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The Acolyte Official “The Acolyte” Series Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

Discussion in 'Star Wars TV- Current and Future Shows' started by Darth Chiznuk , Apr 22, 2020.

  1. Jedi Knight Fett

    Jedi Knight Fett Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2014
    Oh totally. That’s why I have no problem with them putting modern politics in to the movies and shows. Lucas did. We just consider it history now
     
  2. Darth Chiznuk

    Darth Chiznuk Superninja of Future Films star 8 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 31, 2012
    Yep. Star Wars has always been political. George wasn’t subtle about it either. Nute Gunray/Newt Gingrich. Lol. :p
     
  3. TaradosGon

    TaradosGon Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 28, 2003
    I also think Star Wars needs to find a message and stick to it. I feel like Lucas is a pacifist. If I had to pick characters that I think most embody his philosophy it’s Padme and Luke.

    The assassination attempt on her life happens to keep her out of a political debate. In TCW she was able to block some proposed bill (I think to make more clones?) and Palpatine marvels at the impact one person can have just by dialogue.

    She’s all about talking and understanding.

    Fast forward to RotJ and you have Luke fighting his father and being tempted towards killing in anger to defend his friends and sister. In the end he chooses to throw away his weapon so that he can be tempted no more and he puts all his faith and all the power in the hands of his father, and it redeems him and destroys the Sith.

    In the Mortis arc, Father sacrificed himself and it is Son’s love for his father that weakens the Dark Side enough for him to be defeated.

    After Lucas, The Book of Boba Fett kept pushing a message of compassion.

    Mandalorian touches on family and belonging, and perhaps conveys the “blood =/= family” message better than RoS did.

    Solo didn’t really have any big standout theme. It’s a guy who gets betrayed by the people he trusts. There’s not really a message there, just more of a setup to ANH than anything.

    With the sequels the message I got was fight evil, fight, fight, fight it. You come face to face with your grandfather, don’t even try to engage him in any kind of dialogue, just kill him with fire.

    Rogue One had an intersection of themses with the various characters whether it be faith, redemption, sacrificing yourself to save others. While they all fought there was an undercurrent of the theme of love, even if it’s not as overt as say Luke and Vader.

    Now your entering a period where the good guys dont sound very good, and the pov seems to be from the evil side? I’m interested to see how that will play out. With what the theme there could be.

    Absolute power corrupts, and the Sith do not have absolute power, or perhaps any power. There is part of me that wonders if they would possibly explore the idea of a “good” Sith. Where the “acolyte” is actually doing good things. That a powerless Sith is actually good while an overly powerful Jedi order is corrupt, with the roles flipping along the way.

    The thing that always seemed peculiar about Plagueis to me is that the way Palpatine speaks of him makes him sound somewhat benevolent. He saved other people from dying and he taught his apprentice everything he knew. He sounds like the guy that wanted Palpatine to be a partner and was blindsided by betrayal. Whereas Palpatine seems to anticipate betrayal.

    Plagueis comes across as either foolish or perhaps not so evil, if perhaps he had visions of doing good.


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    Last edited: May 25, 2022
  4. Siphonophore

    Siphonophore Chosen One star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 13, 2003
    Also, Lott Dod.
     
  5. Bor Mullet

    Bor Mullet Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Apr 6, 2018
    I’ve always insisted that the world of the GFFA is the core strength of Star Wars, and that due to this, the franchise could branch off into tons of different directions in terms of modes/ types of storytelling, genres, tone, maturity level, themes, etc. It doesn’t all have to be pop action adventure. What we’re seeing and hearing from Headland, Gilroy and Chow reinforce that perspective for me.

    And Gunray/ Raygun/ Reagan. :)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 26, 2022
  6. Siphonophore

    Siphonophore Chosen One star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 13, 2003
    I watched King Hu's A Touch of Zen a couple of years ago, and it was one of the more enjoyable viewing experiences that I had had in some time. Now I'm inclined to revisit it..... it's part of the Criterion Collection, BTW.
    https://www.criterion.com/films/28791-a-touch-of-zen
     
  7. TaradosGon

    TaradosGon Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 28, 2003
    He may have said that, but Im not sure how much of that actually comes across in Ian’s performance in ROTJ. If I recall, that quote from Lucas was from story meetings ahead of ESB or ROTJ in which Lucas was providing backstory. But in the actual film, Palpatine is just an evil sorcerer.

    By 1999 when we see Palpatine actually rising to power, we’re over two decades removed from Nixon, let alone Augustus or Hitler or Napoleon.

    Leslye says she’s drawing historical inspiration from America leading up to WW1 and Rome. So perhaps any resemblance to today is just coincidence.

    Personally, at a time of being bombarded with politics constantly and weighing the pros and cons of every action or watching countries do dubious things to protect their own people every single day (is that right or wrong?), a little good vs evil storytelling resonates with me more than everything being gray. I get enough of that in the real world.


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    RetropME likes this.
  8. Pro Scoundrel

    Pro Scoundrel New Films Expert At Modding Casual star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 20, 2012
    Yep, I've felt that way for years, and still do.

    It's weirdos like @PymParticles that think the focus should be on (blech) characters and personal journeys. And all of the world building required is one of those cardboard cut-out X-Wings in the background. I DARE him to deny it! :) ;)
     
  9. Konrad Pietrzak

    Konrad Pietrzak Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jun 6, 2020
    Star Wars has always been political, Endor is Vietnam, Palpatine has elements of many politicians like Nixon, Austrian Painter or Octavian Augustus. In my country, our leader is often compared to Palpatine in the fandom, except that he looks similar, everyone knows that although officially he is only an ordinary politician and a member of the parliament, in fact he has power over the president and prime minister, plus he has even recently introduced the so-called New order. So politics and star wars are some of the things you can't get away from, because it's an integral part of them, even if some directors think otherwise.
     
