed to be the first Knight of Ren, in HD quality. This page and others were initially previewed at Celebration Japan and I guess no one read them too carefully lol pic.twitter.com/NxZMvXfU7T
London, 2023. Leslye Headland stepped onto the Star Wars Celebration stage to talk about her new show, The Acolyte. The excitement in the room grew as she explained her vision and showed a sneak peek. However, I found it most endearing when she mentioned she used to write fan fiction.
That was the moment I knew I was going to fall in love with The Acolyte. That was the moment I knew that Star Wars was finally making something with fans like me in mind. They brought out the cast, and it was immediately clear that so many people who have historically been left out of the narrative would see themselves reflected in this story.
Lee Jung-jae, who portrayed Master Sol, in Disney+’sThe Acolyte, is speaking out about the recent cancellation of the series after one season.
In an interview with EW, Lee says he had expected to see a Season 2 and was disappointed and “quite surprised personally” when he heard the news.
“As you know, my character had died already in the first season,” Lee told the publication. “So I wouldn’t have appeared in the second season if there was one anyway. But personally speaking, I really loved Leslye’s [Headland] writing. I thought that she was a great writer and director who was very talented in the storytelling, as well as creating characters and creating meaningful structures within the story. So I was actually personally really looking forward to watching a season 2 with her at the helm.”
Lee, however, is not giving up on seeing more of The Acolyte. “Honestly, I am hoping that maybe there could be changes in the future,” Lee says. “Because you never know what’s going to happen. So on a personal level, I really hope we could get to see further stories of Leslye’s second season.”
Word on Monday, August 19, that Lucasfilm had opted not to proceed with a second season came more than a month after the eight-episode first season of the series from creator, director, executive producer and showrunner Headland wrapped its run on Disney+.
The Star Wars offshoot, starring Amandla Stenberg, was a mystery-thriller that took viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.
In addition to Stenberg and Lee, the cast included Manny Jacinto, Jodie Turner-Smith, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman and Carrie-Anne Moss.
Disney+’s Star Wars: The Acolyte wrapped up its first season earlier this year and fans wanted to know if a season 2 was a possibility. We seemingly have our answer.
The Star Wars series takes place during the High Republic and follows twin sisters Mae and Osha (Amandla Stenberg), who develop a complicated relationship with the Sith and Jedi. As the season finale approaches, there are still many questions that remain unanswered. While showrunner Leslye Headland has promised a satisfying conclusion, the show has demonstrated how much potential the High Republic setting holds to truly examine the Jedi Order and its morals. On top of that, The Acolyte’s introduction of a new coven of witches with never-before-seen powers and a powerful Sith lord (Manny Jacinto) also likely warrants more exploration.
Ahead of the season finale, fans had already begun campaigning for another season. They successfully got #RenewTheAcolyte trending, even managing to drown out the constant whining from trolls with their campaign. Did Disney heed their calls, though?
Is The Acolyte renewed for season 2?
Unfortunately, The Acolyte has not yet been renewed for a second season. It was announced in a report from Deadline that the series, which faced a lot of criticism from trolls online, would not be continuing. It is upsetting news given the fanbase the show did find despite the constant take down from those ill wishers.
As reported previously, the renewal news likely came down to viewership. Usually, viewership and reception are taken into account. The news is a bit shocking since a third-party analytics firm Reelgood told Screen Rantthat The Acolyte was the second highest-performing original Star Wars show in terms of streaming and engagement. It also outperformed an estimated 90% of the top 100 streaming shows.
While it’s reported that The Acolyte’s premiere fell 3 million views short of Ahsoka’s debut, the former still marks Disney+’s biggest TV show debut of the year. Hence, despite trolls desperately trying to skew the show’s performance, it’s quite clear from viewership reports and critic reviews that The Acolyte is a hit. That clearly wasn’t enough though.
Whatever the reasoning for the decision, it is upsetting. Fans were excited to see what could come out of a second season and if we’d get answers to some of our questions, especially with the inclusion of Yoda in the show’s final moments.
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It’s a sad day in a galaxy far, far, away. Deadline reports that the Star Wars Disney+ show The Acolyte has been canceled after its first season. Lucasfilm confirmed to io9 it won’t be moving ahead with a season two, which had never been officially greenlit.
Set during the era of the High Republic, The Acolytetold the story of two sisters, Mae and Osha, whose mysterious existence raised a number of questions for the Jedi and Sith of the time. In the end, the pair switched roles, with the former Jedi apprentice Osha siding with the evil Sith, the Stranger, and former Sith apprentice Mae ending up with the Jedi. It was a fantastic show that told a bold, exciting new Star Wars story. Which is probably why audiences rejected it.
After a debut that put up very good numbers, those numbers dwindled as the series went on so news of its cancelation isn’t a total surprise. However, fans like myself certainly hoped that the exciting direction season two was teeing up, as well as the inclusion of a fan-favorite character at the end, may have given it a second chance. But it seems there’s no luck.
The move also makes The Acolyte the first Disney+ Star Wars show to be out-and-out canceled. While shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett have not returned for second seasons, there has yet to be any official word on either. (Plus, in the case of Kenobi, a second season doesn’t make much sense.)
Next up for live-action Star Wars on Disney+ is Skeleton Crew, which similarly to The Acolyte faces an uphill battle without any recognizable characters. That’ll be followed by season two of Andor in 2025 and after that… we don’t know. Season two of Ahsoka is in development; the first movie since 2019, The Mandalorian & Grogu, is in production. Any number of other other movies are in various stages of development.
