Star Wars: The Acolyte, the new TV series and mystery thriller from Lucasfilm that introduces a new team of Jedi, set a century before the events of The Phantom Menace during the final days of the High Republic Era, is already a huge win with critics, but not so much with general audiences, according to Rotten Tomatoes, which has the show currently listed with a 94% Tomatometer Score but a 44% Audience Score. Counting Carrie-Anne Moss (Jedi Master Indara), Carrie-Anne Moss (Jedi Master Indara), and Amandla Stenberg (Mae) among its cast, the first two episodes of The Acolyte are streaming now on Disney+.
Top critics are saying:
- “What perhaps makes The Acolyte such an engaging and addictive watch (over the first four episodes screened for critics, at least) is its commitment to not treating the Jedi (or the Star Wars franchise writ large) as untouchable.”
- “[I]t’s the ideas that flourish in “The Acolyte”—mining the rich mythology of the universe to explore how our childhoods scar us, and what we do with that pain.”
- “The Acolyte has many times that production budget [of Doctor Who], but its heart, rather charmingly, is hewn from that awestruck past that had space as an endless adventure playground, not one long dark dystopia.”
- “The Acolyte feels like Star Wars — someone even says “I have a bad feeling about this!” The only thing that makes it stand out from past Star Wars stories is that it has a lot of women in it, actively participating in the story. (What a concept.)”
The scores at the time of this writing:
Some of the latest promos for The Acolyte:
The StarWars.com Team on Sol and actor Lee Jung-jae’s enthusiasm for the franchise:
Master Sol is very powerful in the Force and well respected by his peers,” the actor says. “He’s also incredibly warm-hearted.” Getting cast was a dream come true for the longtime fan. “I can’t forget the first time I saw Star Wars in the theater,” Lee says. “The shock, the tension, and the emotion. Honestly, I can’t believe I played a part in Star Wars. I’m still trying to be cool about it.”