Online Series: Star Wars: The Acolyte on Disney+

[Osprey]

I thought that the episodes were pretty mediocre, as well, with the writing, acting and execution being similar to The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The dialogue is dull and occasionally silly, especially in the opening scene, with "attack me with all of your strength," then, two minutes into the fight, "what are you doing here?" and "I'm here to kill you."

There are many plot elements that don't make sense, like a Jedi Knight relinquishing custody of a former Jedi and accused Jedi killer to an unmanned prison ship instead of personally escorting her back to Coruscant, the sisters looking similar enough to be confused for one another after being apart for 16 years and one only now having a dream in which she learns that the other is alive.

There's also a lot of inconsistency, like the same Jedi that relinquished custody of Osha in Ep1 being surprised that they weren't going to escort her back to Coruscant in Ep2; Jedi reading Mae's mind to learn about about the person that she's working for, but not Osha's or the drug dealer's to determine if they're guilty; a Jedi using a lightsaber as a flashlight in the same episode that it's said twice that Jedi draw their lightsabers only to kill; and Sol immediately shutting down the possibility that Mae is alive because he "saw her die," only to suddenly believe that she's alive 3 minutes later.

As for the acting, I don't think that Stenberg is convincing in the dual role and I agree with NyQuil that Lee, as impressive as it is that he learned English for it, isn't quite good enough for a leading role. This show seems to suffer from several instances of stunt casting, one being the casting of Lee because he was in demand after Squid Game, rather than for his English acting ability.

One complaint that I don't understand, though, is that the show wastes time. I think that it moves too quickly. It takes only 5 minutes to find and interrogate Osha, then 10 minutes to find and capture her again, then 15 minutes to find and confront Mae. The story moves at such a fast pace that it feels rushed. At least it isn't boring, but that isn't good enough for me, especially after Andor.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

There are many plot elements that don't make sense, like a Jedi Knight relinquishing custody of a former Jedi and accused Jedi killer to an unmanned prison ship instead of personally escorting her back to Coruscant,

There's also a lot of inconsistency, like the same Jedi that relinquished custody of Osha in Ep1 being surprised that they weren't going to escort her back to Coruscant in Ep2;

Yord is the VERY GREEN rookie Jedi that interrogated Osha. It's quite clear very early that his entire character that he is 100% by the book. Does absolutely everything way too uptight, even for Jedi standards. Based on the number of prisoners in that ship it's clearly Standard Operating Procedure to ship criminals back to Coruscant on the prisoner ship. So of course that what he does. He follows the book, because that's right in character.

In the 2nd episode he explicitly tells Sol he's sorry for not escorting her back personally, recognizing that this is a case he should have escalated the situation due to the circumstance. Again though he's still going to fall back on procedure cause like his entire character. In a case like this he once again wants to escort everyone back to Coruscant and let the council sort it out. Because of course he does. Cause he's a green rookie, this is exactly what would be expected of him. It's above his pay grade to make any decisions like Sol is doing.

Another one I'm seeing is the "Jedi don't pull their lightsaber unless it's too kill" line often. But who says that? As far as I remember the only one to say that is Mae. So the bad guy with a grudge against Jedi and no actual knowledge of the Jedi Code? Why is that being treated as a reliable narrator? Cause Carre-Ann Moss' character doesn't deny it? When have the Jedi ever explained themselves? They are arrogant, it's like the entire point of this series. It's quite clear to me at least that this isn't remotely true, it's never been stated anywhere else in Jedi lore. Also it's clear that Carrie-Ann Moss' character doesn't even believe that as at no point is she trying to kill Mae, and then sacrifices her own life to protect a rando.

Most of these criticisms REALLY seem forced, particularly after just 2 episodes.

Is it the greatest thing I've seen? I mean it's just getting started. It's going ok. We'll see how it progresses, but between the BS lightsaber, prisoner transfer, and fire in space controversy it really feels like people are grasping at straws to attack this show...