    Shaak Ti likes this.
  10. Bor Mullet

    Bor Mullet Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Apr 6, 2018
    Screw that guy!
     
  11. PymParticles

    PymParticles Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 2014
    I deny nothing... because I'm right :p
     
  12. TaradosGon

    TaradosGon Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 28, 2003
    I know. I don’t have a problem with politics exactly, at least not as they have been portrayed thus far. My stance isn’t “keep politics out of my Star Wars!”

    I enjoy the prequels well enough despite the politics (though I wish political motivations were outlined even more!)

    Political references in the OT were buried under a heavy coat of whimsical, magical paint. Toad voiced Palpatine never registered as a mockery of any real world person, and Endor never registered as any analog to a real world situation. The inspiration may have been there, but it could easily go over a kids head.

    The PT was much more in your face with political issues, but like I said in an earlier post, there was never really any doubt about who the good guys are. And outside of the Anakin - George Bush connection, I don’t recall there being a blatant connection to contemporary events. It was more a caution against mixing corporate interests with politics, and a cautionary tale about abandoning diplomacy for violence out of fear.

    There was dialogue inspired by Louis XIV and inspiration taken from other historical figures, which I rather enjoy.

    Its the combination of politics and blurring the line between good/evil that gets a little too real for me. A pitch about a story from a villain’s perspective in a time when the good guys sound corrupt just doesn’t get the excitement going.

    No matter how political the PT got, Lucas would kind of drive the point home of what the good guys should be doing, even if the good guys were doing the wrong thing. For instance Mace says the Jedi aren’t soldiers, and when Obi-Wan says Geonosis was a victory, Yoda cautions that they were not victorious.

    You know who the good guys are and despite fan claims that Dooku actually had noble goals, I never felt he could credibly be seen as a misguided good guy.

    When you get into Rogue One and you have good guys murdering people that help them, that’s when it starts to appeal to me less. Good guys should be good. And stories should focus on family even if only tangentially. Those are really the only two things that I think are essential to every Star Wars tale.

    So the Jedi are protecting the Republic and the expense of something, which I assume (perhaps incorrectly) to be the Outer Rim, since that is also the region that tried to secede from the Republic. Im assuming the Sith are out there doing bad things and we’re getting their side of things during a time when the Republic is decadent and negligent. So who are the good guys?

    At that point, just give me something wild like an idealistic good Sith that is a Joan of Arc figure uniting people against the Republic that is profiting at their expense. Give me someone to root for.


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    Last edited: May 26, 2022
  13. Pro Scoundrel

    Pro Scoundrel New Films Expert At Modding Casual star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 20, 2012
    [​IMG]
     
    Bor Mullet and PymParticles like this.
  14. Ender_and_Bean

    Ender_and_Bean Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    May 19, 2002
    Are we expecting any footage on this one from Celebration?
     
    Last edited: May 26, 2022
  15. PymParticles

    PymParticles Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 2014
    I imagine footage would be difficult since it hasn't started shooting yet, but if anything was going to be shown or revealed, it would have been at the Lucasfilm Studio's Showcase panel that wrapped up almost an hour ago. We'll have to wait a bit longer for anything concrete on The Acolyte.
     
    clone commander bossk likes this.
  16. Pro Scoundrel

    Pro Scoundrel New Films Expert At Modding Casual star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 20, 2012
    [​IMG]
     
  17. Ender_and_Bean

    Ender_and_Bean Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    May 19, 2002
    I’ll take concept art on a video at this point. [face_laugh]
     
  18. Darth Chiznuk

    Darth Chiznuk Superninja of Future Films star 8 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 31, 2012
    It has started filming, silly.
     
  19. Serpico Jones

    Serpico Jones Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 3, 2012
    Derek Cornell from the DisInsider heard that
    multiple Sith legends like Darth Malak, Darth Revan, Darth Bane and Darth Nihilus will appear in The Acolyte.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 6, 2022
  20. A Chorus of Disapproval

    A Chorus of Disapproval Head Admin & TV Screaming Service star 10 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Aug 19, 2003
    Sign me up for an onscreen, live action "timeline" of Sith history as a start to this show.
     
  21. Bor Mullet

    Bor Mullet Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Apr 6, 2018
    That would be insanely great.
     
    Mostly Handless and TaradosGon like this.
  22. Vader Bob

    Vader Bob Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jun 8, 2020
    I feel like the overarching message of SWs is that right and wrong are a matter of perspective. It's a theme that gets reinforced over and again IMO.

    Even the lines between the Jedi and Sith have been blurred over the years in terms of bastions of good and evil.
     
  23. Bor Mullet

    Bor Mullet Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Apr 6, 2018
    Really? The franchise that consistently presents clearly evil authoritarian forces vs. clearly morally upright forces has an overarching message of ethical relativism?
     
  24. Count Yubnub

    Count Yubnub Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 2012
    "Good is a point of view!" - the villain
     
  25. Vader Bob

    Vader Bob Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jun 8, 2020
    I think it's a lot more nuanced than that. Just in the last episode alone we got references of the Jedi taking kids from their homes and a character that welcomed the "order" brought by the Empire. Moral ambiguity is woven throughout the franchise (more so in the books I'd concede). There are good and evil characters individually but Star Wars clearly goes out of it's way to establish a larger grey area. IMO.
     
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2022