The Acolyte seemed as if it was going to be a great place to fit new, exciting Star Wars stories. But now, it seems we’ll never find out the tale of Darth Plagueis the Wise, what was next for Osha and the Stranger, and how the Jedi would react to their blatant disregard for decency. See? Doesn’t that all sound awesome? I’m going to go cry now.
Created by Leslye Headland, The Acolyte starred Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Charlie Barnett, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Carrie-Anne Moss, Manny Jacinto, and Joonas Suotamo. You can, at least for now, stream the entire series on Disney+.
Update 8 p.m. August 19:We added Lucasfilm’s confirmation to the story.
The Acolyte is one and done, as it’s now been reported that the Disney+ Star Wars show won’t be getting a second season.
According to Deadline, The Acolyte has been canceled after its debut season. The Star Wars show, which starred Amandla Stenberg and Lee Jung-jae, proved to be quite divisive and wasn’t able to retain its viewership as the season went on. The report states that its season finale is believed to be the lowest for a Star Wars TV show, with 335 million minutes.
For fans of the show, this news will be disappointing. The Acolyte Season 2 had been pitched by showrunner Leslye Headland, who openly discussed that she had plans for a second season and was hoping for a renewal.
Who was involved in The Acolyte?
Star Wars: The Acolyte was written and executive produced by Leslye Headland (Russian Doll), who also served as the showrunner. Joining Stenberg and Lee Jung-jae were Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Rebecca Henderson (Inventing Anna), Dean-Charles Chapman (1917), Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place), Jodie Turner-Smith (After Yang), Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll), and Star Wars sequel trilogy alum Joonas Suotama in the form of a Wookiee Jedi master.
“In The Acolyte, 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….” said the official synopsis.
Lucasfilm is currently working on other Star Wars projects, including shows like Skeleton Crew, Andor Season 2, and Ahsoka Season 2.
When the movies stop and TV shows end, what’s a Star Wars fans to do? The written word, you should turn to. Star Warsbooks have always, and continue to, to thrive, with stories in all different time periods, through various mediums, written by tons of exciting voices. This was on full effect at San Diego Comic-Con this week at the “Star Wars: Stories from a Galaxy Far, Far Away” panel, which included a ton of new book announcements, and even an action figure for good measure.
Most of the books are, understandably, centered on The Acolyte, it being the most recent Star Wars story we saw.
First up, there’s Star Wars: The Acolyte Visual Guide by Pablo Hidalgo. Out March 4, 2025, this will detail all the awesome new characters, creatures, and technology introduced in the series. A nice companion to that is The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte (Season One) by Kristin Baver. Besides that exciting “Season One,” this book will dive into all the designs that went into the series and more. It’ll be out next summer.
For all you Jecki and Yord fans (RIP), Tessa Gratton is writing an untiled YA novel about their exploits which will be out July 29, 2025. Moving up the Jedi ranks, Justina Ireland has a new novel on the way called Star Wars: The Acolyte: Wayseeker, diving deeper into the past of Vernestra Rwoh and Carrie-Anne Moss’ Master Indara, and, as revealed here on io9, Cavan Scott is doing a new comic about another Jedi Master, Star Wars: The Acolyte – Kelnacca #1. That’s out September 4.
And, just for the fun of it, the panel also revealed that Hasbro’s next Acolyte Black Series toy will be none other than Vernestra Rwoh. Pre-orders start July 27 at 5 p.m. EST on Hasbro Pulse.
The Vernestra Black Series – Hasbro
That’s everything specifically Acolyte that was announced but, just adjacent to all that, is a few new releases set in the same time period: the High Republic. Cavan Scott has a new comic called Star Wars: The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi, which will continue the story of the Jedi’s battle against the Nihil. It has art by Marika Cresta and is out in February. A second volume of The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic is also on the way, which will cover phases two and three of the saga. It’s out in February.
Finally, the next major Star Wars story coming to your home is Star Wars Outlaws, the video game out in August. Well, it wouldn’t be a Star Wars release without an art book commemorating it and so, The Art of Star Wars Outlaws is on the way on June 3.
It may be months or years until we see a new Star Wars show or movie but the galaxy is thriving in print. Which are you most excited about?
WARNING: This article includes spoilers for the finale of The Acolyte! Read at your own risk.
If you’re anything like us, you’ve been deeply entrenched in Oshamir brainrot for the last couple of days following the season finale of The Acolyte. Yes, we said season, because we choose to believe in our hearts that it’ll be renewed for Season 2. We still have many questions: Will we discover what happened between Qimir/The Stranger and Vernestra? Will we get to see Qimir and Osha train together? What is The Stranger’s real name? Will we finally get to see the scrapped Oshamir kiss?!?!
Like we said, deeply entrenched in the brainrot.
We’ve been eating up every scrap of Oshamir content we can find. Considering there are only 8 episodes in Season 1 of The Acolyte and a mere handful of Oshamir moments to go off of, we’re gnawing at the bars of our enclosure waiting for more. Not to say the internet hasn’t provided. Fan artists and content creators have already brought us amazing Oshamir content, from fics to drawings to stickers and pins!
We wanted to join in the hype, because we love all things Oshamir, and we really want to help make Season 2 happen. And since we are The Honey POP and music is one of the things we do best, we’ve brought you Oshamir: The Playlist. Oshamir/plot points in their story on The Acolyte inspired some of the songs on this playlist, either loosely or directly. You can find the full playlist at the bottom of this article but we wanted to highlight some of our favorites!