 

[Hivemind]

One complaint that I don't understand, though, is that the show wastes time. I think that it moves too quickly. It takes only 5 minutes to find and interrogate Osha, then 10 minutes to find and capture her again, then 15 minutes to find and confront Mae. The story moves at such a fast pace that it feels rushed. At least it isn't boring, but that isn't good enough for me, especially after Andor.

I agree with this take.

This is supposed to be a thriller, but it seems rushed to give us as many answers as quickly as possible. We don't know everything yet, but int he first two episodes we know who the villain is (although that was not a mystery in this one), the villain's twin relationship, the twin's relationship to the Jedi, who the villain is targeting, and have a pretty decent hint as to why they are being targeted. While we don't know who the Sith master is, we've already seen them.

 

[Osprey]

Yord is the VERY GREEN rookie Jedi that interrogated Osha. It's quite clear very early that his entire character that he is 100% by the book. Does absolutely everything way too uptight, even for Jedi standards. Based on the number of prisoners in that ship it's clearly Standard Operating Procedure to ship criminals back to Coruscant on the prisoner ship. So of course that what he does. He follows the book, because that's right in character.

In the 2nd episode he explicitly tells Sol he's sorry for not escorting her back personally, recognizing that this is a case he should have escalated the situation due to the circumstance. Again though he's still going to fall back on procedure cause like his entire character. In a case like this he once again wants to escort everyone back to Coruscant and let the council sort it out. Because of course he does. Cause he's a green rookie, this is exactly what would be expected of him. It's above his pay grade to make any decisions like Sol is doing.

Another one I'm seeing is the "Jedi don't pull their lightsaber unless it's too kill" line often. But who says that? As far as I remember the only one to say that is Mae. So the bad guy with a grudge against Jedi and no actual knowledge of the Jedi Code? Why is that being treated as a reliable narrator? Cause Carre-Ann Moss' character doesn't deny it? When have the Jedi ever explained themselves? They are arrogant, it's like the entire point of this series. It's quite clear to me at least that this isn't remotely true, it's never been stated anywhere else in Jedi lore. Also it's clear that Carrie-Ann Moss' character doesn't even believe that as at no point is she trying to kill Mae, and then sacrifices her own life to protect a rando.

Most of these criticisms REALLY seem forced, particularly after just 2 episodes.

Is it the greatest thing I've seen? I mean it's just getting started. It's going ok. We'll see how it progresses, but between the BS lightsaber, prisoner transfer, and fire in space controversy it really feels like people are grasping at straws to attack this show...

I see no indication that Yord is a "very green rookie." He has the title of Jedi Knight, already has a Padawan and is tasked with arresting an accused murderer of a Jedi Master, both a serious offense and an indication that she's potentially very dangerous. He must be capable and trusted. You seem to be assuming that he's a rookie because he made a mistake, then using the belief that he's a rookie to excuse the mistake, which is circular logic. You also used the fact that he follows the book to explain both handing Osha over to the prison ship and, later, thinking that it was important to personally escort her back to Coruscant. It can't explain both. Besides, even if it's standard procedure to transport captives on unmanned prison ships, that doesn't mean that it's standard procedure to transport captive Force users (especially those accused of defeating Jedi Masters) that way. If it is, then that's still bad writing, IMO. Either way, it felt clearly contrived so that the writers could immediately get her away from Yord in order to have her get free again, have a thrilling action scene, crash land on a planet and have an important vision there.

The line about not drawing lightsabers unless to kill is spoken once by Mae at the start of the first episode and then by her master at the end. After the first time, Indara not only doesn't deny it, but immediately lowers her lightsaber until it's pointed at the floor. That's as good as an acknowledgement that the rule or principle is true for the Jedi at this point in time. You must not remember that... but you apparently remember Yord telling Sol that he's sorry, which never happened. I actually re-watched every scene that pertained to my criticisms before I made them, to try to be fair and accurate, whereas you're trying to contradict them seemingly based off of only your memory, which appears to be unreliable. If it feels like people are grasping at straws to attack the show, it could be because you're grasping at them to defend it.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

