Same usual problem to me: Prequels: Jedi dress like old Ben Kenobi from original Star Wars 1977. Why not give them knight garments of any sort? Acolyte: It's a hundred years ago... Is it though? Because everyone looks the same! Remember the Sandman episode with the guy that was released by Death and became Dream's friend? 13th looks different from 14th century, that looks different from 15th century, different from 16th century, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th... Come on, Star Wars people! The one thing I think Lucas did right in the prequels was at least to change the style of ships. (He should have done Jedi's garments too, but... sigh) So, whatever. That said, nice trailer. If it at least matches Andor, we'll at least have something there.
THE PLOT TWIST THAT SHOULD BE: The 'Dark Acolyte' of this series is NOT THE CHARACTER WE'RE MADE TO BELIEVE. It is not the young, dark-skinned female youngling who later appears to have become a Sith rather than a Jedi. In fact, she becomes an assassin (or otherwise rogue character) and becomes a sort of anti-hero character for the story. Instead, THE 'DARK ACOLYTE' IS ONE OF THE OTHER JEDI, unbeknownst to her Jedi companions, working toward dark motivations from within the Jedi order, killing members in secret. For the sake of argument, let's assume that the writers of the show are better than what might be coming across to many as a mediocre (or even poor) trailer to set up the show. With that assumption in place, now look for the clues that would support my theory: - First, THE TRAILER OPENS WITH THE VERY LINE: "Close your eyes. Your eyes can deceive you. We MUST NOT trust them." - Next, Jedi younglings are asked, "What comes into your mind?". One youngling replies, "Light", one says, "Balance", and the last says, "I see fire". We are meant to think the one who says, "I see fire" will turn to the dark side. But a better, smarter, more engaging and intriguing story arc here, rather than the obvious which is handed to us in the first 34 seconds of the trailer, would be for the third youngling to respond with "fire", because she sees a future in which the peaceful stability of the Jedi Order and the galaxy is challenged and under assault from 'Dark Forces' ;) who will eventually reign down fire upon them. This youngling, who may well wash out of the Jedi Academy and go rogue, was trying to warn the Jedi of the ominous threat. - On the other hand, the second youngling, who responded by saying, "Balance", may be (but I think IS) the future acolyte of the dark side. She saw, in her visions, a need to bring 'balance' to the force, by bringing the dark side back into power. Remember- "For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the old republic." Although, I think Obi-Wan's statement here from the original trilogy was more a general comment on the Jedi's role over time, I do believe in the timeline of this specific 'Acolyte' show, the Jedi had not been directly confronted by the Sith for centuries, perhaps even a thousand years. (Feel free to clarify this point if you know for sure). The trailer itself has a text line that reads, "In an age of light... a darkness rises". The Jedi have been at their apex of dominance for a LONG TIME, (in our GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY), and they had become complacent in their unrivaled power. Recall the line in the trailer, "This isn't about good or bad. This is about POWER. And who is ALLOWED to use it". - The Sith, while they openly displayed their power in large numbers thousands of years ago, transitioned to the much more subtle, sinister doctrine of the 'Rule of Two' to wield the dark side of the force. I quote here from Wookieepedia: "The Rule of Two was a decree for the Sith, established by Sith Lord Darth Bane so they could operate in secret and eventually get revenge on the Jedi Order for their near extinction in the Jedi-Sith War... The decree commanded that only two Sith Lords must exist at any given time: a master to represent the power of the dark side of the Force, and an apprentice to crave it and train under the master..." With that said, what course of action by the Sith could be more sinister and dark than the 'acolyte' (or Sith apprentice) masquerading as one of their own Jedi, who had grown up within the Jedi Temple and been trained as one of them?! - I first suspected that the Jedi character played by Carrie-Anne Moss would indeed be the 'dark acolyte'. If this is true, however, Disney is truly playing a long con on us here, as IMDb lists Carrie-Anne Moss as only appearing in one episode. But perhaps her character is meant to appear to have died early, and we don't see the actual identity of the acolyte in any of their scenes, until later in the show, with a 'big reveal'. In any case, the plot twist of this story arc, or something very similar to it, would be far more interesting than simply, 'Jedi Youngling seemed dark to everyone. Jedi Youngling said dark things. Jedi Youngling got kicked out of the Jedi Order, then became an acolyte to the ways of the Sith. No-good, unhappy, pissed off Sith sought revenge.'... Where's the story in that? I truly hope this iteration of Disney Star Wars is much more nuanced than this, and that the trailer has a lot of people fooled as appearing much more simplistic than the show to come really is. Your thoughts?