‘The Less I Know The Better’ — Tame Impala
Avid Oshamir fans probably aren’t shocked to see this one on our list. Manny Jacinto, Qimir himself, mentioned in an interview that ‘The Less I Know The Better’ really fit Qimir and his physicality. Ever since this revelation, some fans have taken a deeper look at the lyrics and related it to Osha and Qimir’s relationship:
“Oh, my love, can’t you see yourself by my side? No surprise when you’re on his shoulder like every night Oh, my love, can’t you see that you’re on my mind? Don’t suppose you could convince your lover to change his mind?”
“Oh my love, can’t you see yourself by my side” fits Qimir and Osha perfectly given that he wants an acolyte, and asks if she’d ever consider being trained in episode 8. Not only that, but episode 8’s final shot of Oshamir holding hands and looking out into the sunset brings this question to a full circle since Osha has joined him.
This song feels like it captures Osha’s inner emotional struggles leading to her fall to the dark side perfectly.
“And though I try and do it right with my intentions Keepin’ good, they never break, but I still bend ’em ‘Cause this devil on my shoulder wants to pull me underneath (underneath)
Another sleepless night staring through the ceiling Wondering how could I Calm my head, yeah, calm my head, ’cause
I see red My blood is boiling and it shows“
In episode 6 Qimir pushes Osha emotionally, asking why she isn’t a Jedi. She answers by shoving him against the rock with his lightsaber, exclaiming that it’s because she failed. (Had us giggling and kicking our feet, mind you) Later, we find out that she was never quite able to keep her anger towards Mae and their past in check, causing her to leave the Jedi Order. These lyrics from ‘weapon’ remind us of that inner conflict and turmoil. She does her best but eventually succumbs to the devil on her shoulder when she gives in to the dark side and kills Sol.
We also don’t mind calling Qimir the devil on her shoulder. 🙂 But unlike in the song where Chrissy Costanza sings “you shoot em down till you end up alone,” Osha ends up with Qimir, thus making it a perfect Oshamir track.
‘Power of Two’ is on the official The Acolyte soundtrack so OF COURSE it’s perfect to include on this playlist. While the song alludes more directly to Osha’s relationship with her sister Mae, the concept of the “power of two” comes up throughout the show. Qimir tells her point blank that he wants the “power of two” and fans ran with that statement. After that finale one could argue that the power of two works for Osha and Qimir, master and acolyte, and perhaps maybe more 👀
Aside from the thematic/symbolic meaning, we just really love this song. Victoria Monet is a powerhouse and we’ve had this stuck in our heads ever since we heard it during the end credits of episode 7.
This one is really because of The Stranger’s helmet if we’re being honest. Darth Teeth over here with the creepy toothy smile on his helmet fits ‘Teeth’ to a capital T.
“Fight so dirty but your love’s so sweet Talk so pretty but your heart got teeth Late night devil, put your hands on me And never, never, never ever let go”
We’ve only gotten a glimpse into Oshamir’s dynamic so far. The “lovers” part of enemies to lovers finally sparked in the last episode but a big part of this season was spent with them as enemies. We imagine that as their training commences we might still get some “enemies” tension that leads to more. These lyrics feel like they sum up Oshamir’s current dynamic quite well and we can’t wait to see where it leads. (Yes, that is us manifesting season 2 again.)
We have seen so many Oshamir edits set to ‘The Great War’ and honestly? It’s kind of perfect. And that’s us being tame about our reactions tbh, it’s mostly a lot of squealing and giggling to ourselves. These lyrics, in our humble opinion, can directly represent Qimir and Osha’s relationship:
“It turned into something bigger Somewhere in the haze, got a sense I’d been betrayed“
This obviously references Master Sol’s betrayal and lies to Osha about what really happened on Brendok, ultimately leading to his death by her hand.
“All that bloodshed, crimson clover Uh-huh, sweet dream was over My hand was the one you reached for All throughout the Great War“
In the end of that bloody betrayal and all the fighting, we get that wonderful, amazing, beautiful, everything-we-could’ve-hoped-for shot of Oshamir standing back on the unnamed planet Qimir (now both of them?) calls home. As Osha faces the sunset, standing by the water, Qimir comes over and grabs her hand, both of them clutching Osha’s now bled lightsaber. (Side note: we got to see a kyber crystal bled in a live action Star Wars show and we’re still not over it.) Her hand was the one he reaches for and the fighting isn’t done.
‘7 Minutes In Hell’ — Chrissy Costanza
This song is E V E R Y T H I N G when it comes to describing Oshamir. It definitely leans into the sexier, sensual, romantic, and seduction-heavy side of Osha and Qimir’s relationship.
“Oh my god Do angels ever fall this hard? The devil’s dancing in the dark I kinda like it in his arms“
Just look at those lyrics! The symbolism of Osha’s fall to the dark side and into Qimir’s arms (@ Leslye Headland, please) is portrayed perfectly here. Fun fact: This is Chrissy Constanza’s first release as a solo artist and we are simply obsessed. Against The Current is still alive and well but we love seeing the direction she’s going in with her solo project and we can’t wait to hear more. Perhaps she’ll give us more Oshamir-coded music in the future!
