“This isn’t about good or bad. This is about power, and who is allowed to use it.”
That is a quote from a character in the third episode of The Acolyte that relates directly to one of the prevailing themes of the Disney Star Wars era. The galaxy is bound together by the Force. It is not limited to use by Sith or Jedi. Everyone is a part of the Force.
It’s evident at this point that The Acolyte is expanding upon the framework created by television series like Star Wars: Ahsoka and movies like Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The actual nature of the Force and the demise of the Jedi Order are major themes of this novel, even though it takes place long before the events of the Skywalker Saga. Let’s examine more closely how The Acolyte develops one of the most significant Star Wars concepts.
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The Acolyte’s Witches
Osha and Mae Aniseya, the twin characters played by Amandla Stenberg, get a much-needed look back at their early years in Episode 3. Here, we find out that the two girls belonged to a coven of witches who were sensitive to the Force, one of them being commanded by Mother Aniseya, played by Jodie Turner-Smith. The Nightsisters of Dathomir from Star Wars: The Clone Wars come to mind when thinking of this coven. Similar to the Nightsisters, these witches have created their own customs and religious beliefs centered around the Force rather than adhering to the strict Jedi/Sith division. It appears that there are a lot of these split factions of Force users around the galaxy.
The Jedi Order became interested in Osha and Mae, as revealed in Episode 3. Osha expressed a desire to join the Jedi and get familiar with their customs, defying her mother’s objections. She ultimately lost everything as a result of that choice, which also caused a rift between Osha and Mae and the deaths of the other coven members. We now know Mae is adamant about finding and eliminating the four Jedi Masters in the here and now. Even if the precise cause of her family members’ deaths is still unknown, she is driven to exact revenge.
The Acolyte investigates the hypothesis that the Jedi were a fundamentally defective organization even one hundred years prior to the events of the Prequel Trilogy. Despite his seemingly altruistic and kind intents to recruit Osha, Lee Jung-jae’s Master Sol still appears to be an outsider lurking behind her family’s back. Because Mae felt frightened by the Jedi’s attempts to split up her family, they interjected, which immediately resulted in an unnecessary tragedy.
This episode contains hints of what will ultimately lead to the Jedi’s downfall in the Skywalker Saga.
This episode contains hints of what will ultimately lead to the Jedi’s downfall in the Skywalker Saga. The Jedi are conceited because they think their interpretation of the Force is the only true one. Preaching about the peril of intimate bonds, they pay no attention to the harm that results from severing a child from their parent. They cannot even begin to imagine that the Sith remain a threat, much less that a Sith Lord is actively scheming to harm them. With the passing of the High Republic era and the impending gloom of Emperor Palpatine’s reign, this dogmatic blindness will only intensify.
Despite all the good the Jedi did throughout their protracted rule as the foremost protectors of the Republic, their conviction that the Force is a force bestowed upon a chosen, deserving few finally brings them to an end. They fail to maintain the perspective required to use their power properly because they stay apart from the galaxy they have vowed to defend. It makes sense that the Jedi would eventually be tricked into acting as the fascist Empire’s enforcers and masterminds of their own demise. The seeds were sown much earlier than the time of Anakin Skywalker.
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How The Last Jedi and The Acolyte Are Related
The idea that everyone has access to the Force is not a novel concept in the franchise. Since the start of the Disney period in 2014, it has been one of the franchise’s recurrent motifs. However, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which debuted in 2017, introduced fresh concepts and a fresh perspective on the Force that have since flourished, marking a turning point for the saga in this regard.
Even while the Jedi teach against holding into sentimental attachments, a lot of Star Wars media makes the case that fighting for the people you love is more essential than everything else. Luke refuses to back down from a fight, even in The Empire Strikes Back, when Yoda begs him to leave his allies to face Darth Vader before he is ready. In the end, he makes the right decision because his encounter with Vader causes a significant rift in the Sith Lord’s mental fortification and awakens the spirit of Anakin Skywalker. If Anakin’s love for Luke hadn’t returned, the galaxy would not have survived.
Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico, in The Last Jedi, embodies this idea with her phrase, “That’s how we’re gonna win.” avoiding conflict with our dislikes. preserving the things we cherish.” The affection these freedom warriors have for one another and their sheer willpower keep the flimsy Resistance together. In the end, Luke—who had been living in misery and self-imposed exile on the distant planet Ahch-To—is persuaded to come out of hiding in order to save his sister and have one final conversation with his nephew.
The Last Jedi also reveals the true story of Ben Solo’s demise, showing us that he succumbed to the same self-destructive Jedi teachings and concerns that had dogged his grandfather. When Luke created his academy, he made the error of attempting to replicate the Jedi Order and its doctrine. Luke preached the same old things even after he had demonstrated for himself that close relationships can be a strong force for good.He loses Grogu, his first pupil, in The Book of Boba Fett because he won’t break off contact with his adoptive father. The Sequel Trilogy reveals that Ben Solo’s inability to let go of his personal bonds and his clinging to his family made him susceptible to Snoke’s and Palpatine’s manipulation. Ben was asked to bury those attachments rather than celebrate them. The new Jedi Order was born out of the misdeeds of the previous one.
While Anakin demonstrated that even the most formidable warriors might come from the lowest of backgrounds, the Jedi remained mostly oblivious to the slave trade and exploitation of the galaxy’s populace.
Another noteworthy aspect of The Last Jedi is that it was the first Star Wars production during the Disney era to explore the notion that anyone, no matter how big or little, could use the Force. Iconic scene at the end: a young slave child on Canto Bight looks up at the stars, calls a broomstick to his hand. While Anakin demonstrated that even the most formidable warriors might come from the lowest of backgrounds, the Jedi remained mostly oblivious to the slave trade and exploitation of the galaxy’s populace.
The Ahsoka series explored the master/student relationship between Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano and Natasha Liu Bordizzo’s Sabine Wren, delving on the idea that anybody can utilize the Force. Although Sabine is depicted as a mediocre student who doesn’t seem to have much of a connection to the Force, Ahsoka is confident in her abilities. When the time comes, Sabine repays Ahsoka’s confidence by assisting Eman Esfandi’s Ezra in flying to freedom.
The Ahsoka series implies that although certain lifeforms might possess an inherent advantage when it comes to using the Force, anyone can do so with sufficient training and a strong enough will. This theory is supported by the simple fact that covens like the Nightsisters and Osha’s family exist. This is also represented by Chirrut Imwe, a blind monk who, although not being a Jedi, can perform seemingly superhuman feats, played by Donnie Yen. In the end, midichlorian count is not as significant as faith in the Force.
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The Force’s Future in Star Wars
The Acolyte feels like a fitting part of the bigger picture even though it is situated farther in the past than any previous Disney Star Wars project. It expands on the main notion that everyone has access to the Force. It demonstrates that even before Darth Sidious started openly planning the Jedi’s destruction, they were inevitably doomed. It also makes the case that the Jedi Order’s ashes must give rise to something fresh and new.
One of Disney’s main objectives for the Jedi series appears to be revealing what will precisely emerge to replace the ancient Jedi. This is perhaps the reason they approved the Star Wars film directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy to be one of their upcoming big-screen releases. Daisy Ridley will play Rey Skywalker once more in an untitled movie, which is set 15 years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker from 2019. Rey will be asked to lead the rebuilding of the Jedi Order in a time after Palpatine’s Final Order collapsed and Luke Skywalker died.
As we’ve seen, the previous Jedi Order had many fundamental flaws, including strict, dogmatic beliefs that prevented it from seeing the evil that was spreading around it. Luke erred by trying to find a replacement for what was lost rather than looking for something new. Rey’s mission will probably revolve around attempting to forge a new, more democratic vision for the Jedi Order—one that doesn’t demand that its members lose their ties to the outside world. Now that she is the last Skywalker, Rey must construct something better because she is well aware of how the Jedi doctrine led Anakin and Ben to the Dark Side.
The Acolyte’s objectives include highlighting the Jedi’s shortcomings and examining the tension that exists between their lofty ideals and the realities of existence in the galaxy. Star Wars fans will only be able to fully appreciate what happens next if they have a solid knowledge of why the Jedi failed and why the Force is a power that belongs to all lifeforms. Whether a prequel or not, The Acolyte is a crucial development in this ongoing story.