Star Wars: The Acolyte official trailer

[Darth Credence]

New trailer on youtube here.

Set in the High Republic, long before the movies, if I have it right. Looks interesting to me, although I wasn't completely sold on the trailer (I'll watch it regardless, but if I wasn't a Star Wars fan I don't know that this would have been enough). Looks like we might get a number of unarmed Jedi fights, which would be cool, and perhaps an exploration of the light side and dark side.

[Errorname]

I am a difficult sell for modern Star Wars. Probably will not be checking this out unless initial impressions are Andor-level positive.

[Palanan]

I dropped Disney+ at the end of last year, and this doesn’t make me regret it.

Very “eh” overall, and a rather obvious subtext which I really don’t need in my Star Wars. Wake me if we ever get Andor Season 2.

[Peelee]

Wake me if we ever get Andor Season 2.

"If"? They wrapped filming last month. It's, like, the one thing they've announced that i don't expect to be cancelled. I'm not even that sure about the Acolyte, and they've even dropped the trailer for that now.

[Sapphire Guard]

I... don't have any strong feelings about this. I'm vaguely dubious that they might be going for 'complain about the Jedi' yet again.

[Dargaron]

One thing I've always wondered about a Jedi vs. a single non-force user is: since Jedi can lift arbitrarily heavy objects with The Force, can shove one or multiple human-sized opponents with The Force, and Sith can lift an opponent while choking them...

Shouldn't any close-quarters fight or pursuit between a Jedi and a single opponent end almost immediately with said opponent telekinetically suspended in the air with nothing to push off of?

[Zevox]

I... don't have any strong feelings about this.

Yeah, that's where I'm at. Somehow it feels like the only things that trailer communicated are "set in the Old/High Republic" and "someone is killing Jedi." Neither of which are really anything new or exciting, so, meh. My interest level in this is currently lower than any other Star Wars streaming show, and considering the only one I actually watched is Ahsoka (and it was disappointing)...

[Peelee]

My interest level in this is currently lower than any other Star Wars streaming show, and considering the only one I actually watched is Ahsoka (and it was dissappointing)...

Ya know, I've heard good things about Andor...

[Zevox]

Ya know, I've heard good things about Andor...

So have I (as well as the Mandalorian) - just nothing that would make me choose to watch it over the other things I normally do with my free time.

It's generally pretty hard to get me to watch a streaming show, really. Ahsoka only managed because it had Thrawn, who is not just my favorite Star Wars villain, but one of my favorite villains in any media. Yet after how Ahsoka went if/when a season 2 of that occurs even Thrawn won't bring me back automatically anymore.

[Errorname]

It's generally pretty hard to get me to watch a streaming show, really. Ahsoka only managed because it had Thrawn, who is not just my favorite Star Wars villain, but one of my favorite villains in any media. Yet after how Ahsoka went if/when a season 2 of that occurs even Thrawn won't bring me back automatically anymore.

Andor's ISB characters honestly feel more like something out of the Thrawn books than the man himself does in Ahsoka

[Peelee]

So have I (as well as the Mandalorian) - just nothing that would make me choose to watch it over the other things I normally do with my free time.

It's generally pretty hard to get me to watch a streaming show, really. Ahsoka only managed because it had Thrawn, who is not just my favorite Star Wars villain, but one of my favorite villains in any media. Yet after how Ahsoka went if/when a season 2 of that occurs even Thrawn won't bring me back automatically anymore.

Like, I'm legit sad not that the one streaming SW show you checked out wasn't Andor (imean, i am sad about that), but that the one that got you was Ahsoka. At least Book of Boba Fett had the ambition to try to be interesting.

For reals, though, i cannot recommend Andor highly enough. It's that rare gem where you can go in with minimal to zero SW knowledge and still be fully immersed, but things are still better if the more you have.

