The Newest Star Wars Show Features A Jedi Killer Mystery And TONS Of Lightsabers In The First Trailer

What a first trailer for 'The Acolyte' - the newest Star Wars series from Lucasfilm, premiering on Disney+ with two episodes on June 4th! We've got some weird ass alien kids, heavy martial arts/samurai influenced Jedi fighting, Padawans sensing a darkness rising, an unraveling mystery involving a Jedi serial killer, TONS of lightsabers; and arguably the most intriguing part? We're entering a never-before-seen era of the Star Wars saga in this show.

That's right: 'The Acolyte' takes place about a hundred years prior to the events of 'The Phantom Menace' - at the tail end of the 'High Republic' era recently introduced by Lucasfilm - when the Jedi are THRIVING and the Sith are all but legends and folklore. 

We know next-to-nothing about this time period, beyond this synopsis of 'The Acolyte' from StarWars.com….

In The Acolyte, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….

Sounds like we might be dealing with a former Padawan-turned-Sith story featuring Jedi detectives - and that sounds fucking awesome. 

Honestly, though, I'm just relieved they're finally branching out with the timeline. Don't get me wrong - I've loved a lot of the post-ROTJ/pre-ANH content that has been put out over the past few years, but it's absolutely insane how long it has taken Disney to produce something live action - ANYTHING live action - in the prequel-era or before. For as much shit as the movies get, a lot of the people who grew up with them have a huge fondness towards the whole look/aesthetic of the time. Look at how much love the little prequel flashbacks in 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' and 'Ahsoka' got!

Oh, and speaking of the prequels - there's still rumors that we may get a featurette or additional trailer for 'The Acolyte' attached to the 'Phantom Menace' re-release in May, exactly one month before the series premieres. It would certainly be a smart move on Lucasfilm's part if this is true, because you know all the diehard nerds (like myself) would gladly pay for a $20 movie ticket to see a movie we've already seen with a 30-second teaser/post-credits scene attached. We'll see though.

Check out my instant reaction to watching the trailer for the first time below….