Watch Kids' Reviews of
STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE

I really love the TV series Star Wars: The Acolyte because it is an action-packed series with unique and captivating plots that are very different from any of the other Star Wars films or series. Best of all, although it is helpful to have watched the prior Star Wars films, you don't have to have seen any of them in order to enjoy this series.

This series takes place 100 years before episode 1 of the Star Wars films. It is a story about a girl named Osha (Amandla Stenberg) who is accused of murdering a Jedi Master named Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss). However, Osha firmly states her innocence because she is apparently loyal to the Jedis.

The plot is pretty complex. Early in the series, Osha suffers a tragedy as a young girl when her hometown is burned down by her twin sister, Mae (also played by Amandla Stenberg) and everyone, including Mae, is presumed dead, except for Osha, which is suspicious. Afterwards, Osha trains to be a Jedi but ultimately drops out after a few years. Sol (Lee Jung-jae), a Jedi master and Osha's former teacher, believes that Osha is innocent and attempts to find her and confirm her innocence. Another Jedi master is murdered while Osha is with Sol so there may be another killer! The show follows Osha and Mae and the audience tries to discover who the killers of the Jedi masters are. What I really like about the series are the beautiful settings, the costumes, and the musical composition. The settings include areas with beautiful lush landscapes and other areas in a frozen ice land. The costumes are very unique as they are in most Star Wars films and series. For example, when the witch's ceremony is held in the third episode, the gold costumes of the women are stunning. The background music is both beautiful and eerie, and always fits the various scenes perfectly. One of my favorite parts of the show is when the group travels to a remote planet to find one of the Wookie Jedi masters and all of the surprising creatures they see along the way including a massive flying beetle. My favorite character in the series is Mae because we learn why she set her hometown on fire and begin to understand that not everything is as it initially seems.

The series' message is, "We are not defined by what we lose, we are defined by what we survive," which is a direct quote from one of the supporting characters. This highlights the point that Osha is not defined by having lost her family, but by having the strength and courage to survive it allows her to persevere in spite of it. Be forewarned that this series contains a lot of violent behavior.

I give Star Wars: The Acolyte 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. The first two episodes of Star Wars: The Acolyte release on Disney + June 4, 2024. The remaining episodes of the eight-episode series release weekly after that.

By Arya B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 11

see youth comments

Star Wars: The Acolyte is set at the end of the Star Wars franchise's High Republic era, approximately 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). It sees a respected Jedi Master investigating a series of crimes that bring him into contact with a former Padawan learner and reveal sinister forces. This Star Wars series takes viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.