Lucasfilm has so far chosen to remain in familiar territory with its live-action Star Wars shows for Disney+, with the likes of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor and Ahsoka series all taking place a few years either side of the Original Trilogy.
However, will will soon be venturing out into the Unknown Regions of different eras thanks to the upcoming Disney+ series Star Wars: The Acolyte. And, as part of Vanity Fair’s big feature on all things Star Wars, showrunner Leslye Headland (Russian Doll) has been teasing what we can expect from the show, which takes place during the High Republic age that Lucasfilm launched as part of a major multi-platform publishing initiative last year.
“We’re taking a look at the political and personal and spiritual things that came up in a time period that we don’t know much about,” said Headland, confirming that the show will be set approximately 100 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. “My question when watching The Phantom Menace was always like, ‘Well, how did things get to this point?’ How did we get to a point where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it? Like, what went wrong? What are the scenarios that led us to this moment?”
“We actually use the term the Renaissance, or the Age of Enlightenment [for the setting],” Headland continues. “The Jedi uniforms are gold and white, and it’s almost like they would never get dirty. They would never be out and about. The idea is that they could have these types of uniforms because that’s how little they’re getting into skirmishes.”
We’d have to imagine the show will feature at least a few skirmishes among the galactic politics, with the logline describing The Acolyte as a “mystery-thriller that will take the audience into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.”
SEE ALSO: Kathleen Kennedy reveals that Rian Johnson’s Star Wars trilogy is on the back burner
As yet, there’s no word as to when we can expect Star Wars: The Acolyte to arrive on Disney+, but the series is currently at the casting stage so expect news to pick up soon.
