THE ACOLYTE Showrunner Says Premiere's Classic STAR WARS Reference Was "Hard To Get In" - SPOILERS

THE ACOLYTE Showrunner Says Premiere's Classic STAR WARS Reference Was "Hard To Get In" - SPOILERS

The first episode of The Acolyte features a couple of oft-repeated Star Wars phrases, and showrunner Leslye Headland has now revealed that she had to fight to keep one of them in...

By MarkCassidy - Jun 05, 2024 12:06 PM EST
Filed Under: Star Wars
Source: Via SFF Gazette

The first two episodes of The Acolyte are now streaming on Disney+, and the series premiere includes a couple of call-backs to the original Star Wars trilogy that can't have slipped past too many fans of the Galaxy Far, Far Away.

Though these aren't exactly massive reveals, if you haven't watched yet and would rather know as little as possible, here's your spoiler warning.

The first nod to classic Star Wars was probably to be expected in a show focusing on Jedi, as we hear Master Vanestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson) say “May the Force be with you” to Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) as he departs on a mission. The second is also an oft-repeated Star Wars phrase, but some fans seem to think that it felt a little more... forced.

While waiting with a trap laid for Mae (Amandla Stenberg) on the planet Olega, Jedi Knight Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett) tells his allies that he has "a bad feeling about this” over his comlink.

First said by Luke Skywalker in A New Hope, this line was repeated by several other characters over the course of the entire saga - sometimes to pretty eye-rolling effect!

During an interview with EW, showrunner Leslye Headland reveals that she had to fight to keep the phrase in the show.

“That was hard to get that in. I'm going to be honest. I got a lot of feedback that I shouldn't put that in. But I just feel like when you get the opportunity to do Star Wars, you're just going to shoot your shot. And ‘I have a bad feeling about this’ is incredibly iconic.”

“It’s such an iconic line that I think there was some concern of, ‘Well, we don't want to just drop it in there and have everyone go, ‘Oh, I see.’ But I think we found a good way to justify it and make it feel natural and still be an homage,” she added.

How do you feel the line came across here? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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.

 The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.

Leslye Headland created the series, based on Star Wars by George Lucas, and serves as an executive producer along with Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King and Jason Micallef. Charmaine DeGraté and Kor Adana are the co-executive producers. Rayne Roberts, Damian Anderson, Eileen Shim and Rob Bredow are the producers.

Headland also directed the premiere episodes (Eps. 101 & 102). Directors Kogonada (Eps. 103 & 107), Alex Garcia Lopez (Eps. 104 & 105) and Hanelle Culpepper (Eps. 106 & 108) round out the directing duties on the series.

"I really wanted to tell a story about the Sith," showrunner Headland told EW in a recent interview. "That was kind of my dream Star Wars idea. But it felt like the time period to do that in would be something pre-Phantom Menace. That seemed to be the most interesting trajectory for the Sith: How did the Sith go from the Rule of Two and being quote-unquote 'extinct' to Palpatine coming into power without the Jedi knowing about it?"

Award-winning composer Michael Abels, known for his work on Get Out and Us, scored The Acolyte.

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TheGreenRanger
TheGreenRanger - 6/5/2024, 12:43 PM
Further proof that Disney hates their own product and fanbase.
thewanderer
thewanderer - 6/5/2024, 1:07 PM
@TheGreenRanger - by honoring the past of the franchise?
TheGreenRanger
TheGreenRanger - 6/5/2024, 1:29 PM
@thewanderer - because they were reluctant to include elements of the past in their new programs.
Gambito
Gambito - 6/5/2024, 3:01 PM
@TheGreenRanger - gotta cut them some slack considering their main criticism is recycling the old movies. If it was up to me they would be no ties to the other movies other than basic scenery
thewanderer
thewanderer - 6/5/2024, 3:14 PM
@TheGreenRanger - that is not what they said. They said they were reluctant in including it in a way that felt forced.
Toonstrack
Toonstrack - 6/6/2024, 12:53 AM
@TheGreenRanger - but she didn't say it was Disney who told her not to?
Matchesz
Matchesz - 6/5/2024, 12:44 PM
User Comment Image
Origame
Origame - 6/5/2024, 12:47 PM
...did they really count "may the force be with you", a common saying among jedi, as a reference?

This is like saying the winter soldier has a reference to the first avenger because cap has the same shield.
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 6/5/2024, 1:18 PM
@Origame - If by "they" you mean "Mark Cassidy," then the answer is yes.
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 6/5/2024, 12:48 PM
he is rigth they say that in the oritinal movie he is kan
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 6/5/2024, 12:48 PM
Great start, i hope the whole season will be.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 6/5/2024, 12:48 PM
These Acolyte comments sections are so wholesome.
TheFinestSmack
TheFinestSmack - 6/5/2024, 12:51 PM
@MarkCassidy - Which is exactly why this site has written so many articles about this show, right? RIGHT?!?
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 6/5/2024, 12:54 PM
@TheFinestSmack - Yes, we love deranged idiots 'round these parts.
AvalonX
AvalonX - 6/5/2024, 12:55 PM
@MarkCassidy - As if that isn't the intention... Come on now Mark.

