New information has revealed a key Prequels scene that was cut from The Acolyte at the last minute. Leslye Headland’s High Republic set Disney+ series originally ran from June to July 2024, telling the tale of a pair of Force-sensitive twins and a Jedi cover-up to conceal their mysterious origins. Although the show has been confirmed not to continue (following its cancellation shortly after Season 1), fans have been able to stay connected to the title through various tie-in books.
One of these books is set to hit store shelves this February in the form of The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte by Kristin Baver. The new book, scheduled for release on February 3, 2026, will provide fans with a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the series, featuring new interviews with key creatives and never-before-seen artwork from the show’s production…
Divisive Star Wars show won’t get a second season.
WhatCulture Star Wars is dedicated to all things Star Wars. We’ll have all the usual lists, features, and news, plus there’ll be Ups & Downs for all the latest shows and new Star Wars movies. The force is with us!
Well, according to Deadline anyway! (Variety is now reporting this, obviously referencing the Deadline article):
The story of The Acolyte will not continue, with Lucasfilm opting not to proceed with a second season of the Star Wars offshoot starring Amandla Stenberg, sources tell Deadline.
Word of the decision comes more than a month after the eight-episode first season of the series from creator, director, executive producer and showrunner Leslye Headland wrapped its run on Disney+.
The news is not entirely surprising. The Acolyte did OK with critics, with 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, but divided Star Wars fans, which was reflected in its overall viewership….
The cast of The Acolyte remember back to their time on set and what they might have taken home. Watch the full season of The Acolyte, streaming exclusively on Disney+.
The cast of The Acolyte talk about the hard-work, dedication, and inspirations that created the stunts. Watch the full season of The Acolyte, streaming exclusively on Disney+.
Director Kyle Newman (Fanboys) returns to RFR with his full review of THE ACOLYTE. Using his insights as a filmmaker, along with his passion as a lifelong STAR WARS fan, Kyle offers analysis of the series through a critical and professional lens. SKELETON CREW is the next STAR WARS streaming series coming this December. We analyze new images and review fresh info about the upcoming show, including character names and more. A new droid “sex symbol” is emerging via the long-awaited video game STAR WARS OUTLAWS. Is it outrageous and unthinkable? Plus, bleeding lightsaber crystals and more!
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Official YouTube Video Home for Rebel Force Radio: Star Wars Podcast
The Rebel Force Radio ACOLYTE After Show returns for an in-depth look at the season finale, episode 8—”The Acolyte.” This series has certainly left its mark on STAR WARS fandom, so join us as we take the time to process and analyze the story in its entirety including The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, along with listener “superchats” and live calls to fuel the conversation.
The Acolyte is over and a lot of the same questions pop up over the course of the season. So today I’m going to answer the most frequently asked questions I saw over and over again.
0:00 Intro
0:12 What is an Acolyte?
0:57 What about the Nihil?
2:02 What is the High Republic?
2:41 How can there be fire in space?
3:37 What is the Barash Vow?
4:23 Are witches new to Star Wars?
5:06 Do the twins make Anakin less special?
6:14 Why does Indara have a second tattoo?
6:43 What’s going on with Ki-Adi-Mundi?
7:47 Why does Vernestra hide everything from the High Council?
8:40 What is Bazil?
8:59 Why do so many Sith have masks?
9:58 What is cortosis?
10:53 Is that unknown planet Ahch-To?
11:20 Why doesn’t Qimir have yellow eyes?
11:53 Why does Jedi training fade, but Sith training doesn’t?
12:28 Why doesn’t Vernestra like hyperspace?
12:59 How does Vernestra have a lightwhip?
13:28 How does the Stranger hear in his helmet?
13:51 What was the hyperspace disaster?
14:19 What and where is the vergence on Brendok?
14:55 Did Indara actually speak with the Council?
15:37 What is a symbiont?
15:58 How did the fire spread in the fortress?
16:36 What power was Mother Aniseya using?
16:59 Is Kelnacca a madclaw?
17:27 Did all the witches actually die?
