The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Healand confirmed that the upcoming Star Wars series will be exploring the "underdog" story of the Sith.
The first trailer for the highly-anticipated series finally arrived today which gave us our glimpse at the emergence of the Sith in the Jedi-ruled High Republic era of the galaxy.
It is the first major Star Wars project that is set in the High Republic era as the events take place around 100 years before The Phantom Menace.
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The Acolyte Will Be an 'Underdog' Sith Story According to Showrunner
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly discussing the trailer, Headland explained her decision to focus the story of The Acolyte on the Sith in the High Republic era where they are still lurking in the shadows.
"I really wanted to tell a story about the Sith. That was kind of my dream Star Wars idea. But it felt like the time period to do that in would be something pre-Phantom Menace," she said.
"That seemed to be the most interesting trajectory for the Sith: How did the Sith go from the Rule of Two and being quote-unquote ‘extinct’ to Palpatine coming into power without the Jedi knowing about it?"
The showrunner added, "If the Jedi are this benevolent institution at this point, then anyone who opposes them would be the underdog."
Despite the large scope of the story that they are telling, Headland assured that the father-daughter relationship between Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) and his former padawan Mae (Amandla Stenberg) is still the show's main focal point.
"I think with Star Wars, it always starts with some sort of underdog versus the institutional threat, or it’s a fraught familial issue that needs to be resolved," she explained. "I think both of those appear in this show — just in ways that are turned on their head."
Based on Headland's comments, it sounds like the series will indeed have a different and unique approach that we've never seen in other Star Wars projects that we've seen before.
Every Star Wars series or film that we've seen so far has always been a hero's journey and it is interesting to see how they will approach a story that will have focus on the dark side.
The Acolyte will premiere with two episodes on Disney+ this June 4.
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What do you think of Headland's remarks? Let us know in the comments!
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