I see no indication that Yord is a "very green rookie." He has the title of Jedi Knight, already has a Padawan and is tasked with arresting an accused murderer of a Jedi Master, both a serious offense and an indication that she's potentially very dangerous. He must be capable and trusted. You seem to be assuming that he's a rookie because he made a mistake, then using the belief that he's a rookie to excuse the mistake, which is circular logic. You also used the fact that he follows the book to explain both handing Osha over to the prison ship and, later, thinking that it was important to personally escort her back to Coruscant. It can't explain both. Besides, even if it's standard procedure to transport captives on unmanned prison ships, that doesn't mean that it's standard procedure to transport captive Force users (especially those accused of defeating Jedi Masters) that way. If it is, then that's still bad writing, IMO. Either way, it felt clearly contrived so that the writers could immediately get her away from Yord in order to have her get free again, have a thrilling action scene, crash land on a planet and have an important vision there.

The line about not drawing lightsabers unless to kill is spoken once by Mae at the start of the first episode and then by her master at the end. After the first time, Indara not only doesn't deny it, but immediately lowers her lightsaber until it's pointed at the floor. That's as good as an acknowledgement that the rule or principle is true for the Jedi at this point in time. You must not remember that... but you apparently remember Yord telling Sol that he's sorry, which never happened. I actually re-watched every scene that pertained to my criticisms before I made them, to try to be fair and accurate, whereas you're trying to contradict them seemingly based off of only your memory, which appears to be unreliable. If it feels like people are grasping at straws to attack the show, it could be because you're grasping at them to defend it.

Um, how about the very first scene Yord is in with Osha where it's literally said that he just got his Knight status. 2 years ago. Not very long at all. He's clearly the overeager rookie, watch any scene with him.

And yeah maybe you need a rewatch at 28:35-28:45 minutes of episode one. Yord literally says "Master Sol thank you for choosing me for this mission, I should have brought in Osha myself, I apologize for my error". Word for Word what he says.

So yeah he was sent to interrogate a person of interest in a killing. Once complete, he shipped them off to Coruscant. After it went sideways he adjusted for next time wanting to bring her in himself. Screams plot hole to me.

So I forgot that a SECOND unreliable narrator repeated the same thing, in fact the master who taught the unreliable narrator who said it the first time. Crazy. I mean obviously this is so very true then, has to be!

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

....If there's a person hunting and killing jedi, why the hell are these numbdicks not reporting it to Yoda and the high Jedi Counsel? Or are they all sick with space COVID and the offices are closed, also how do they not sense them being killed through the force and just find out by discovering bodies?

 

[Osprey]

Um, how about the very first scene Yord is in with Osha where it's literally said that he just got his Knight status. 2 years ago. Not very long at all. He's clearly the overeager rookie, watch any scene with him.

And yeah maybe you need a rewatch at 28:35-28:45 minutes of episode one. Yord literally says "Master Sol thank you for choosing me for this mission, I should have brought in Osha myself, I apologize for my error". Word for Word what he says.

So yeah he was sent to interrogate a person of interest in a killing. Once complete, he shipped them off to Coruscant. After it went sideways he adjusted for next time wanting to bring her in himself. Screams plot hole to me.

So I forgot that a SECOND unreliable narrator repeated the same thing, in fact the master who taught the unreliable narrator who said it the first time. Crazy. I mean obviously this is so very true then, has to be!

Two years as a Jedi Knight is more experienced than Luke was in Return of the Jedi and Obi-Wan was in The Phantom Menace. Speaking of which, if the writers wanted to copy the Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan relationship, I think that it would've made more sense if Yord were Sol's apprentice. The fact that he's, instead, a Jedi Knight who's bumbling and often being embarrassed by even Padawans doesn't sit very well with me. If you don't mind it, then we're on different pages and will have to agree to disagree.

Correction noted on Yord's apology. You said that it occurred in Episode 2, so that's the episode that I looked for it in and didn't find it.

