Star Wars: The Acolyte Will Bring a Record-Breaking Number of Diverse Jedi To Screens

The Star Wars franchise has been pumping out a number of new Disney+ TV shows in recent years, and while that seems to be something that will not necessarily be happening in future there are still a few new shows airing in the coming months including The Acolyte.

The new addition to the Star Wars universe is set at the end of the High Republic, taking place at a time in the franchise when the Jedi are still a force to be reckoned with. As you would expect, this means that they will not be in short supply in the series and will be seen in record numbers. As showrunner Leslye Headland told Dagobah Dispatch:

“I would say that The Acolyte stands out because it is the earliest in the Star Wars timeline than we have ever been in live-action. We are towards the end of the High Republic, leading into the prequels, George [Lucas]’s prequels. So we are looking at a time period where the Jedi are at the height of their power, we’re looking at a time period where there is peace throughout the galaxy, and it was very challenging and interesting to make a Star Wars with no war in it.

Though, the question became, ‘Well, what should the show be about if it’s not going to be about galactic conflict?’ And I think that what makes this show different and interesting is that it’s from the perspective of the bad guys or the villains of Star Wars. These are people who are using the Force in their own way, dipping into the darker side of the Force, and are doing it without being sanctioned by the larger institution, which in this case is the Jedi. And I think that Star Wars is always about some version of the underdog vs. the institution.”

The new series will also continue to expand on the diversity of the Star Wars franchise, with Manny Jacinto being just one of the new recruits to the much broader Jedi characters that have been seen in the franchise in the past.

Related: The Acolyte’s Amandla Stenberg on Joining Star Wars’ Most Diverse Project: ‘For Black Nerds, It’s My Dream Come True’

Are There Too Many Star Wars TV Shows?

The arrival of Disney+ saw Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios both go into overdrive with a host of new shows based in the Star Wars Universe and MCU respectively. However, Disney CEO Bob Iger has recently suggested that there are some big cuts coming to the output of both studios in relation to their Disney+ output, which he suggested has “diluted” the franchises.

The question of whether there are too many Star Wars shows is one that has constantly been asked in the last few years, particularly with many movies plans for the franchise falling apart. Now the focus seems to be shifting on getting Star Wars back into cinemas, although that is not going to be for a few years at least, with three new movies in the works.

In the meantime, Ahsoka arrives on Disney+ next month and will be followed at some point by The Acolyte, Skeleton Crew, more from The Mandalorian and a few animated projects to boot. This means that there is still plenty in the pipeline to bridge the gap to the first of those new movies, but beyond that it looks like there is going to be much less coming from the galaxy far, far away in the not too distant future.