When does Star Wars: The Acolyte take place in the timeline? Explained
Star Wars: The Acolyte is an upcoming Star Wars series. The first poster for the upcoming series was revealed across official Star Wars social media accounts on March 18, 2024, and has generated quite a buzz among fans.
The official trailer was released on March 19, 2024, and it teased a whole new era in the Star Wars saga. It explores an unseen era in the entire series to date as Star Wars: The Acolyte takes place a century before the events of The Phantom Menace.
The logline for the upcoming series reads:
"In an age of light, a darkness rises."
When does Star Wars: The Acolyte take place and what will it be about?
Star Wars: The Acolyte, created by Leslye Headland (the creator of Russian Doll), occurs at the end of the Jedi Order and the High Republic's golden age. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace depicted the Jedi retreating from the galaxy due to political constraints imposed by the Senate and the chancellor's whims. However, it can be expected that in The Acolyte, the Jedi will be less centralized and more ready to get involved in the lives of common people.
Star Wars: The Acolyte will introduce fans to the High Republic Era in live action for the first time. This peaceful period took place 100 years before the events of the Skywalker era. However, as seen in the newly released trailer, evil forces are advancing on that tranquility, leaving dead Jedi in their path.
As a revered Jedi Master (played by Lee Jung-Jae of Squid Game) looks into the murderous rampage, he encounters a terrifying fighter from his past (played by Amandla Stenberg of Bodies Bodies Bodies).
Star Wars: The Acolyte trailer: Exploring the rise of darkness
As mentioned before, The Acolyte is based approximately a century before the events shown in Phantom Menace. It was a time of peace and the Jedi reigned at the height of their powers.
The Dark Force was not as prominent as shown in the major events of Star Wars. The trailer opens with the scene of children being trained under the Jedi order. However, it quickly shifts to a revered Jedi master coming face to face with an adversary from the past.
It is made clear in the trailer that darkness is rising within the quiet Jedi world and the trailer teases what could possibly be the first red lightsaber (meaning that the dark side of the Force has truly awakened).
Who is in the cast for Star Wars: The Acolyte?
The upcoming Star Wars series offers a fresh take on the recent Disney+ releases by seemingly returning to the dark side's origins. Although the names of the characters have not been revealed yet, the trailer boasted an impressive cast.
Lee Jung-Jae and Amandla Stenberg lead the ensemble cast, playing a former Padawan and a Jedi Master, respectively. Joining the ensemble cast are the famous Carrie-Anne Moss (from The Matrix) and Rebecca Henderson (known for They Remain).
Other members of the cast include:
- Manny Jacinto
- Jodie Turner-Smith
- Dean-Charles Chapman
- Dafne Keen
- Margarita Levieva
- Charlie Barnett
- Joonas Suotamo
- Amy Tsang
The trailer for the upcoming series revealed the release date for the first two episodes. Viewers should expect the episodes to debut on Disney+ on June 4, 2024.