17:58 Is Mother Koril dead?
18:23 Why didn’t Sol use the Force to save both twins?
19:38 Why did Bazil sabotage Sol’s ship?
19:56 Was that Darth Plagueis?
20:14 How did Osha change the color of Sol’s lightsaber?
20:47 What should you read now that The Acolyte is over?
Now that the first season of The Acolyte is over, I wanted to take a step back and look at the entire story. What worked for me, what didn’t, and what I hope to see in the series’ possible future.
Creator Leslye Headland and the series cast, including Lee Jung-jae and Rebecca Henderson, take us inside the minds of the High Republic Jedi.
By Kristin Baver
When Leslye Headland set out to tell the story of The Acolyte, she wasn’t intending to make the Jedi antagonists in the story of Osha and Mae Aniseya. “My goal was to see Jedi as human beings, or as aliens with the emotions we ascribe to humans,” Headland tells StarWars.com. “I wanted to make them a little bit more fallible.”
With episode 8 now on Disney+, The Acolyte’s complete first season tells the story of a mysterious assassin plaguing the Jedi Order, the rise of the Stranger, and a dark secret haunting several characters over the course of 16 years. It’s a gripping exploration of the gray area between light and dark, good and evil. In the golden age of the Jedi, even these storied knights can falter, letting their fears dictate their actions.
“One aspect that I was very interested in exploring in the show was, depending on the way you look at it, anyone can be the bad guy,” Headland says. “And depending on the way you look at it, anyone can be the good guy. Nobody wakes up in the morning and thinks they’re the villain. Everybody is doing what they think is either best for them or what’s expected of them or trying to fit themselves in a particular paradigm or ideal that is important to the institution, family, or place in the world that they find themselves in.” Borrowing a quote from Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith), Headland adds, “it’s really not about good or bad, it’s about power and who’s allowed to use it.”
By the time the credits roll, many Jedi have met a tragic end, and Master Vernestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson) is preparing for an important meeting with Yoda himself. The moment only raises more questions — this time about what exactly Master Rwoh is prepared to disclose to the esteemed elder of the Jedi Council….
In the season finale episode of The Acolyte, Osha and Mae reunite where it all began amid one final showdown between Master Sol and the Stranger.
By Kristin Baver
Everything we’ve witnessed so far has been leading to this moment.
All paths converge on the world of Brendok once more, but this week we find the burned-out husk of the witches’ fortress overgrown and all-but forgotten in the 16 years since that fateful night. Haunted by the tragedies that transpired here, Mae (Amandla Stenberg) and Sol (Lee Jung-jae) arrive in the hopes of some kind of redemption, while Osha (Amandla Stenberg) and the Stranger (Manny Jacinto) race to meet them to alter a future always in motion….
It’s not the After Show, but it’s our first thoughts and immediate reaction to seeing the season finale of THE ACOLYTE. Did the finale satisfy? Were all the main issues raised throughout the season wrapped up? And what does the future have in store, if any, for THE ACOLYTE? F.J. DeSanto joins us for a “first blush” review and reactions.
#starwars #theacolyte #review #rebleforceradio
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Official YouTube Video Home for Rebel Force Radio: Star Wars Podcast
Last week I got to be part of a roundtable zoom call with The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland. We asked her some questions about the seventh episode of the season as well as tomorrow’s finale.
Decisions shape destinies in this week’s episode of THE ACOLYTE. The curtain finally gets pulled back on the mysteries of what really happened on Brendok sixteen years ago. Join us for the RFR After Show livestream as we delve into the penultimate episode for this season, “Choice”, along with your thoughts, theories, and reactions!
In the latest episode of The Acolyte, we return to Brendok to see the events from episode 3 from a new perspective — through the eyes of the Jedi.
By Kristin Baver
It would seem that what we saw in the third episode of The Acolyte was true…from a certain point of view.