“Close your eyes I’m gonna be your favorite vice Forbidden fruit of paradise You wanna take a little bite?“
Qimir is Osha’s favorite vice, the forbidden fruit. Now that they’re acolyte and master we can only imagine where things are going to go given his propensity to be physically near her or touching her at all times. Even the music video for ‘7 Minutes In Hell’ fits the theme we have going on here. Chrissy starts out as an angel before the feathers on her wings turn black. It’s just such a poignant visualization that mirrors Osha’s fall to the dark side and relationship with Qimir and we can’t get enough.
Like we said, this is just a small sample of our Oshamir playlist so you should definitely check that out:
Let us know your thoughts on the playlist and Oshamir! What are you hoping The Acolyte Season 2 brings us? What songs do you think sum up Oshamir? Drop a comment below or come buzz with us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
We have a ton of other playlists you can check out, you might find something you love!
Fans are thrilled about the appearance of Darth Plagueis, the iconic Sith Lord, in The Acolyte. The latest episode features Plagueis on The Stranger’s planet, prompting the question: what brought him there? This captivating twist enriches the series hinting at deeper ties within the Star Wars universe.
Here is everything you need to know about why Darth Plagueis was on The Stranger’s planet in The Acolyte, featuring potential spoilers.
Why was Darth Plagueis on The Stranger’s Planet in The Acolyte?
Darth Plagueis was on The Stranger’s planet in The Acolyte due to his pursuit of powerful dark side energies and rare resources, specifically cortosis.
Cortosis, known for its lightsaber-resistant properties, is crucial for the Sith’s plans against the Jedi. His presence on this uncharted planet aligns with his quest to gain immortality and control over life itself.
Star Wars Legends likely identifies the planet as Bal’demnic, known for its significant deposits of cortosis. The Sith, particularly Darth Plagueis and his master Darth Tenebrous, highly prized this mineral. In the Legends continuity, Bal’demnic is where Plagueis first discovered the ore’s potential, and it played a key role in the Sith’s strategy against the Jedi.
Plagueis’ presence on the planet in The Acolyte underscores the importance of cortosis in Sith plans. It highlights his continuous efforts to amass power and secure strategic resources. This also adds complexity to The Stranger’s character, suggesting he may have been involved in or influenced by Plagueis’ schemes.
Is The Stranger Darth Plagueis’ student or rival?
The Stranger in The Acolyte is likely Darth Plagueis’ student rather than his rival.
Significant hints suggest that Qimir, also known as The Stranger, may have been an apprentice under Plagueis before Palpatine. In the series, Darth Plagueis’ presence on the same planet as The Stranger implies a mentorship or observation role. But there’s another possibility that Plagueis was sent to kill the Stranger by his master, Darth Tenebrous.
The Stranger’s enigmatic past and his connection to Vernestra Rwoh hint at a complex backstory. Vernestra’s recognition of him and the scars possibly inflicted by her lightwhip add layers to their shared history. The appearance of cortosis on the planet ties into Plagueis’ known interest in this rare metal. This reinforces the connection between Plagueis and the Stranger.
The end of The Acolyte is upon us—but just how will Osha and Mae’s story come to a close? We’re about to find out. Need a place to talk spoilers as the episode happens? io9’s here to help with our Acolyte finale spoiler discussion zone!
It’s been a long road to get here, of course—it was only last week that we got the full picture of what actually happened on Brendok the night Osha and Mae’s lives were turned upside down. But now that we at least know Sol’s part in all of this, will tonight’s eighth and final (for now, at least; showrunner Leslye Headland has made it clear she’s got plenty of ideas for potential future seasons of the show) episode reveal that truth to both twins? How will the Stranger’s plans for either sister factor into it? Just how bad can things possibly get for the Jedi and the Republic alike, a century before things get even worse for both of those institutions in the prequels?
And, of course, as Headland herself has already teased: what major connections to the storied history of Star Wars‘ old Expanded Universe, now dubbed “Legends,” might make their way back into continuity tonight?
Suffice to say, we have plenty of questions we hope The Acolyte finale answers tonight. Stay tuned to io9 tomorrow for our spoiler-filled recap of the finale, and throughout the week for more insight and reflection about this latest chapter of the Star Wars saga. In the meantime, let us know what you’ve thought of the season so far, what your hopes for the finale are, and what you ultimately thought of how it all went down in the comments below!
The Acolyteis wrapping up on Tuesday night, in what creator Leslye Hedland hopes is the first of more seasons to come. As the show’s played out over the past month and change, one part of the show has been consisently great: its costumes. This has always been an area where Star Wars has shined, but Acolyte’s costuming stands out as the first show set in the High Republic, which has consisted of books and comics over the last five years.
The show’s various costumes were designed by Jennifer L. Bryan, whose previous credits include Breaking Bad and Halt & Catch Fire. In a new blog on Star Wars’ website, she broke down her process for costuming the series’ cast. Along with drawing on previous Star Wars media for inspiration–namely Trisha Biggar’s prequel costumes–Bryan and her team also looked at clothes from real-world warriors. In the case of Amandla Stenberg’s Osha, the character’s primary outfit was a mix of a flight suit and mechanic coveralls, and its color palette was inspired by what soldiers wore during the Vietnam War.
As for Osha’s sister Mae, her design was inspired by warrior tribes from East and North Africa, and various empires across Asian and European history. While Mae’s outfit is cobbled together with what she’s found over the years, Bryan believes it “needed to look like it’s put together from these different historical eras of warriors, but not specific to any one culture.” Bamboo strips across the chest were inspired by samurai, while the chainmail for her arms and cloak drew from Byzantine knights and Roman gladiators. Chainmail isn’t commonly seen in Star Wars, but she argued it was “historically important” as means of protection. Purple serves as her primary color because it’s a “memory color” calling back to her family.