As someone who really enjoyed Andor, Ahsoka and yes even the last season of Mandalorian, I have super high hopes for the Acolyte. This first trailer looked great
Hi John, love your work and channel. I'm having trouble hearing Mike's voice. It was okay a couple of weeks ago, but something has happened recently to change the sound mix or the way his mic is picking up is voice, which also seems a bit more echoey. I have to concentrate on what he is saying to hear him. Saying this as someone who seems to be getting more sound sensitive with age. PS: listening a bit longer, Shannon is also a bit quieter and echoey
I’m hopeful. Although I admit I’m a sucker for multi-lightsaber combat. Disney+ needs to realize THAT is worth the price of subscription. If they can somehow incorporate that element into Andor-level quality of storytelling/writing…it’ll be a certified banger.
There's sooo much hate and trashing already for this trailer 😂 I'm cautiously optimistic. That ending though, total SWTOR vibes. And Trinity as a Jedi, looks awesome
Andor felt like Star Wars and if you thought it was "too slow" you clearly have an IQ of like 85 and the attention span of a hampster @@brianinglis3805
@@brianinglis3805 Use your brain a bit this time and try watching it again. Its the only show that has been written well, made the empire look like a threat, and also had characters realizing why the rebellion is necessary and making moves to make it happen..... Some people just don't understand writing.
@@Dxnttv So you think a TV show where literally the same conversations are repeated numerous times is "written well"? You think that story arcs that are 1 episode too long and slow the series down (the 3 episode heist arc & the 3 episode prison arc - both should have been 2 episodes max not 3 & don't give me the slow burn argument. It was all slow & no burn. They were stretching the material very thin to cover 12 episodes). Also Its a Star Wars show that most of the time doesn't even feel like it is taking place inside of the Star Wars galaxy because it's written & directed by a man who doesn't even like Star Wars. Don't tell me to use my brain & watch it again because I don't understand writing, you condescending prat.
I’m going to be cautiously optimistic. However, I hope the story and character development is good. That’s what I’m most worried about with this show! Thats what will break the show for me! 🙏🏾🤞🏾🙏🏾🤞🏾
I have thoughts. For one, it is cool to see Darkside wilders and their effect with the Jedi. On the other hand, will the ACOLYTE focus on Sith, or a cult of darksiders. In Canon, is clear the Darth Bane started the Rule of Two. The Darth Novels are not canon so what is known is vague. Also, Darth Plagueis is Canon, however, his life span and time as an Apprentice and Lord of the Sith is in question. So, how will this fit in Canon. I did not read the High Republic, so the only stake I have in the show is how well they do the Darksiders or the Sith they may include.
The fandom automatically assumes that Yoda is the Grand Master and head of the Council at this point. Even though little homey is old as dirt and probably powerful as hell, there's no reason to discount the idea that someone else's butt was warming that seat at the time of the Acolyte. Maybe a different little green person? Maybe some other truly significant entity? The fans think: 1. Yoda is a badass. 2. Yoda has probably been a badass for centuries. 3. Therefore, dude must have been the head of the Council for centuries. The conclusion (3) does not follow the from the premises (1 and 2).
Thanks for the video and reaction guys as ever. I remain cautiously sceptical. I LOVED Andor, Mando S1 and S2, the rest has been middling at best. Looking forward to you and Kristian breaking it down next Monday.
The trailer looks good. It’s a fresh and new story that I feel gives Star Wars a bit of a clean slate. Based off what Lesley Headland has said, she seems to have balanced her personal fandom with good storytelling. I think it’s going to be a good show overall!