Josh's review is so one sided, its inflammatory just by existing.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 6/5/2024, 1:01 PM
@AvalonX - Do you prefer to read someone's personal opinion that isn't one-sided? All reviews are subjective.
TheFinestSmack
TheFinestSmack - 6/5/2024, 1:02 PM
@MarkCassidy -
User Comment Image
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 6/5/2024, 1:19 PM
@MarkCassidy - Every review should be both positive and negative, to protect the feelings of people that want it to be bad.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 6/5/2024, 1:21 PM
@DarthOmega - I may have said that (honestly can't recall), but it has nothing to do with clicks. I think a lot of people are under the impression that the more comments we get, the better the article does. It has nothing to do with traffic. People could return to have an argument on here 1,000 times and their click would only be counted once.
DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 6/5/2024, 1:22 PM
@MarkCassidy - Oh Please. If it weren't for division this site would hardly get any clicks. Wasn't it you who said you enjoy angering certain people? Also deranged? Does one have to be deranged to not like the weak offerings by Disney?

CBMs themselves are on a down slope. We will see what Deadpool and Wolverine will do, but for now this site has been coasting on fumes and division. From the admin and half of the commenters. If you like something fine. Continue to like it. But don't call people deranged for not praising something or critiquing it negatively.
DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 6/5/2024, 1:23 PM
@MarkCassidy - Are we acting as though engagement isn't something websites seek? Anything to get engagement including purposefully divisive articles. Not this article but many others seem Taylor made to cause division
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 6/5/2024, 1:27 PM
@DarthOmega - Obviously we want engagement, and yeah, some topics and headlines are obviously going to get more clicks than others, but the perception that we feed on negativity for more traffic just doesn't hold up. Trust me, MORE people visit a site when it isn't a troll infested cesspool.
DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 6/5/2024, 1:30 PM
@MarkCassidy - Not true. Pick damn near any article with headlines featuring race, gender, sexuality these past few years and it gets pages of engagement. An article about a regular CBM that isn't a trailer for a highly anticipated film and you're luck if you get 3 pages. Sometimes it's only 2.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 6/5/2024, 1:32 PM
@AvalonX - I actually agree... to an extent. I do think that some aspects of film/TV should be broken down and critiqued more discerningly than others, and yes, I supposed I also think that certain things can be objectively bad - but again, that's still just something that's not working for me that could work for someone else.
SATW42
SATW42 - 6/5/2024, 1:32 PM
@DarthOmega - "Are we acting as though engagement isn't something websites seek?"

Hi, I work in marketing. Short answer. No, they don't. Engagement is more a social thing. you can have a high ranking website that pulls in good advertising with little to no engagement.

This very site has talked about closing the comment section here. Josh was doing it on a bunch of his articles. You think they "took a loss" just to anger people, or maybe they don't need the comment section?

You tell me which is more likely.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 6/5/2024, 1:37 PM
@DarthOmega - And I'm saying that the pages of comments don't make any difference to traffic. I've posted completely innocuous articles on here that had about 25 comments, but still got thousands more clicks/views than one that might have hundreds of comments.
DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 6/5/2024, 1:39 PM
@SATW42 - I'm telling you Mark himself said he enjoys angering people here. More traffic means more advertising.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 6/5/2024, 1:44 PM
@DarthOmega - If I said that, it's for my own personal amusement.
SATW42
SATW42 - 6/5/2024, 1:47 PM
@DarthOmega - the same 15 people coming to this site all day and making posts, even if theres 10 pages of them, does nothing for traffic.

You're talking to someone who analyzes these numbers and buys and sells based on those numbers. Advertisers don't buy based on total visits or even time on site (depending on the site) they look at unique views and unique impressions, and than engagement on their own ads.
SATW42
SATW42 - 6/5/2024, 1:47 PM
@DarthOmega - I'm willing to bet that's just because it amuses him, lol
DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 6/5/2024, 1:48 PM
@MarkCassidy - So don't pretend you don't want to see something you actively pursue... For your own amusement
SATW42
SATW42 - 6/5/2024, 1:48 PM
@DarthOmega - oh, so now it's not about engagement anymore? That goal post moved awfully quick
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 6/5/2024, 1:49 PM
@DarthOmega - You've lost me. I'm going for a pint.
SATW42
SATW42 - 6/5/2024, 1:50 PM
@MarkCassidy - damnit, now I want one
DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 6/5/2024, 1:51 PM
@SATW42 - Unique views and unique impressions. Are both views and impressions. You can argue it's the same 15 people, but you don't know how many are just visiting or commenting. Nowadays we live in a bait culture. If it's race baiting, gender baiting or just dipping your toes into politics. Anything to drive clicks are the new business model. You have no way of knowing unless you yourself work here and can actually see how many are actually clicking on. Do you have personal access to the visitor numbers for this site?
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