The following article contains spoilers for The Acolyte.
The Acolyte has many things going for it, but of the biggest is that it’s set during the the High Republic era, a setting fans had never seen before in live action.
But despite an interesting story with strong characters, the series somehow rehashes old territory and regrettably, not very well. Don’t get us wrong. The Acolyte has a strong foundation and is worth the watch. Some elements of the story, however, are hard to look past. And this isn’t a conversation for the nitty gritty fans who have critiques pulled from obscure books and comics. Somehow, many scenes from The Acolyte miss the mark on lore that was present in the original saga films.
Master Indara’s death
If there is one moment that screams disrespect, it is the death of Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss) in the opening sequence. Moss is a genre queen and fan-favorite for her roles in The Matrix and Jessica Jones. And after finally cinching a role in the martial arts-heavy IP Star Wars — and being featured heavily in all the promotional material — she is dispensed with immediately. If that were the only gripe, that would be enough. But the nature of her death adds to the disrespect and doesn’t make sense when it comes to Star Wars lore.
A Jedi Master as elevated as Indara would not be so easily defeated. Especially considering how adept she is at her Force abilities, without needing a lightsaber. Any time a Jedi Master is killed in the saga films, it is a climactic scene that uses every bit of the Force necessary. Indara is simply distracted by a barkeep, dying in the most anticlimactic way possible. Though Indara certainly could have been killed by Mae, the way she did left much to be desired.
The Jedi Council in Coruscant
Not much is seen of the Jedi Council in the days of the High Republic beyond a murder investigation, and yet, there is still something off about these scenes. The lack of one of the most powerful Jedi Masters. At the time of his death, Master Yoda (Frank Oz) was 900 years old.
He and other famous Jedi, such as Yaddle (voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard in Tales of the Jedi), would certainly make an appearance. While it’s true the appearance of such an iconic character around this time would be distracting, it seems just as distracting that he is nowhere to be seen and even not made mention of.
Osha’s arrest
When Master Indara dies, the Jedi Council is quick to point fingers. Of course, they come to the wrong conclusion. They presume, based on a description of the killer, that she is Master Sol’s (Lee Jung-jae) former padawan, Osha (Amandla Stenberg), who washed out of training.
Osha maintains her innocence, but for some reason, the Council doesn’t resort to the most obvious of their powers. Entering minds is a basic Jedi ability and would easily resolve this mix-up. However, the Jedi do not even consider this and instead continue their investigation like any Earth-bound cop would. There are many reasons they would go about the investigation in this manner, but the most obvious one is so the show can increase its tension.
Mae’s subterfuge
With the Jedi Council hot on her trail, Mae (Stenberg) continues her crusade to kill a Jedi Master without a weapon. One of her targets is Master Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman), who has taken The Barash Vow and been suspended in meditation for the past 10 years. Mae ultimately coerces him into suicide, but it is a close call. She narrowly avoids notice by one of the other Jedi at the temple. This choice is an odd one, considering how many Jedi in the past have wielded hyper-sensitive sensing abilities.
Any Jedi should be able to feel that someone else was present. In the original saga, Vader (James Earl Jones) was able to ascertain that Luke (Mark Hamill) was on another ship completely, while Ahsoka (Ashely Eckstein) was so overwhelmed by Vader’s presence in Rebels, that she passed out. These aren’t abilities that are relegated to the most powerful Jedi. Force sensitivity is one of the defining traits of the Jedi, and the one in the temple should have been able to feel someone else there.
Mae’s supposed death
For a sect of monks so connected with the living life force, overlooking the death of a child seems like a pretty big miss. When Osha’s home was set to the torch, Sol presumed that her twin sister Mae had died. Years later, that is proven not to be the case, making many viewers wonder under what circumstances a Jedi would simply assume a child had died. In the coming weeks, answers to these pressing questions in The Acolyte may come to light. Perhaps there is something larger at work, such as the overarching Sith plot. But until the point comes when the grander scheme is revealed, it’s hard to take these Jedi seriously with their lackluster abilities.