Wow what a simple yet exciting and intriguing Trailer and a great trailer reaction guys and speculative talk I just picked up book one of the high republic hardback books so looking forward to reading that . I know you guys don’t read a lot of the new young adult books but I highly recommend the e.k Johnson padme book series we learn more about the handmadins personal relationships with padme during the prequel trilogy and more. @TheRochasays 🤠🤠🤠🤯🤯🤯😍😍😍😎😎😎🔥🔥🔥
If this has already been addressed, my bad. Vogel. You're wrong. The pedantic part is it was Ki-Adi Mundi that said the Sith have been extinct for a thousand years. The bigger thing is if they break canon again like they did in Kenobi, Disney will lose alot of the more tolerant fans. Everyone who sees a Sith, & recognizes that the being is a Sith, has to be dead by the end of this show. Otherwise, it'll be damn near the final nail in the Disney Lucasfilm coffin.
Great all-rounded reaction, guys! I just had to be that guy for a moment... I do believe the "Jae" in Lee Jung-jae's name is pronounced just like how you pronounced "Jay" in blue jay bird. Not sure where the "i" came from... I'm sorry it's just irked me everytime you said it in the video.
Yassss kings!!! Ok.....I'm CAUTIOUSLY excited. An I have always loved anything with Carrie Ann a.k.a Trinity! Low key crush! Lol. But this looks really good. So I'm ready to see what they show me an I hold out hope this will be Andor Level of Writing an Ahsoka am Mando level of action with a sprinkle of Warrior level of choreography. ❤❤❤ Much love Geek Buddies an Geek Family!
I've been someone that enjoys the SW series probably more than most, but I think SW is running into a similar problem Star Trek did, especially in this case. Trek was supposed to be this idyllic future, but it's hard to write a story with conflict when things are idyllic (hence why Trek has taken a turn for the 'gritter, darker' tone b/c of fan demand and b/c it's harder to write conflict in an idyllic setting); it's the reason why the Jedi keep getting dropped a peg at every turn b/c you can't have, both, flawless super wise, super intelligent heroes that get completely taken down by a single individual or, rather, you could, but it's much more difficult to pull off and same with Trek's sorta utopian society hence sort of the backpedaling that occurs in that series, too, when it does pre-quel (in a manner of speaking) shows. The High Republic is supposed to be a period where the Jedi are at the height of their power and the galaxy benefits from this, but... again, they had to write it in the last 50-100(?) years when they're not far from Sheev being born, discovering his powers and proceeding to plot, at this point, if anything, we could see Darth Plagueis setting the demise of the Jedi and High Republic in motion. The harder, more interesting approach would have been to set this further during the heights of the High Republic, uncoupling it from the fact that Darth Plagueis (or whatever they're going to call him) most certainly exists, Chewbacca, Yoda and many we would still recognize, and writing a story in the middle of a genuinely (or seemingly) utopian society where everything appears to be in order, but there are flaws since, personally, I don't believe a perfect society can exist, even if it's idyllic and serving a vast majority of the people. But, maybe I'm putting too great an expectation on this or maybe they will surprise me or turn my expectations on its head. The issue is that I've seen this sort of a 'in the before times, it was a better time and better world' scenario get upended b/c it's too hard to pull off. It happens in SW, it happens in Trek, it happens in LoTR, etc, etc. But, maybe I'll be wrong and I'll be happy if I am.
I am going to watch the trailer again and Carrie Anne Moss looks amazing but right now I feel a bit underwhelmed about the trailer. Look forward to your reviews!
Roca's face displaying excitement during this was great! The tone looks awesome. Dark and gritty. New Era, new Story, New Characters. (obviously they have to stick the landing), but this show looks great
I really hope this show delivers on its promise. I enjoyed a lot of the recent shows like Ashoka and Obi Wan but they weren’t great. I’m just hoping for a great show from start to finish.
