Star Wars: The Acolyte to Have Record-Breaking Number of Jedi

One of Disney’s upcoming TV shows, Star Wars: The Acolyte, is going to be must-see for those who love watching the Jedi in action. Star Wars: The Mandalorian has been light on the Force users throughout its three seasons, and Obi-Wan Kenobi zeroed in on just a couple of characters. The Acolyte, however, will take place when the Jedi are at the height of their power, which means we’ll see a lot more of them than in other projects.

The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland recently appeared on the Dagobah Dispatch podcast and opened up about her upcoming series. Setting The Acolyte at the end of the High Republic allowed for a lot more Force users to appear. 

“I would say that The Acolyte stands out because it is the earliest in the Star Wars timeline than we have ever been in live-action,” Headland said. “We are towards the end of the High Republic, leading into the prequels, George [Lucas]’s prequels. So we are looking at a time period where the Jedi are at the height of their power, we’re looking at a time period where there is peace throughout the galaxy, and it was very challenging and interesting to make a Star Wars with no war in it.”

“Though, the question became, ‘Well, what should the show be about if it’s not going to be about galactic conflict?’ And I think that what makes this show different and interesting is that it’s from the perspective of the bad guys or the villains of Star Wars,” she continued. “These are people who are using the Force in their own way, dipping into the darker side of the Force, and are doing it without being sanctioned by the larger institution, which in this case is the Jedi. And I think that Star Wars is always about some version of the underdog vs. the institution.”

New Jedi Record for Star Wars

Headland went on to say that The Acolyte will set a record for Star Wars in terms of how many Jedi actually appear on-camera. No other project has featured as may Force-wielding characters.

“And I just thought it was very interesting to do a show about the bad guys and to set that during that time period made the most sense,” the showrunner said. “So I think that’s what sets it apart. It’s kind of almost flipped. We have more Jedi than you’ve seen in any other of the Star Wars content.”

“But at the same time, I think you see more morally ambiguous characters than you’ve seen in other Star Wars content. And I think I can say this pretty confidently: I don’t think you’re going to see action in other shows the way that you see it used and utilized in our show.”

Star Wars: The Acolyte Cast

The cast of Star Wars: The Acolyte is led by Bodies Bodies Bodies breakout star Amanda Stenberg. The cast also includes Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place), Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim), Dafne Keen (Logan), and Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll).

Disney+ and Lucasfilm haven’t yet shared a release date for Star Wars: The Acolyte.