The Acolyte
Warning ! This clause contain SPOILERS for The Acolyte episode 5 .
Summary
George Lucas draw inspiration from a wide range of sources forStar Wars , andThe Acolytejust flip over one of those inspirations on its head in the best way possible . When he made the originalStar Wars , later on retitledA New Hope , Lucas take over story and stylistic factor from all corners of fable . Star Warshas a lot of similarity toDune , for case , and Lucas also borrowed more broadly from genres like Westerns and samurai films . Many recentStar Warsshows , likeThe MandalorianandAhsoka , have honour those origin , butThe Acolytehas subverted one of Lucas ' inspirations .
In many ways , The Acolyteis a groundbreakingStar Warsshow . It take property duringthe High Republic epoch , which has never been depicted in live - action before , and it also feature a much darker tone than many otherStar Warsstories . That tone only got darker inThe Acolyteepisode 5 , when the Sith Lord massacred a group of Jedi on Khofar . For all the Modern ground it broke , however , The Acolytealso paid homage to one of Lucas ' original inspirations , and it did so with the new Sith Lord .
Here ’s everything you need to trace along with Star Wars : The Acolyte , from references and trifle to independent takeaways from each new episode .
“The Stranger” Is A Classic Western Trope
The Acolyteepisode 5revealed the identity element of the Sith Lordand unveiled that Qimir was just a pseudonym he was using to hide his straight identity . Once he was unmasked , the Sith Lord revealed that he had no name , and he ’s instead refer to as the Stranger . The Sith Lord ’s statute title tiesThe Acolytedirectly to one of Lucas ' brainchild : the Spaghetti Western . There ’s a trope in Westerns so rough-cut that it can be find out in all corner of the genre . Several classic Westerns feature a mysterious main character reference likeThe Good , The Bad , and the Ugly ’s Man With No Name to the disguise gunslinger inThe Lone Ranger .
The Acolyte Inverts The Spaghetti Western
The Stranger serves as a percipient character reference to Westerns , but he also alternate the uncouth trope on its head . Generally , Westerns that stick to the image of having a occult alien as their main character reference also paint that unknown as a hoagy . A gist component of the trope is that the unusual wanders into a new town or situation , and change them for the right . A Fistful of Dollars , for example , follow the Man With No Name as he stumbled upon a feud between two rival family , and by playing them both at the same time , he saved the Ithiel Town from their criminal exploits .
The Acolyte ’s Sith Lord used a forbidden lightsaber proficiency lifted straight from Star Wars Legends - one that entail the Jedi fell before his might .
The Acolyte , however , firmly set up that the Stranger was anything but heroic . He massacred seven Jedi , used muddy fighting manoeuvre like a cortosis helmet and gantlet and his new trick lightsaber , and align himself firmly with the non-white side of the Force . None of the horse opera George Lucas used as divine guidance ever had such an evil stranger , andThe Acolytehas effectively inverted one of the most common westerly plot in the intact musical style . rather of coming to work out problems and sway thing up in a beneficial way , Star Wars ' fresh stranger cause problem , and he seems intent on shaking the Jedi to their nub .
Custom image by Sean Morrison
The Acolyte’s Opening Scene Even Sets This Up
The Stranger wasn’tThe Acolyte ’s first metre being inspired by Westerns , though . The show ’s very first setting , when Mae Aniseya attack Master Indara on Ueda , was super reminiscent of a classic cowboy action sequence . Mae , a unknown at that point inThe Acolyte , walks into a ( noodle ) bar and a monumental showdown ensues . At one breaker point in their scrap , when Mae and Indara were pointing their several weapon at each other , a rogue tumbleweed and revolvers would n’t have feel out of lieu . Mae and Indara ’s engagement set upThe Acolyteas a westerly - inspired show , and the Stranger inverted it utterly .
The former Padawan of Jedi Master Sol , Mae gets swept up into a menacing mystery — one that puts her into the center of a conflict in unexpected ways .
Master Indara is a Jedi Master of great forcible and genial science . small has been uncover of her purpose to date .
The former Padawan of Jedi Master Sol, Mae gets swept up into a sinister mystery—one that puts her into the center of a conflict in unexpected ways.
The Acolyte ’s subversive activity of the stranger trope from Westerns is also just the most late example of the show corrupt expectations . aright from the start , The Acolyteshocked interview by kill off Indara , a character many wait to be a central figure in the show due to Carrie - Anne Moss ' casting . The Stranger ’s relation to Westerns was n’t even the only shock ofThe Acolyteepisode 5 , as he also killed off two other main character in Jecki Lon and Yord Fandar . In that sense , the Stranger is carry onThe Acolyte ’s penchant for astonishing twists and turns .
Jecki is the Padawan learner to Master Sol . Although she is untested , she project unagitated and conducts herself with maturity .
Yord , a Jedi Knight and shielder from the Jedi Temple , is an overachiever and a rule follower . His pauperization to be a by - the - book Jedi can dapple his mind .
The fact that the Stranger so efficaciously misdirect the westerly archetype of a desperate stranger has a few implications for the future ofThe Acolyteas well . He may not be a torpedo , but the Sith Lord could still extend out a major part of the unknown trope by using his mystical status to stimulate things up . Like the Man With No Name did with the town inA Fistful of Dollars , the Stranger may basically change the Jedi Order and the entireStar Warsgalaxy . free-base on how he ’s weaken the Western trope , though , the Stranger likely wo n’t changeThe Acolytefor the good .
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Cast
The Acolyte is a idiot box serial place in the Star Wars universe at the final stage of the High Republic Era , where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence . This sci - fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several law-breaking - all leading to darkness burst out from beneath the aerofoil and preparing to bring about the final stage of the High Republic .
The former Padawan of Jedi Master Sol, Mae gets swept up into a sinister mystery—one that puts her into the center of a conflict in unexpected ways.
Master Indara is a Jedi Master of great physical and mental skill. Little has been revealed of her role to date.
Jecki is the Padawan apprentice to Master Sol. Although she is young, she projects calm and conducts herself with maturity.
Yord, a Jedi Knight and guardian from the Jedi Temple, is an overachiever and a rule follower. His need to be a by-the-book Jedi can cloud his mind.
