The next big “Star Wars” series that has yet to go into production is the mysterious project only known as “The Acolyte” that is gathering steam after actress Amandla Stenberg (“The Hate U Give“) reportedly landed the lead role. While we don’t know a lot of details, it’s confirmed that the new show takes place during The High Republic, a new era of “Star Wars” that was launched for a publication push for books and comic books, a hundred years before the events of “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.” Set between The Old Republic and the Skywalker Saga, the show will indeed move away from the Skywalkers but Jedi such as Yoda are alive during this era, allowing for original/prequel trilogy characters to make their comebacks.
Speaking of “The Phantom Menace,” during a lengthy chat about the original series with Vanity Fair, showrunner Leslye Headland (“Russian Doll“) alluded to the High Republic series exploring the mysterious Sith lore and how a Sith Lord like Palpatine was able to hide his true nature from the Jedi Council while serving in the Galactic Senate.
READ MORE: ‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’: Amandla Stenberg Eyed For Lead Role In Disney+ Series
“My question in watching ‘The Phantom Menace’ was always like, ‘Well, how did things get to this point?'” Headland continued, “Do you know what I mean? How did we get to where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it? What went wrong? What are the scenarios that led us to this moment? So that’s what I would say. That’s how I would describe [The High Republic] to my friends, especially my non-Star Wars friends.”
It’s well established that many Sith originated as disillusioned or corrupted Jedi. Could we see Jedi from the High Republic turn to the dark side, or were Stih just really good at hiding from their counterparts?
While westerns, samurai films, and sci-fi serials were direct influences on the George Lucas films, Headland reveals that “The Acolyte” will pay homage to classic wuxia films, citing the iconic Shaw Brothers. This style is expected for the “Ahsoka” series as well, another direct clue that Sith and Jedi will be involved and certainly hints to action-packed lightsaber battles.
“I actually went more toward martial arts films and storylines that are a little bit more personal and less global and galactic,” Headland explained. “Those warriors were on missions that were deeply personal, with people feeling wronged and having to make it right. Wuxia films and martial arts films from King Hu and the Shaw Brothers, like ‘Come Drink With Me‘ and ‘Touch Of Zen.’ They’re monks that are also martial arts heroes.”
Headland also mentioned how the tech in the High Republic might be even more futuristic than the prequels as the further back you go in the “Star Wars,” the more advanced things get in the universe.
“When [George Lucas] tasked himself with making the prequels, the way that he decided to address technology and all of those types of things was to make it a much sleeker, better-looking, almost more advanced time. That’s what’s kind of weird about ‘Star Wars.’ The further you go back, the better things are. ‘A long time ago’ actually becomes more futuristic. So while we are creating this type of world, we’re trying to carry George’s concept that the further you go back, the more exciting and new and sleek and interesting things look.”
She also mentioned how exploring the High Republic allows for fewer expectations from fans than tackling beloved legacy characters, “I think I’m telling a story that’s more about a timeline we don’t know much about. Let’s hang out here for a little bit and check out what Star Wars looks like when the good guys are actually in charge. What happens? We know what it eventually leads to, so let’s explore. What are the holes that we can poke into what happened?”
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” debuts this Friday as we’ll have to wait a while before “The Acolyte” even begins to shoot. Perhaps we’ll get new details and concept art at the Lucasfilm presentation during Star Wars Celebration. Only time will tell.