I kind of agree with what Vogel was saying. This trailer seems epic, but this show reeks of typical bad Disney writing. There's going to be an over reliance on flashbacks, traumatic backstories, and more flashbacks to those traumatic backstories. The story will be written over epically and blockbuster-y which will lead to direction, framing, and filming choices that will lead to overly long shots that add little to the overall plot. the overall plot will be too small a story for what should have been told, and way too character focused to the point where the story is rushed and incomplete and empty. The fights will be choreographed well, but over all I don't think this story will be handled well. It feels like it'll be another Boba Fett. We'll get a story that should have been a two part premiere, stretched out over 8 episodes. I always hope Star Wars and Marvel stuff will be good, but D+ has shown me time and time again, they hire writers who don't fully understand the scope of what they are asked to do, and the project suffers from it. I don't know why this show would be any different. When we look back on this era of Star Wars, the biggest contribution Disney will have had on Star Wars will be taking the focus away from fun galactic battles and putting it on transportation and how the galaxy manages its fuel.
More people need to read the high republic books because they are so full of lore, action and everything people want out of the movies/shows and I really hope this shows Lucasfilm that the era of the high republic is a much more interesting route to take visually rather than continuing on after ROS.
I would disagree that Star Wars mysteries have always been executed well. The mystery set up in Attack of the Clones was just dropped entirely and not addressed at all in Revenge of the Sith.
The dialogue about good, bad, power, and who has the power sounds like Disney being self aware they are in control of Star Wars and they know its Bad but they still have the power. Fuck Disney, very low hopes.
The stories are not compelling. They make shows to fill check boxes and parade that around as success. That is a recipe for boring. I think the viewing numbers and approval are an answer to what's wrong. The people writing for Star Wars are awful. Also, you have a message about the"Force is female" to a primarily juvenile male audience in their teens and early adulthood. The whole universe is paid for but young men. Yet that is not who they are selling to. So the real problem here is, men are being told to shut up and pay for a message that they don't connect with and women are not being held accountable for not paying into Star wars themselves. There is now marketable female audience, but everybody wants to blame men for not liking what they don't like. Lol What it sounds like, is not my problem. I will wait until Star Wars comes back with good stories with compelling characters. Until then, I will just watch it crumble with it's five fans begging people to watch.
***IF*** they go in the direction of making the bad guys sympathetic and complex and interesting, then they're going to have to do something to explain why, by the time of the Palpster, the bad guys are so lame and uni-dimensional and intellectually unchallenging; cut and dried assholes. To this point, (with a few small exceptions in Andor) the bad guys in Star Wars are comic book level stuff that present no intellectual challenge whatsoever to anyone over the age 13 or 14. Even the EU sith code about passion and breaking chains and all that is more interesting than what we've had on-screen so far. Palpatine himself is nothing more than a fairy-tale wicked witch, particularly how he's shown in Ep9....... .....But if they do that, then they've changed Star Wars in a significant way. As Andor has exerted pressure on SW creators to "grow up" a bit, the Acolyte could/would show them how to write SW including the space wizards for the demographic that ole man Lucas was NOT trying to write for: the grown ups. From any standpoint other than sentimentality, this is a smart move if only because kids who dig Star Wars are only kids for maybe 10-15 years while adults that dig Star Wars are potential consumers for more than 50 years. But that sentimentality is a big deal. If you start integrating complex and interesting villains into SW and turning everything more nuanced, realistic, and "gray," you're going to get a huge backlash from reactionaries. To be fair, the Jedi aren't that interesting either. They're basically Shaolin monks but most of them have nothing interesting to say. Actual Shaolin monks don't sound comic-booky at all. I guess what I'm saying is that the more complexity and nuance you introduce into Star Wars, the potentially better it becomes but as it becomes cooler, the pre-existing material will start to clash with the better more mature material and cause continuity, creative, and tone problems. I've watched SW since I was five years old back in 1977. I loved it then; I still love it now. I'll continue to watch it even if it doesn't "grow up" at all past Andor and Andor turns out to be some weird outlier that doesn't turn out to matter at all in the long term. Star Wars could be a lot better than it is but the getting to that place is gong to cause problems. :)
this would be awsome for me... but i dont think this is for men. 😢 but it looks awsome. u can see that time and money went into this. so it should be good.
Those killmonger dreads are enraging me right now. Otherwise, promising trailer. Can't wait to avoid all manners of the internet and enjoy this so far away from public discourse.
what is there to be intrigued by... we all know where this ends up... YET ANOTHER PREQUEL from Star Wars. yet another series for a fraction of existing fans... furthering indifference among normies.