Some of the inspirations for their costumes are going to be obvious right away (of course Qimir’s pulling on Vader and Kylo Ren), while others are a bit more surprising. For example, Leia’s white gown inspired the ivory colors of Indara, and the layers of her costume were intentionally made with her action scenes taken into account. That also applied to Qimir, whose fabrics and layers had to be “agile and very, very athletic.” According to Bryan, Qimir’s hand-sculpted cortosis gauntlet was a particular favorite since it’s “so out of the boxand it’s so different from all the pieces that came along with that work.”
The Acolyte’s season finale airs this Tuesday, July 16 on Disney+. While we’ve posted photos of the main cast, there’s plenty more over on Bryan’s blog, which also digs into the costuming for characters like Sol, Mother Aniseya, and Yor.
This week’s episode of The Acolyte, “Choice,” gave fans with an end-credits song inspired by the show’s core sisterhood between Osha and Mae (Amandla Stenberg). Though it’s not what fans expect when they call Star Wars music to mind (cue the John Williams), “Power of Two” is not actually Star Wars‘ first official pop song.
The track from Victoria Monét closes out the penultimate chapter of season one, a flashback that reveals the truth about the tragedy that ultimately separated the twins. Titled “Power of Two,” its lyrics explore the themes of duality and destiny shared by the sisters. More like a song of Star Wars lore than a Disney-style soundtrack needle drop, the song would fit right into the in-universe canon as a musical piece about the twins’ High Republic-era saga.
Listen to it below!
As novel as “Power of Two” is, this is not the first official pop song sanctioned by Lucasfilm. Fans of Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and the now-shuttered Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, will know that pop and rock does indeed exist alongside the in-universe jizz music. Gaya, a Twi’lek singer, was introduced into the lore post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi as a real celebrity with a full album of galactic pop songs inspired by the mythology of the resistance and figures within it. She was a key character aboard Galactic Starcruiser‘s Halcyon cruise ship, performing a concert that was a highlight for visitors. Her sound was very much in the vein of “Power of Two,” and while the song is just an end-credits track in the context of The Acolyte, you could imagine Gaya having it in her repertoire as a classic from the High Republic era.
Other musicians recently added to Star Wars canon include Star Waver, a rock band from Lucasfilm’s animated anthology Star Wars: Visions; it was featured in “Tatooine Rhapsody” playing “Galactic Dreamer.” And even before Weird Al’s incredible saga of Star Wars parody songs with hits like “Yoda” and “The Saga Begins,” the infamous but beloved Star Wars Holiday Special featured original music too, performed by cast members like Carrie Fisher with “A Day to Celebrate,” Bea Arthur’s “Good Night But Not Goodbye,” and musical guest Jefferson Starship’s “Light the Sky on Fire”. And let’s not forget the Max Rebo Band’s “Lapti Nek” showstopper in Return of the Jedi.
There have been highs and lows across the decades, but pop has always been in the Star Wars universe. And we’d say “Power of Two” is more subdued as an excellent song added for storytelling subtlety. Whether in the canon itself or just on soundtracks, we are here for more genre music in Star Wars. Give us an officially licensed, sick Sith metal album from the band Ghost.
Star Wars fans love only one more thing than a mystery: speculating about how that mystery could have connections to other parts of the galaxy far, far away. But for as much as the franchise does indeed share that love of keeping it all connected, it’s not always actually planning on doing that.
Ever since we’ve seen its cluster of islands on The Acolyte, the unknown planet that the Sith Stranger calls home has been speculated by fans as potentially being another key locale: the planet Ahch-To from The Last Jedi. It certainly looks very similar, given the vast oceans and lush, mountainous island outcroppings—although location filming for the planet took place on the Portuguese island of Madeira, rather than Skellig Michael, the Irish island used to film Ahch-To in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. In the latest episode we learned it even has its own Porg-esque local wildlife in the form of the Skura, little beings that look like a mashup of a duck and an anteater. Plus, there would be something incredibly Sith about the idea of dark side users hiding in the shadows where the Jedi would least expect it: the home planet of the first Jedi Temple.
But alas, Star Wars fans craving connection, according to showrunner Leslye Headland, the planet is very much not Ahch-To. “It’s not Ahch-To. I know it’s similar, and it was intentionally supposed to be similar in terms of terrain and feeling isolated and surrounded by water and less lush green and more rocky,” Headland recently confirmed in an interview with Collider. “But the idea is that cortosis is mined on this planet, so I don’t think that’s the case with Ahch-To. Part of the reason this is his home base is that cortosis is a very rare metal. I don’t think we say it explicitly in the show, but that’s a reason it’s not Ahch-To.”
Headland further noted that explicitly only identifying the world as “Unknown Planet” in The Acolyte‘s location cards was an intentional nod to the series’ primary perspective being that of the Jedi Order and the Republic. “It’s an uncharted planet that they haven’t [mapped],” Headland added, touching on an element of the High Republic setting that’s not come up often in The Acolyte, but serves as a major piece of worldbuilding in the transmedia book and comics initiative that established the era: that this is a time period where the Republic and its allies are still expanding territory and charting the galaxy. Just because it’s unknown to them, doesn’t mean people like the Stranger didn’t know about it already—and in knowing it, he got access to a tool like cortosis he could wield against his enemies.
