If you are already a Star Wars fan, you know what The Acolyte is all about. And odds are, if you are reading this you happen to be a Star Wars fan. But, on the off chance there are a few of you out there who have not yet gone to a galaxy far, far away, this review is for you. For those of you who are hardcore Star Wars fans, I’ll be doing spoiler heavy reviews for each episode once the series is complete.

There are too many entry points to Star Wars to name. You can obviously watch the movies. There are so many Star Wars books and comics it’s hard to keep track of them. And, of course, there are video games and role playing games galore that could give you a taste of Star Wars. If you happen to have Disney+, there are also a bunch of TV shows you can choose from. If you’ve never watched any of these, it can be really confusing to know where to start.

The Acolyte is a Disney+ Star Wars show that takes place about a hundred years before the events of the earliest Star Wars film, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. While the films center around the Skywalker Saga, The Acolyte has none of the baggage of those films.

You do not need to be a Star Wars expert to enjoy the show. There aren’t going to be characters you have generally heard of, or seen clips of, appearing here.

Instead, this show focuses on a group of galactic peacekeepers known as Jedi. They are what you might consider to be a space faring police force, combined with a diplomatic delegation, trying to keep peace in the galaxy. They also have access to the Force, a power that allows them to do things that seem magical, like move objects without touching them, or getting someone to do something they wouldn’t normally do.

The galaxy depends on these people to uphold justice and fairness. However, there are some folks who oppose the Jedi. I won’t go too deeply into who they are in this post because that may give too much away. Suffice it to say, there are people who may have been wronged, or who simply have hate at their core and seek revenge on the Jedi.

This series starts with a fight between a Jedi and someone trained in the Jedi arts who seems to have a grudge against the Jedi.

This event leads to a mystery which begins to unfold in the first episode. There are definitely some surprises here, even for longtime Star Wars fans and there is a lot of fast paced action. While Star Wars can sometimes get deeply emotional, so far this series seems like it does keep more of the focus on the action. This could change in further episodes but the first one decided to deliver on the promise of intense fighting and cool visuals. There are a plethora of creatures, spaceships, and special effects to keep up the stunning visuals.

This first episode basically gets our premise rolling, sets up a bit of a mystery, delivers some action, and establishes all of the important characters. It mostly centers on a former Jedi named Osha, played by Amandla Stenberg and her former teacher/current Jedi Master Sol played by Lee Jung-Jae.

The first scene showcases some of the promise of the incredible action to come. And the end of the episode leaves the audience wanting more.

The acting is solid here and so far hasn’t devolved into some of the most melodramatic moments the films suffer from. The cast and the director clearly know what they are doing and have a solid direction for the series but it remains to be seen how well it all comes together.

While there are some characters here that serious Star Wars fans will recognize from printed material, in this show it’s hard to speculate on what may happen. Unlike prequels, there aren’t any characters we know have to survive. This makes for a more interesting watch than some of the other shows.

As with any Star Wars show or movie, the most memorable part is the incredible soundtrack and this show fully delivers there.

The production quality is top notch and this feels more like watching a film than a television show.

If you’ve never dipped your toes in the water of Star Wars, this is a great series to begin with. It feels very much like some of the most iconic things in Star Wars. It has not yet reached the level of greatness some of the shows and movies do but it’s not off to a bad start. I do recommend the show to both longtime fans and newcomers, at least so far.

Have you watched the first episode? If so, let me know what you thought of it in the comments! Just remember to keep it spoiler free!

May the Force be with you!