When I first saw the white uniforms and the words "Imperial Security Bureau" appeared onscreen, i got SO incredibly excited, because the way the show had been going so far I felt confident they would do the ISB right. And did they ever! It's a magnificent portrayal of cloak-and-dagger competence and behind-the-scenes power that an intelligence agency with enforcement powers in a fascist environment that the ISB was always meant to be portrayed as, even if sometimes the execution slipped. The ISB in Andor is terrifying.

[warty goblin]

I watched the trailer and realized something. I have attained a state of Star Wars related tranquility. Oh look, they made some more Star Wars. This is simply another sense-object in my perception, and I have transcended the period when that would command any particular feeling. I'm not excited, or angry, or bored, or disappointed, it's just a thing that exists. At last, I have released my attachment to Star Wars, and have freed myself from all lightsaber related suffering.

This is truly a joyful state.

[ArmyOfOptimists]

Pretty much the same reaction here.

They've flanderized the Jedi and Sith so much that the most recognizable part of Star Wars is now also the least interesting. One side is going to be a bunch of actors doing their best Alec Guinness impressions while spouting flaccid proverbs; the other side is going to be a bunch of angry babies. The fight choreographer will put everything they can into their work, but it'll still fall flat because it's impossible to care about these stock characters.

I hope I'm totally wrong. I'm really not living up to my namesake here.

[oudeis]

Before I comment on this, I'd like to talk more about my feelings on the Fallout trailer (turnabout is fair play, right? )


As someone who falls mostly on the devil side of the Disney/Marvel/Star Wars/KK fan schism, I have to say I'm surprised how good this looks. I've followed the negative fan coverage- or propaganda, to call it what it was- of this since it was announced and I was resigned to/hoping for another dumpster fire, but if there is substance to back up the style we saw this could be pretty good. Of course, it's important to keep in mind that Disney is the master(s) at making trailers that utterly oversell the actual content, and this is produced by the same management responsible for the caravan of flaming ****wagons Disney has unleashed on fans for the past several years. They all deserve to be hurled kicking and screaming into the devouring abyss of Obscurity, but I'd be willing to forego vengeance in exchange for some quality Star Wars material.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by oudeis
...but I'd be willing to forego vengeance in exchange for some quality Star Wars material.

Wouldn't we all, but the words "quality Star Wars material" just don't seem to fit together these days.

It's not only the trailers that spark unjustified hope, but the backdoor pilots. Looking at Ahsoka here. Her guest episode in Mandalorian was lightyears better than the entirety of her own series, and the latter was a major reason I dropped D+. (Echo sealed the deal, flaming Bantha pudu that it was.)

So yet another round of supposedly wise and precognitive Jedi being caught flatfooted by the mysterious Sith just holds no appeal. The Halo series may be bland as unsalted popcorn, but it's entertaining and fun. Between the sledgehammer social messaging and the all-too-likely retread scenario, this just looks like a draggy chore.

[Mechalich]

Wouldn't we all, but the words "quality Star Wars material" just don't seem to fit together these days.

That's overly harsh, but I'll give you 'quality Star Wars TV' (though even that might have to be trimmed to 'live-action' since people say the Bad Batch is good, even if no one seems to care).

So yet another round of supposedly wise and precognitive Jedi being caught flatfooted by the mysterious Sith just holds no appeal. The Halo series may be bland as unsalted popcorn, but it's entertaining and fun. Between the sledgehammer social messaging and the all-too-likely retread scenario, this just looks like a draggy chore.

In my experience, Star Wars works best when the authors operate with the KISS (Keep it simple stupid) principle in the front of their mind. The franchise is deliberately universalized and designed to operate in a realm of archetype. While it can do complex plots - KOTOR, for example, is based around a truly Rube Goldbergian quest line - it doesn't do complex themes. Andor is a good example. Its plot is complex, what with the whole prison arc stuffed in the middle and multiple only loosely intersecting storylines, but it's thematically very simple: the galaxy is run by space fascists and they must be stopped - insert Optimus Prime voice - 'No matter the cost.'

