Skip to main content

The Acolyte’s first trailer embraces the Dark Side of Star Wars

Amandla Stenberg as Mae in The Acolyte.
Lucasfilm

Since the launch of Disney+ in 2019, there have been four live-action Star Wars series, including The Mandalorian and Andor. But the one thing that each of those shows had in common was that they followed the hero of the story. This summer, The Acolyte is flipping the switch on that by putting the spotlight on Mae (Amandla Stenberg), a former Padawan in the Jedi Order who seems to have quite a grudge against her onetime masters. That may be why Mae is attacking and apparently killing Jedi with knives in the first trailer for The Acolyte.

Squid Game‘s Lee Jung-jae is prominently featured in the trailer as Jedi Master Sol, the teacher of the younglings in the Jedi Temple. Presumably, the girl who sees fire in her visions is a younger version of Mae. The trailer doesn’t fully explain why Mae is on such a murderous rampage, but another character, Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith), suggests that it’s not about good or evil. It’s about power.

The Matrix‘s Carrie-Anne Moss makes her Star Wars debut as Jedi Master Indara, and she’s so skilled that Mae’s knife attacks can’t get close to her. However, the body count that Mae has apparently left in her wake suggests that not every Jedi has been as fortunate.

Dafne Keen as Jecki in The Acolyte.
Lucasfilm

She may be unrecognizable under all of that makeup, but the character pictured above, Jecki, is played by Dafne Keen, who previously starred in Logan and His Dark Materials. Jecki and her fellow young Jedi come across an even more serious threat at the end as the telltale red lightsaber suggests that a Sith member is attacking them. Whether Mae is the Sith in question remains to be seen.

The Acolyte will have a two-episode series premiere on Disney+ on June 4.

Editors' Recommendations

Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek…
Disney+ and Hulu drop first trailer for Marvel’s Echo
Alaqua Cox in Echo.

Among the upcoming Marvel Studios original series, Echo has been one of the question marks because its leading character, Maya Lopez, is not a headlining heroine in Marvel's comics. However, the first trailer for Echo has been released by Disney+ and Hulu (which will both stream the series), and the first footage goes a long way towards winning us over by heavily leaning into the show's TV-MA rating. Especially when Maya's former guardian, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio), brutally beats a man as Maya looks on.

Marvel Studios' Echo | Official Trailer | Disney+ and Hulu

Read more
A new era begins in first Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes trailer
Noa and his bird friend in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

In 2011, Rise of the Planet of the Apes started a new chapter in the franchise by rebooting the film series and focusing on the story of the legendary ape leader Caesar. In 2017, War for the Planet of the Apes brought Caesar's story to a conclusion, but the reboot timeline lives on in next summer's Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Generations have passed since the time of Caesar, and while the new movies haven't caught up with the time frame of the original movies yet, the first teaser trailer for Kingdom reveals that humanity is looking more and more like the savages they were in the first Planet of the Apes.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes | Teaser Trailer

Read more
Lena Headey heads to space in Beacon 23’s first trailer
A woman looks at something in Beacon 23.

In genre TV, few have the experience of actress Lena Headey. In addition to her eight seasons on Game of Thrones as Cersei Lannister, Headey also starred as Sarah Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and she lent her voice to Evil-Lyn in Netflix's Masters of the Universe: Revelation. Now, Headey is heading back to TV next month with Beacon 23, a new original sci-fi series on MGM+. And if the new trailer is any indication, Headey's new character is a bit morally ambiguous.

Beacon 23 (MGM+ 2023 Series) Official Trailer

Read more