Whether or not the world will remain unknown by the end of The Acolyte‘s first season remains to be seen—the presence of cortosis deposits has had as many fans as those speculating it could be Ahch-To speculating that the world could instead possibly be a canonical version of Bal’demnic, a cortosis-rich ocean world that acted as a base of operations for Darth Plagueis and his master, Tenebrous, in the EU novel Plagueis. For now, sometimes a planet just looks like another planet.
Deception, lies, and betrayal are at the heart of the latest Star Wars show to hit Disney+, The Acolyte. Now that we know that even the Jedi can’t be trusted, fans are starting to wonder, is Master Vernestra Rwoh hiding something?
It’s hard to believe that we’re already approaching the end of Leslye Headland’s High Republic show, The Acolyte. With just one episode left to go until the finale, the series has some burning questions to address—namely, about dark sider Qimir (Manny Jacinto) and what exactly happened on Brendock 16 years ago. We know that the Jedi were, to an extent, involved in the destruction of the witch coven Mae and Osha (Amandla Stenberg) once belonged to, but their role in the whole fiasco remains cloudy, to say the least.
Now, the latest episode of The Acolyte, titled “Teach/Corrupt,” is making things even more complicated by introducing a subplot that could change how audiences view Master Vernestra and her so-called “loyalty” to the Jedi Order—forever.
Warning! Spoilers ahead for all episodes of The Acolyte.
Vernestra Rwoh is a powerful—and deceptively old—Jedi
To fully understand Vernestra’s role in The Acolyte, we have to look to theHigh Republic novels and comics. Vernestra, a green-hued Mirialan, made her debut in The High Republic Adventures Annual 2021, but it wasn’t until Star Wars The High Republic #5 that her character was really fleshed-out. Since then, the character has featured prominently in Charles Soule’ canon novel The High Republic: Light of the Jedi, as well as The High Republic: A Test of Courage, among others.
There’s a lot of lore here, but all you need to know is that Vernestra Rwoh is the “it girl” of the High Republic era, having achieved Jedi Knighthood at the tender age of just 15. Razor-sharp with both her mind and her one-of-a-king purple lightwhip, Vernestra is described in the High Republic books as being something of a teenage prodigy, which often led to more problems than anything. And yeah, given that she was born around 248 BBY (if the Test of Courage timeline is anything to go by), this would make her well over 100 years old by the time The Acolyte rolls around—Vernestra has lived a lot of lives.
High Republic fans finally get to see their favorite gal in full, live-action glory thanks to The Acolyte, where she’s played by showrunner Leslye Headland’s wife, Rebecca Henderson. The Disney+ show paints a more complicated picture of Vernestra, as the stoic Jedi Master seems to struggle between her oath to the Order and her personal feelings, wanting justice for Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss) at any cost. It’s not exactly a Jedi-like feeling, and raises the question of whether or not Vernestra has the right intentions by going after Sol’s (Lee Jung-jae) ship after sending them on what was, essentially, a death mission to Khofar…all without the High Council’s permission, it seems.
Episode 6 of The Acolyte also adds a whole new layer to the mystery of Vernestra by introducing audiences to Padawan learner Mog (Harry Trevaldwyn). After receiving Sol’s distress signal, he assembles a search party to Khofar to retrieve the slain Jedi. Upon discovering the corpses, Mog has quite the damning accusation: Sol was the one who murdered all of the Jedi. We, the viewer, know this isn’t true, and Vernestra adamantly denies this. Howeverm Mog seems to know a little more than he’s letting on, perhaps, about Sol’s shady past on Brendock. We also get to see Vernestra’s lightwhip in action when she cuts down a umbramoth in the jungle, begging the question…are those scars on Qimir’s (ahem, well-toned) back somehow related? If so, was Vernestra once his Master? And what would’ve brought them to such a violent confrontation?
Obviously, there’s a lot of loose plot threads for The Acolyte to tie up before its finale. But regardless of whether or not Disney will move forward with a second season, seeing Vernestra Rwoh in live action has been a treat for us High Republic girlies already.
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Controversies surrounding Star Wars: The Acolyte seem to pop up daily. Well, “controversies” may be the wrong word. There are people who are angry about every little thing the show dares to do, and thus we all have to fight about it on social media for an entire day—rinse and repeat.
These so-called “controversies” stem from things that are not even part of the show, that are from years ago, and things that “fans” are just mad about because when isn’t a certain part of the Star Wars fandom mad about something? With The Acolyte, it has been non-stop to the point where we’re all just fighting every single day about things.
So let’s talk about all of these issues and why none of them are actually real reasons to be mad at the show.
Charlie Barnett misspoke in an interview
One of the first bits of nonsense with this show was people yelling online because Charlie Barnett (who plays Yorde) meant to say Luke Skywalker but said Anakin by mistake—an honest mistake, but instead, these “fans”—who were already looking for any reason to hate the show because it dared to feature characters other than white men—acted like we saw Barnett murder someone right in front of us. He made a mistake and said Anakin blew up the Death Star.
Oh no how DARE HE. People in this world are dying, but yes, this is the worst thing a person can do. There are MULTIPLE TikTok videos floating around, all blaming Barnett for not knowing, and even insinuating he needed to go to Star Wars training to learn things. No, he doesn’t. He’s an actor hired to do an acting job, and he’s doing just that. Star Wars icon Harrison Ford often made fun of this franchise, so where was the outrage there?
