The Acolyte took all season to get to the purpose, so I hope season 2 delivers on it

Spoilers forward for The Acolyte.

Ever since I began watching The Acolyte, there’s been a selected path I hoped it will head down, however wasn’t notably positive Disney would enable, at the very least not explicitly anyway. You see, within the unique Star Wars trilogy, the Jedi weren’t actually a factor, they have been simply forgotten historical past, so principally the one concept anybody had of them have been cool guys that fought the dangerous guys with glowing swords and magical powers. When the prequels got here alongside, creator George Lucas was capable of discover them in additional depth although, proper all the way down to the political surroundings surrounding them (a daring transfer that did not totally work out).

However particularly, it raised a query concerning the Jedi – are they really good? Proper from the primary prequel movie, The Phantom Menace, seeds are sown to counsel there’s one thing a bit off about them, really. When Qui-Gon Jinn and co head to Tatooine, they are not there to free any of the slaves that reside there. In actual fact, the one purpose Qui-Gon Jinn saves anybody in any respect, one Anakin Skywalker, is as a result of he believes the kid is a prophesied one who will convey stability to the Pressure.

I admit there’s possible some extra nuance available there, paperwork will get in the best way a contact, however why ought to such a factor cease what’s morally proper? Jinn can also be participating within the basic Jedi act of taking a toddler away from his mom, regardless of the kid being too outdated to be educated within the methods of the Jedi, which clearly units off the occasions of the unique trilogy in due time.

A number of this, too, is repeated and re-examined in The Acolyte. When Sol, a personality very immediately impressed by Jinn, meets the younger Pressure-sensitive twins Osha and Mae, he immediately feels prefer it’s his responsibility to take them and practice to be Jedi, fully ignoring his companion Indara’s recommendation to take action. The twins are part of a coven of Pressure witches in any case, and as soon as once more they’re each technically too outdated to be educated as Jedi (or, maybe, brainwashed as some would possibly counsel).

After we get to episode seven, the penultimate episode of the collection, we lastly study that Sol really killed Osha and Mae’s mom, with Indara and two different Jedi collaborating within the homicide of the entire remainder of the coven as properly. It is a brutal second, and an apparent indictment over the Jedi, one I am glad the collection sought to discover. Even the Jedi again on Coruscant, the de facto homebase of the Jedi and the political centre of the Galactic Empire, find yourself mendacity concerning the occasions of the present with a view to defend themselves.

It additionally took all season to get right here, leaving a number of setup for a second season that hasn’t been confirmed simply but. I feel it is secure to imagine it would get one, we do not understand how profitable it has been due to the streaming period, however there’s nonetheless much more that must be stated concerning the Jedi and their flawed practices. This being a prequel, I am not anticipating it to repair any of what they’ve finished, they cannot, until Disney needed to create a totally separate canon. There’s nonetheless room narratively to make these criticisms although, and to maneuver away from the unique trilogy’s easy presentation of fine versus evil that has continued to lavatory down a lot of the collection.

It is clear that showrunner Leslye Headland needs to dive into these themes, notably as a result of the massive dangerous Qimir seems to be much more complicated than Darth Sidious simply wanting “limitless energy”, a presentation of the darkish facet of the Pressure I welcome with open arms. Qimir’s relationship with Osha too parallels the favored new trilogy ship Kylo Ren and Rey, however Osha turning to the darkish facet slightly than Kylo turning good. It is asking if there is a world the place there’s extra room for various interpretations of the Pressure than simply the Jedi’s, so actually, I simply hope season 2 delivers on this, as a result of fairly frankly, purple lightsabers are cooler anyway.