This week, the penultimate episode of The Acolyte pays homage to the Akira Kurosawa classic Rashomon, returning to Brendok and the past to reexamine the events of the twin’s separation from the perspective of the four central Jedi: Jedi Knight Sol (Lee Jung-jae), Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss), her Padawan Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman), and Master Kelnacca (Joonas Suotamo). As we rejoin Mother Aniseya’s (Jodie Turner-Smith) coven, we gain new insights into how the Jedi perceive the witches and their ritual as well as their treatment of young Osha (Lauren Brady) and Mae (Leah Brady). An examination of the nature of truth and an interrogation of justice, the more we learn, the more questions remain….
Acclaimed composer Michael Abels talks about his inspirations behind the soundtrack for the latest Star Wars series.
By Kristin Baver
Mae prowling into the noodle shop on Ueda to duel — and best — Jedi Master Indara was a crucial moment for The Acolyte. As the cold open for the series, the moment sets the tone and expectations for the story to come. But composer Michael Abels was adamant that it wouldn’t be the first piece of music he composed for the project.
“I didn’t do it first because you kind of need to understand what’s going to happen before you take on an introduction to something so epic,” Abels tells StarWars.com. “I worked on that scene for a long, long time to get it just right.”
Instead, Abels — whose work, including compositions for Jordan Peele’s genre-defying films Get Out, Us, and Nope, has garnered him a Pulitzer Prize as well as Emmy and Grammy nominations — turned his attention to the coven on Brendok. Writing the Ascension incantation grounded his work for what was yet to come, a blend of international vocalists and languages that transcended Earth cultures to represent the witches at the heart of the tale. Throughout the series and the score, Abels continues to meld different perspectives and themes, revisiting a musical flourish here and there as the story shifts and our understanding of the truth evolves….
The stakes rise as teachings clash and corruption spreads as THE ACOLYTE ramps up towards it’s season finale with a very character-centric episode. Welcome to the RFR After Show as we get into the heads of Qimir and Master Sol during our breakdown of episode six, “Teach / Corrupt.” Hear what we think of this episode along with our analysis, plus listener Superchats and live call-ins featuring your thoughts, theories, and reactions!
In the aftermath of last week’s battle, Mae and Osha each get a fresh perspective.
By Kristin Baver
Two sisters, so alike yet so different.
In the latest episode of The Acolyte, we must confront the aftermath of the conflict on Khofar, and its implications of a looming darkness. And we’re not alone. Masquerading as her sister thanks to a quick lightsaber-assisted haircut, Mae (Amandla Stenberg) is once again aboard the Polan, this time traveling in the company of Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae). That leaves Osha (Amandla Stenberg) stranded on an unknown world in the company of a murderer who is tending to her wounds rather than snuffing her out…
The twins have swapped masters! Episode six of The Acolyte wasn’t as action packed as Night was, but it had some really great explorations into the Force, especially the dark side. Here is my review for Teach / Corrupt!
Darkness has fallen, and this week a dangerous creature is stalking the Jedi through the jungle.
By Kristin Baver
After what felt like an eternity, we return to the Khofar jungle in the aftermath of last week’s final frightening scene.
The Stranger is a creature unlike any we’ve encountered in the series so far. The twisted metal smile playing across the helmet that conceals the identity of Mae’s Master is like something out of a horror movie. Silent and deadly, this red bladed warrior prowls through the forest indiscriminately slaughtering anyone who gets in their way. The Jedi, guardians of peace and justice, have no choice but to overpower this villain. And caught on the edges of this climactic battle between the light and the dark, Mae (Amandla Stenberg) and Osha (Amandla Stenberg) are on the cusp of reuniting at last…if they can survive the night….
All gloves—and masks—are off as the poodoo hits the fan this week on THE ACOLYTE! It’s an episode that will surely have many fans talking, so join us on the RFR ACOLYTE After Show livestream, tonight beginning at 8 p.m. ET to share your thoughts, theories, likes, gripes and more.
The Jedi hunt down Mae while attempting to save the reclusive Kelnacca this week on THE ACOLYTE. Join us as we take a close look at the fourth episode of THE ACOLYTE, “Day” on the RFR After Show livestream, along with live calls featuring your thoughts, theories and opinions!
