Squid Game star is an absolute scene-stealer in Star Wars series The Acolyte-Sabrina Barr-Entertainment – Metro

For almost half a century, Star Wars has transported fans to a universe that they could only dream of, filled with lightsaber battles and the mystical power to use the Force.

Now, in the new Disney Plus TV series The Acolyte, viewers are going to be taken further back in time than many of them have ever been before in the beloved franchise.

Amandla Sternberg leads the cast as twin sisters Osha and Mae, showing off her sensationally quick knife-wielding skills in the first few minutes of episode one, 14 years after she first soared to fame as the young, ill-fated Rue in The Hunger Games.

Then there’s Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae, who absolutely steals every scene that he’s in playing Jedi Master Sol, proving just how committed he was to the role by learning English especially for the part.

One of the greatest appeals of The Acolyte is that it’s set a century before the events of the prequel film trilogy, treating audiences to a closer look at the era of the High Republic, when the Jedi were at the height of their power decades before they were almost completely annihilated.

While the brandishing of lightsabers by the plethora of Jedi is a sight we are extremely excited to see, Jung-jae’s slow and measured mannerisms and early signs of internal conflict in the first two episodes of the series are what made us well and truly invested.

Time to meet the Jedi at the height of their power (Picture: Lucasfilm Ltd/Avalon)

The Acolyte follows the story of the twin sisters, who were forced apart by tragedy when they were young.

Osha is the former Padawan learner of Sol, training in the ways of the Force ever since she was a child before she left the Jedi Order.

Her sister Mae has been presumed dead for years, but re-emerges as a dangerous force to be reckoned with, whose mission becomes entangled with her long-lost sibling as Sol strives to get to the bottom of a spate of Jedi being mysteriously hunted.

Even before we saw any footage of The Acolyte, it was clear that this series was going all-out to provide viewers with an extremely ambitious and spectacular project.

Boasting Hollywood heavyweight Carrie-Anne Moss as a Jedi called Indara who was literally inspired by her Matrix character Trinity, the cast is stacked to say the least.

Amandla Sternberg plays separated twin sisters in the series (Picture: Christian Black / Lucasfilm Ltd. / Avalon)

The former Matrix star Carrie-Anne Moss is stellar as a Jedi (Picture: Christian Black / Lucasfilm Ltd. / Avalon)

A quarter of a century after The Matrix first blew cinemagoers away around the world (yes, it’s really been that long), Carrie-Anne immediately demonstrates that Indara is a Jedi Master you don’t ever want to cross… and made us desperate to see an Indara vs Trinity showdown.

The fight choreography is mesmerising right off the bat, sitting comfortably among the best of the best in Star Wars.

Then, there’s the introduction of more new characters, including His Dark Materials star Dafne Keen as Sol’s Padawan Jecki Lon, The Good Place’s Manny Jacinto as former smuggler Qimir and Russian Doll actor Charlie Barnett as Jedi Knight Yord Fandar.

Jung-jae previously shared that he took inspiration from Liam Neeson’s Qui-Gon Jinn for his performance, and the inspiration for a Jedi Master as revered as his clear to see.

The Good Place star Manny Jacinto plays a former smuggler (Picture: Christian Black / Lucasfilm Ltd. / Avalon)

His Dark Materials star Dafne Keen looks unrecognisable as Sol’s Padawan Jecki Lon (Picture: Christian Black/Lucasfilm Ltd/Avalon)

There is a lot to absorb when you first start watching The Acolyte, especially considering you can’t rely on following characters that you’re already familiar with, such as in the case of Andor or The Book of Boba Fett.

The series manages to carry off its world-building in a way that feels organic rather than forced, and without it feeling as though you’re being overwhelmed with the amount of information you’re expected to remember.

When we first watched The Acolyte, we weren’t blown away to the same level as say, the first time we ever feasted our eyes on The Mandalorian, and were treated to the huge reveal about Baby Yoda at the very end of episode one, which had previously been kept a secret.

But that doesn’t mean to say that we didn’t have a great time… nor should every Star Wars property have to reach that same level for it to be enjoyable.

Rebecca Henderson stars as Vernestra Rwoh, a senior member of the Jedi Order who works closely with Sol (Picture: Christian Black/Lucasfilm Ltd/Avalon)

Amandla brings a stellar performance to her dual role (Picture: Christian Black/Lucasfilm Ltd. / Avalon)

We have a feeling that the first two episodes of the show are just the tip of the iceberg for this series, and the rest of the six episodes that follow are going to take fans in unexpected directions.

From our perspective, we’re excited to see where the story leads.

In recent weeks, the cast of The Acolyte has had to endure some trolling from the toxic side of the Star Wars fandom, even before the show has been released.

We’re sure that many fans will adore the new perspective on High Republic-era Star Wars that the series provides, as well as the compelling performances of the cast and high-octane fight scenes.

While it’s understood that seeking revenge is not the Jedi way… wouldn’t it be a sweet triumph over the haters for The Acolyte to do well?

The Acolyte premieres on Wednesday June 5 on Disney Plus.

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