Are you going to acknowledge my correction about Indara? My point wasn't that a second unreliable character repeated the line, but that a reliable one (Indara) basically confirmed that it was true by lowering her lightsaber after she was reminded of it.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Two years as a Jedi Knight is more experienced than Luke was in Return of the Jedi and Obi-Wan was in The Phantom Menace. Speaking of which, if the writers wanted to copy the Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan relationship, I think that it would've made more sense if Yord were Sol's apprentice. The fact that he's, instead, a Jedi Knight who's bumbling and being embarrassed at every turn doesn't sit well with me. If you don't mind, we'll have to agree to disagree.

Correction noted on Yord's apology. You said that it occurred in Episode 2, so that's the episode that I looked for it in and didn't find it.

Are you going to acknowledge my correction about Indara? My point wasn't that a second unreliable character repeated the line, but that a reliable one (Indara) basically confirmed that it was true by lowering her lightsaber after she was reminded of it.

Yeah I had the ending point of ep 1/2 wrong as I watched them together. Sorry about that.

Luke and Obi-Wan are like kinda generational talents. I think Yord is more like a grinder who just barely made Knight. He doesn't even have the respect of the Padawans as evidenced by his interactions with the padawan in this one.

I don't see that as confirmation. We don't what she is thinking in that moment. I was thinking more she was thinking "poor misguided child" and she lowered it to try to relax Mae since she was still trying to bring her in alive was my thinking.

These 4 Jedi are clearly apart of some cover up and dealing with massive guilt. One has taken a literal vow of silence and shut himself off the world. The wookie is by himself as well looking like he cut himself off from the galaxy as well. Sol has retreated to the temple into teaching. Indara (I'm bad with character names, assuming that's Carrie-Ann Moss' character) we don't know how she coped with it, we don't know anything about it.

I think once we have the full story of what happened we might re-contextualize that scene completely different. It seems those 4 did something pretty terrible, IMO, and they are dealing with the guilt of that. So I have trouble believing the lightsaber thing until we have more to go on.

I'll agree that if they suddenly make this lightsabers=ready to kill thing a real point, it's just not how we've seen it traditionally used. And it does put the lightsaber as a light source thing into a plot hole no doubt. But the slight reaction of what appears to be a guilt ridden Jedi dealing with that guilt personified right in front of her after many years isn't proof, IMO.

I'll wait until the whole series it out to really make any kind of comments. This show has no been what I was expecting and it hasn't jumped off the page. But it still has potential and is still vague on many points as of right now. Until we have the whole story I'm just not going to be calling things out that don't make sense since it still might, we don't know yet.

 

[johnjm22]

The plot minutiae doesn't bother me that much. When a story is really good, you tend to not notice that stuff.

My issues with the show are how it's been conceptualized. It's ugly to look at. The sets feel confined and unimaginative. It feels small. There's no sense of grandeur or escapism. None of the characters are visually interesting. The locations aren't memorable.

Mae is basically a Ninja and feels out of place in the SW universe. I don't believe her character at all as "Jedi killer". Her temperament doesn't help either.

This whole fire thing that triggered Mae and Osha's trauma better live up to its billing when we find out more about it. Personally I find it somewhat uninteresting.

The more we delve into the Jedi and the force the less mystique it all has. Some things are better left to myth.

 

[Sad People]

This was the episode that the woke wars softies were so up in arms about? lol holy shit.

 

[Sombastate]

So I will preface this by saying I haven’t watched anything Star Wars related in. While, not for any reason other than life happens.

And I will also say I keep a fairly liberal friend group as I am also liberal.

Is this show as bad as everyone is saying it is? I liked the trailer and was gonna binge it upon completion but my friends from all walks of life absolutely hate it

 

[mrmovies779]

I enjoyed the episode.What can I say...I'm a sucker for a good back story

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

The 1st 2 episodes were mid and had some stuff that didnt really make sense but holy dog shit, what in the f*** did I just watch?

 

[Hivemind]

Star Wars' repeated insistence on putting child actors in positions to fail is beyond frustrating.

