The Acolyte, Star Wars’ upcoming High Republic-era TV show, is reportedly planned to run for multiple seasons. The first live-action Star Wars High Republic project, The Acolyte follows a former Padawan and her Jedi Master as they uncover the secrets of the dark side of the Force. Up until now, it was not clear whether The Acolyte would be a limited series or if it would have a multiple-season structure.
As noted by Star Wars News Net, recent court fillings originally revealed by Deadline’s report of producer Karyn McCarthy’s lawsuit against Lucasfilm over her “egregious” firing from The Acolyte suggest that the upcoming High Republic series is planned to run multiple seasons. The court filings present a claim that The Acolyte “would require [Karyn McCarthy] to be overseas for at least a year and probably several years”, and that “Lucasfilm had assured [Karyn McCarthy] that the story arc of the show, as well as the company’s business plans, called for The Acolyte to run for multiple seasons.” Lucasfilm offered no comment on the original story.
Why The Acolyte Is So Important To Star Wars’ Future
Even before the suggestion that The Acolyte could run for multiple seasons, the upcoming High Republic show was already one of Star Wars’ most exciting shows in years. The High Republic imprint allowed Star Wars to dive into an unexplored portion of its canon by introducing countless new characters and locations. With Star Wars’ future post-Skywalker saga yet to be revealed, going back to the period before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace became as promising as exploring the future.
Between The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi, the current live-action Star Wars TV shows have not offered something completely unique within the Star Wars galaxy. That problem became even more noticeable with The Book of Boba Fett, which, by the end of the series, was heavily relying on Star Wars nostalgia. Even Andor, widely considered Star Wars’ best TV show, still told a relatively well-known story – Empire vs. rebels.
The Acolyte could be to the current Star Wars universe what The Phantom Menace was to the saga 25 years ago – not in the sense of quality or reception, but in terms of doing something completely different from recent Star Wars stories. The High Republic setting even allows The Acolyte to follow multiple Jedi and dive into how the Sith “phantom menace” from Episode I came to be. As such, it would make sense for The Acolyte season 2 and beyond to explore this era in greater detail.
Source: Deadline