Amandla Stenberg said something to Trevor Noah in 2018
The Hate U Give is a movie about a young Black girl who watches her childhood friend getting killed by the police. Stenberg played a character named Starr, and she had to find where she could use her voice to fight back against police brutality. So during the promotion for that movie, Stenberg said white people “crying was actually the goal.”
You know these “fans” took that to mean that they were talking about The Acolyte without doing any kind of research into what was going on. Don’t worry, though. Stenberg posted a video mocking those “fans” who used the 2018 interview to somehow fuel Star Wars discourse.
Saying that the Jedi aren’t great, which … they aren’t!
A big “complaint” has been that the series paints the Jedi as the bad guys. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the Jedi aren’t great. The series isn’t calling them villains, but it is pointing out the folly of the Jedi and their lack of understanding of how the rest of the galaxy works.
Review bombing is so ridiculous
Trolls love to review-bomb something and then claim it is not a “review bomb,” just an attempt to show the world what “fans” think. They get their little cronies to do it all together, and the rest of us (with lives) can’t be bothered to deal with them (or their bots). This time around, they also review bombed a movie called Acolytes from 2008 that had nothing to do with this.
This Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi nonsense
So, Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi was in The Acolyte, and now World War III has erupted. Mundi, who first appeared in The Phantom Menace, used to kind of have a birthday. First from a CD-ROM that even Star Wars creator George Lucas didn’t see as canon, and then from a playing card that was also deemed non-canon. So we didn’t actually know his birthday in the canon sense anyway, but that’s not stopping the haters.
The confirmation that he was alive at the time of The Acolyte gave us some new information, so Wookieepedia updated their site. It has unleashed hell on earth. Even a writer from The Acolytehas explained how it makes sense, but the anti-Acolyte faction is SCREAMING instead of hearing any kind of reason.
Now they found some random supposed Disney employee
The latest incident is a video of Michael Giordano, reportedly a vice president of business affairs at Disney, who was talking about the company’s hiring practices. “Nobody else is going to tell you this, but they’re not considering any white males for the job,” said Giordano, “there’s no way we’re hiring a white male.” That’s hilarious given the casting of Galactus, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm in Fantastic Four!
Even weirder since Dean-Charles Chapman is in the very same Star Wars show they’re all complaining about. But while looking into it, I saw Giordano listed nowhere in connection to Disney. I searched databases, I went onto wiki pages, and tried to search everywhere for more information, but the only things I could find were this video and those sources, so take that with the biggest grain of salt imaginable.
I’m sure we’ll have more “controversies” to add to the list soon!
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“A Long Time Ago…In A Galaxy Far Far Away” is a phrase that many Star Wars fans are familiar with. But with how newshows keep dropping on the famed streaming site, lots of people are wondering whenThe Acolyte actually takes place in the Star Wars timeline.
TheAcolyte premiered on June 4, 2024 on Disney+. The show 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. It stars Amandla Stenberg as the dual roles as Mae and Osha, Squid Game star Jung-jae as Sol, Carrie-Anne Moss as Indara, Manny Jacinto as Qimir, Dafne Keen as Jecki Lon, Charlie Barnett as Yord Fandar, and Jodie Turner-Smith as Mother Aniseya.
Live Actionhows like The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and The Mandalorian take place after Episode IV, V, and VI, while others like Andor take place in between Episode III and IV. Not to mention the animated shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch take place inbetween Episode II and III. If you’re just a casual Star Wars fan, it can get very confusing to when everything actually takes place. But don’t worry, we got you covered about Disney+’s newest Star Wars release.
When does The Acolyte take place?
The Acolyte occurs 100 years before Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. If you’re a die-hard Star Wars nerd that means 132 BBY (Before The Battle of Yavin). The show takes place when Jedis were at their peak.
Showrunner Leslye Headland wanted to explore a new side of the Star Wars universe that we’ve never seen before. “If Star Wars is about the underdog versus the institution, [in The Acolyte] the Jedi are the institution,” Headland told StarWars.com. “I was so interested in a storyline where the Jedi were at the height of their power — and I don’t mean ThePhantom Menace, because at that point, there’s a Sith Lord in the Senate that they’re not picking up on.” If you think Siths will be frequently encountered in the series, you’ll be mistaken. She likens it to seeing a velociraptor in the wild. “Like it’s a thing I’ve heard of, but it’s not a thing that you would ever consider you’d be interacting with.”
If you’ve consumed different Star Wars media, then you’ll know that most characters are intertwined storylines with each other like in The Book Of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian etc. We can never get rid of those darn Skywalkers. However in this series, there’s only one character that’s been introduced in previous media— a Jedi Master from novels named Vernestra Rwoh.
“Leslye wanted this show to be accessible — no homework needed before watching,” writer Jocelyn Bioh told The New York Times. “She wanted to potentially invite in new fans — people like me.”
The official Star Wars site just posted a beautiful new video of Stenberg, who stars in the upcoming The Acolyte, playing the violin, something they’ve been doing since childhood. But what’s special about this video though is that John Williams himself not only approved Stenberg to play the piece, he also wrote them a specific new version optimized for solo violin. Which basically means you’ve heard the Star Wars theme a billion times, but never quite like this. Check it out.
The Acolyte | Amandla & Her Violin | Streaming June 4 on Disney+
Well, that was amazing. And we’re hoping Stenberg is equally as amazing as Mae, their character on The Acolyte which is coming sooner than you think on June 4. Mae is described by the official Star Wars site as someone who “gets swept up into a sinister mystery—one that puts her into the center of a conflict in unexpected ways.” We imagine that will be expanded out mightily in the coming months.