Book of Boba Fett and Mandalorian Season 3 both suffered immensely from being thematically muddled. There was a huge 'what are we even doing here?' issue with both shows that The Acolyte looks likely to repeat - the Jedi cannot win, and we know that going in, so unless the story is a straightforward tale of failure, which is unlikely since that's not suited to a Disney+ audience, it's going to be a muddled mess. Ahsoka was something of an exception. Its problem was even more basic: the writing was just terrible, full stop.

[dancrilis]

That's overly harsh, but I'll give you 'quality Star Wars TV' (though even that might have to be trimmed to 'live-action' since people say the Bad Batch is good, even if no one seems to care).

Will confirm - personal opinion The Bad Batch is a good show (and seems to improve with the seasons).

[Tyndmyr]

I am a difficult sell for modern Star Wars. Probably will not be checking this out unless initial impressions are Andor-level positive.

This. I have not seen it yet, and have dropped Disney+, so not really paying much attention. It'd need to look absolutely incredible to inspire any caring.

So far the news blurbs I have seen look remarkably generic. "This will change everything you know about the Jedi and Sith" or some such. That's literally corporate speak at this point that gets used as curiosity bait for pretty much everything. It doesn't actually indicate anything particularly unique or good, just another trip back to the same ol' well in hopes of more money.

So...meh, I guess.

I watched the trailer and realized something. I have attained a state of Star Wars related tranquility. Oh look, they made some more Star Wars. This is simply another sense-object in my perception, and I have transcended the period when that would command any particular feeling. I'm not excited, or angry, or bored, or disappointed, it's just a thing that exists. At last, I have released my attachment to Star Wars, and have freed myself from all lightsaber related suffering.

This is truly a joyful state.

Indeed. Hate watching is still hate, and hate leads to, I dunno, something unpleasant. Apathy is where true freedom lies.

The second half of Invincible S2 started up again. It's not bad if you're into that. Sticking pretty close to the comics.

[warty goblin]

Indeed. Hate watching is still hate, and hate leads to, I dunno, something unpleasant. Apathy is where true freedom lies.

The second half of Invincible S2 started up again. It's not bad if you're into that. Sticking pretty close to the comics.

Hate watching is still also watching. Why would I waste my valuable time and emotional energy on something I hate? Why would I reward the people who made it with money and success? Because in the only metric that matters to a company (number go up) a hate watch is worth exactly as much as a love watch.

Don't get me wrong, there are absolutely things I hate that are worth paying attention to. The used up shell of a once pretty decent sci-fi franchise ain't one of them, not least because it isn't worth hating.

[Peelee]

So far the news blurbs I have seen look remarkably generic. "This will change everything you know about the Jedi and Sith" or some such.

Spoiler: Acolyte spoilers

Show

This will not change anything you know about the Jedi and Sith.

The second half of Invincible S2 started up again. It's not bad if you're into that. Sticking pretty close to the comics.

Now that is good to know, because I am indeed into that!

[Errorname]

So far the news blurbs I have seen look remarkably generic. "This will change everything you know about the Jedi and Sith" or some such. That's literally corporate speak at this point that gets used as curiosity bait for pretty much everything. It doesn't actually indicate anything particularly unique or good, just another trip back to the same ol' well in hopes of more money.

I would be surprised if it changed anything I know about the Jedi or the Sith, honestly.

[Peelee]

I would be surprised if it changed anything I know about the Jedi or the Sith, honestly.

Great minds think alike.

[warty goblin]

The Jedi and the Sith don't like each other because Darth Devon didn't get invited to Master Sam's birthday party, even though it was a pool party and they'd been friends since the fourth grade and they have a lot of feelings about it OK? and urrrgh it's so stupid they just want to blow up a planet or conquer the galaxy or spend all day in their room listening to Linkin Park. But since the Galaxy doesn't have Linkin Park, galactic conquest is the only emotionally viable option.

There. The secret's out. Billions of lives could have been saved over thousands of years if the Galaxy only had some decent screamo. Instead all we have is some lame cantina band, like, hello, who's gonna listen to that? And here we are.

