Leslye Headland, co-creator of the Netflix series Russian Doll and the showrunner for the upcoming Disney Plus series Star Wars: The Acolyte, recently sat down to discuss the mysterious Lucasfilm show. In the interview, Headland talks about being the first queer woman to be to run a Star Wars series and the need for diverse writers who have varying degrees of Star Wars knowledge. She also talks about how she was inspired by the first film of George Lucas' infamous prequel trilogy, Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace.
While Lucasfilm and Headland have been predictably tight-lipped about The Acolyte, we know that the series is set during the final days of what's known as the High Republic Era, about 200-years before the events of Phantom Menace. There's currently a large publishing effort from Lucasfilm featuring novels and comics that focus on this era. To summarize, The High Republic is a time of peace and prosperity in the galaxy and is essentially the golden age of the Jedi Order. By the time of the prequels, the Jedi have basically lost their way, becoming steeped in bureaucracy and dogmatic traditions, overconfident in their position in the galaxy. Some fans didn't really get what Lucas was going for at the time and felt the Jedi were boring and lame instead of the great noble warriors they're often lauded as in the original trilogy. However, Headland seems to have understood what Lucas was going for, and like any Star Wars fan, she was deeply intrigued by the original creators' decision to start the saga where he did.
Regarding The Phantom Menace, Headland said during an interview with The Wrap that while she is aware of the disappointment many fans of the original Star Wars trilogy felt towards Episode I, she was always intrigued by why Lucas chose that era to begin his prequel story. "I kind of wondered, but what happened to lead up to this? That’s kind of where my ‘Star Wars’ fan brain went was like, ‘How did we get here?’ And why are the Jedi like this? When they are in power, why are they acting this way and how is it that they’re not having the reaction that you would think they would to Anakin’s presence and what Qui-Gon Jinn is saying about how passionately he feels about training him and bringing him into the fold," she said. "It’s like, even the discovery of Darth Maul is kind of met with this like, ‘Hm, interesting’ kind of feeling. So I just think for me, my brain has always buzzed around that area and wondered what’s going on here — or what has been going on here.”
This is some pretty interesting insight into Lucas' divisive film. When The Phantom Menace came out in 1999, some fans of the original trilogy were less than thrilled with Lucas' new take on the galaxy far, far away. Fans who had grown up with the original trilogy and were now adults felt that the new film just didn't give them the same magical feeling as the first Star Wars films and that Lucas had gone too far with his creation.
However, many fans who were a bit younger at the time now have fond memories of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, having grown up with them much like the original trilogy fans did with the old films. Headland seems like one of these fans, someone who first saw The Phantom Menace at a very formative time in her life.
The Acolyte is certainly the most mysterious of the many upcoming live-action Star Wars series. We don't really know who's going to be in it, or what the actual focus of the show will be, just that it takes place at the end of the High Republic era. Based on this interview, it seems like we might get some insight into the downfall of the Jedi Order and how they lost their way. Regardless, Headland's passion and knowledge of Star Wars should give fans some faith in the mysterious upcoming series.
Star Wars: The Acolyte does not currently have a release date but is expected to premiere on Disney Plus sometime in 2022 to 2023.
Source: TheWrap