As for Williams, as far as we know, his music isn’t in The Acolyte (the composer for the show is Get Out’s Michael Abels), but hopefully, we get a theme here and there. The show, which co-stars Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss, premieres with two episodes on June 4. Are you as excited as we are?
Production has wrapped on the upcoming Disney+ series The Acolyte, and while it is the Star Wars show we know the least about, the cast is amazing and we have a release date for the series! And after the footage shown at Star Wars Celebration 2023, you’ll want to get excitd.
Set prior to the prequels, The Acolyte brings us into an era of Star Wars we rarely explore, meaning that we’re going to have quite a journey with the new series from Leslye Headland, who serves as creator, showrunner, and executive producer.
For the most part, this is a completely new world for us to dive into, and getting to learn about the story and who we’re going to meet—versus the rest of the Star Wars era on Disney+, where we know most of those characters already—is honestly part of the draw to the series.
When will Star Wars: The Acolyte premiere?
News broke in an exclusive to Colliderthat the series will have a summer 2024 release date! This marks the first live-action Star Wars show to air on Disney+ this year! Following the release of The Bad Batch‘s third season (which will air until May of 2024), we’ll be shifting our Star Wars gears to the High Republic area!
The Star Wars Celebration 2023 trailer for The Acolyte
There are shows in this world that exist and you think to yourself “Oh yes, that’s for me” and well, that’s the trailer for The Acolyte. The Leslye Headland-created series takes us to a time in the world of the Jedi when they weren’t at the end of their reign and when they weren’t in hiding. We get to see the beginning of their demise, and it is just a look into what Headland and company have planned for us—and one that really just speaks to the prequel kid in all of us.
It’s one of those trailers where the minute you see a little alien you barely know show up, you just know you’re going to die for them. And honestly, I would. Every brief character we get to meet in the teaser for The Acolyte brings us closer to understanding more about the series.
Focusing on Carrie-Anne Moss as a Jedi, the teaser introduces us to quite a few characters. Including Manny Jacinto and Amandla Stenberg, the look into the series, frankly, brings a lot of hope along with it. It is by far the upcoming Star Wars series that fans know the least about, and it is because we’re diving into unknown territory. We have never leapt into the world before Anakin in live action, and seeing the Jedi before they were completely falling apart is a fascinating time for fans.
Headland presented the trailer with Joonas Suotamo as a new Wookie Jedi Master, as well as most of the cast!!! And it was met with fans of Star Wars excited to see what this new series holds for them. While we don’t know much about the characters we’re meeting in The Acolyte, there is something to get excited about: Trinity as a Jedi. Even if she is seemingly fighting against Rue from The Hunger Games.
Seeing Carrie-Anne Moss in action really does, in a lot of ways, make this teaser so incredibly special. For fans of Moss’ work in both The Matrix franchise as well as her role in Jessica Jones and beyond, seeing her in anything is great. But in Star Wars where she is an absolute badass? It’s something we’ve been waiting to see again on our screens.
And she’s pairing off with Stenberg, who is phenomenal in this trailer. It just all really ties together in a way that makes it so fans can be excited for the future of Star Wars and what The Acolyte has to bring to us, which includes Lee Jung-jae as a Jedi and Jodie Turner-Smith looking like the royalty she is. “This isn’t about good or bad. This is about power and who is allowed to use it,” Turner-Smith’s character says and … it is such an exciting look into where Star Wars is heading!
The Star Wars: The Acolyte cast, though
When we talk about casts in Star Wars properties, they’re usually some of the biggest names in Hollywood, either before or after their appearance in the galaxy far, far away. And The Acolyte is no different. Each new casting announcement brings more talent and brilliance to the show, and I can’t wait!
The press release announced the cast additions as follows:
Joining the previously announced Amandla Stenberg (“The Hate U Give”) are Emmy Award-winner Lee Jung-jae (“Squid Game”), Manny Jacinto (“Nine Perfect Strangers”), Dafne Keen (“His Dark Materials”), Jodie Turner-Smith (“Queen & Slim”), Rebecca Henderson (“Inventing Anna”), Charlie Barnett (“Russian Doll”), Dean-Charles Chapman (“1917”) and Carrie-Anne Moss (“The Matrix”).”
What is the plot of Star Wars: The Acolyte?
As I said up above, we don’t know much aside from the setting—the High Republic era of the Jedi—so the plot is very much up in the air, which is different from shows like Andor, which has very clear connections to stories we already know and that dictate how it turns out, to an extent. In fact, The Acolyte‘s setting is at the end of the time when the Jedi were at their greatest, and to me, that’s the coolest part about the lead-up to this series. It isn’t something we know a little about; it is all new.
We did get a bit of insight into the show with the press release, which describes the series as follows: “The Acolyte is 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. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.”
Who is behind Star Wars: The Acolyte?
The Acolyte was created by Leslye Headland, whose previous credits include the indie dark comedy Bachelorette and the highly acclaimed Netflix series Russian Doll. Headland will also be directing episodes of the series, according to Discussing Film. They also broke the news that After Yang director Kogonada and The Witcher director Alex Garcia Lopez will be directing episodes for the series. Nothing is certain as the news came directly from Discussing Film, but both Kogonada and Alex Garcia Lopez would be incredible additions to the Star Wars world!
Until we get to see The Acolyte this summer, we can at least look forward to the story it’s going to tell us!