Admit it. You learned something new about the Jedi and the Sith today.

[Peelee]

The Jedi and the Sith don't like each other because Darth Devon didn't get invited to Master Sam's birthday party, even though it was a pool party and they'd been friends since the fourth grade and they have a lot of feelings about it OK? and urrrgh it's so stupid they just want to blow up a planet or conquer the galaxy or spend all day in their room listening to Linkin Park. But since the Galaxy doesn't have Linkin Park, galactic conquest is the only emotionally viable option.

There. The secret's out. Billions of lives could have been saved over thousands of years if the Galaxy only had some decent screamo. Instead all we have is some lame cantina band, like, hello, who's gonna listen to that? And here we are.

Admit it. You learned something new about the Jedi and the Sith today.

That changed everything I knew about them.

[Sapphire Guard]

I don't think they're allowed to make major changes even if they wanted to. Even the 'close your eyes, dcon't trust them lesson is just lifted clean from a new hope. Jedi training lasts years, they have more than one exercise. See also: Ahsoka

It looks vaguely like they're going for 'the meanie Jedi are oppressing us, by not letting us use our powers', but why would any rogue force users care what they're allowed to do?

[ArmyOfOptimists]

I don't think they're allowed to make major changes even if they wanted to. Even the 'close your eyes, dcon't trust them lesson is just lifted clean from a new hope. Jedi training lasts years, they have more than one exercise. See also: Ahsoka

It looks vaguely like they're going for 'the meanie Jedi are oppressing us, by not letting us use our powers', but why would any rogue force users care what they're allowed to do?

I didn't even catch that second read. Ye gods, I can't think of a time they've depicted a Jedi Order as functional. Do we really need another story about a broken, ineffective one?

[Errorname]

I didn't even catch that second read. Ye gods, I can't think of a time they've depicted a Jedi Order as functional. Do we really need another story about a broken, ineffective one?

Do we need a story about a functional Jedi Order? The Order as fundamentally broken gets played a lot because it makes sense, both as a logical worldbuilding consequence of the Jedi's tenets and because it creates a lot more narrative friction

[Infernally Clay]

I didn't even catch that second read. Ye gods, I can't think of a time they've depicted a Jedi Order as functional. Do we really need another story about a broken, ineffective one?

I think the point is that the Jedi Order has never been functional. Obi-Wan romanticised the Jedi Order because it’s what he believed in and he was blind to its many faults, but the Jedi seem to do their best work when they’re operating outside the Jedi Order’s chain of command. Maybe that’s just what the Jedi are s’posed to be, not an Order but a calling.

That’s actually something the sequel trilogy had a great opportunity to explore but ultimately failed to - the idea that you don’t have to learn from a Jedi how to be a Jedi. That Luke didn’t need ancient texts telling him how to Jedi and that Rey didn’t need to learn from Luke how to be a Jedi either. That should have been Luke’s final lesson, the one he learned too late. That becoming a Jedi has nothing to do with traditions or teachers but finding your own path and having the strength to walk it.

[Peelee]

Do we need a story about a functional Jedi Order? The Order as fundamentally broken gets played a lot because it makes sense, both as a logical worldbuilding consequence of the Jedi's tenets and because it creates a lot more narrative friction

I think the point is that the Jedi Order has never been functional.

An organization that has never been functional and is fundamentally broken, yet somehow lasts thousands and thousands of years, does not seem to make any logical sense to me.

Then again, i don't think any of the explorations of the Jedi in the vast majority of prequel stories, both Legends and Canon, have been particularly good, so maybe that's a me issue.

[Errorname]

An organization that has never been functional and is fundamentally broken, yet somehow lasts thousands and thousands of years, does not seem to make any logical sense to me.

An institution being able to perpetuate itself is not necessarily a sign of it being good for people or the world at large. I'd also say that yes, the grand scale of the Star Wars timeline does not make logical sense.