 

[johnjm22]

This episode was filled with bad ideas.

 

[MadDevil]

This was the episode that the woke wars softies were so up in arms about? lol holy shit.

I've blocked or muted so many people since this show came out lol

And I think the show is just mostly fine so far. It's not great, but it's not awful either. It's also not finished. I'd like to see how the whole season plays out. Nothing in it is worth the usual dramatics of people swearing off the franchise or declaring it dead for the 10th time since Disney bought the IP.

 

[Hasbro]

The plot minutiae doesn't bother me that much. When a story is really good, you tend to not notice that stuff.

My issues with the show are how it's been conceptualized. It's ugly to look at. The sets feel confined and unimaginative. It feels small. There's no sense of grandeur or escapism. None of the characters are visually interesting. The locations aren't memorable.

Mae is basically a Ninja and feels out of place in the SW universe. I don't believe her character at all as "Jedi killer". Her temperament doesn't help either.

With Lucas' shameless cribbing from Kurosawa, I'm amazed it took this long. Since they are Samurai, Ronin stand in certainly have been in since the beginning (Obi Wan).

 

[Sad People]

I've blocked or muted so many people since this show came out lol

And I think the show is just mostly fine so far. It's not great, but it's not awful either. It's also not finished. I'd like to see how the whole season plays out. Nothing in it is worth the usual dramatics of people swearing off the franchise or declaring it dead for the 10th time since Disney bought the IP.

Its the same stuff weve been getting with every other show Disney SW has put out except for Mando S1, S2 and Tales of the jedi, its a mediocre show at best. But nothing to get outraged over.

 

[Stylizer1]

The plot minutiae doesn't bother me that much. When a story is really good, you tend to not notice that stuff.

My issues with the show are how it's been conceptualized. It's ugly to look at. The sets feel confined and unimaginative. It feels small. There's no sense of grandeur or escapism. None of the characters are visually interesting. The locations aren't memorable.

Mae is basically a Ninja and feels out of place in the SW universe. I don't believe her character at all as "Jedi killer". Her temperament doesn't help either.

This whole fire thing that triggered Mae and Osha's trauma better live up to its billing when we find out more about it. Personally I find it somewhat uninteresting.

The more we delve into the Jedi and the force the less mystique it all has. Some things are better left to myth.

Like, since when can a knife kill a Jedi? Makes Jedi's look weak.

 

[Hivemind]

Like, since when can a knife kill a Jedi? Makes Jedi's look weak.

Why would a Jedi be immune to knives? A knife to the heart will kill just about any human, and that was still a human Jedi.

I'm not a particularly big fan of this show so far, but the whole "omg, a knife killed a Jedi!" bit is just stupid.

 

[Stylizer1]

So I will preface this by saying I haven’t watched anything Star Wars related in. While, not for any reason other than life happens.

And I will also say I keep a fairly liberal friend group as I am also liberal.

Is this show as bad as everyone is saying it is? I liked the trailer and was gonna binge it upon completion but my friends from all walks of life absolutely hate it

all of these shows have lessened the grandeur of what Star Wars used to have. I feel used.

Why would a Jedi be immune to knives? A knife to the heart will kill just about any human, and that was still a human Jedi.

I'm not a particularly big fan of this show so far, but the whole "omg, a knife killed a Jedi!" bit is just stupid.

For such a skilled fighter to be killed like that lessens the mystic of being a jedi.

 

[Hivemind]

For such a skilled fighter to be killed like that lessens the mystic of being a jedi.

Yeah, that "mystic" wore off a long ass time ago.

 

[Stylizer1]

Yeah, that "mystic" wore off a long ass time ago.

I forgot about blaster knives. dam

Episode 3 is just greeeeeat.

Lesbians and witches.

This is so corny.

 

[MadDevil]

Okay, so so far we've got fires can't happen in space, a knife to the heart shouldn't kill a Jedi, and lesbian witches shouldn't be allowed to mess with magic to create life. Am I missing anything?

 

[The Shadow]

Star Wars is dead