Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi walk into a cantina on Tatooine, looking for passage to Alderaan. Din Djarin walks into a cantina on the ice planet Pagodon, looking for a Mythrol man with a price on his head. Cassian Andor walks into a cantina—OK, a combination cantina and brothel—on Morlana One, looking for his long-lost sister.
A man (or a woman) walks into a bar: This is the setup for numerous jokes. It’s also the setup for numerous Star Wars stories—including the latest, The Acolyte , which launched with a two-part premiere on Tuesday. In the first scene of the first episode, “Lost/Found,” which was written and directed by series creator Leslye Headland, presumed Sith acolyte Mae Aniseya (Amandla Stenberg) walks into a cantina on Ueda, looking for Master Indara, one of four Jedi she’s trying to kill.
The structure of this opening is one way in which The Acolyte feels familiar, but it’s far from the only traditional Star Wars signifier on display. Consider the pan down to Ueda after the introductory text and the wipes and irises in and out to transition between scenes. And the music by Michael Abels, which hews closer to the orchestral template John Williams established for the franchise than, say, the synthy scores Ludwig Goransson and Nicholas Britell wrote for The Mandalorian and Andor , respectively.
And the master-and-apprentice hook at the heart of the story. And the cute droid sidekick. And the fact that a character says, “I have a bad feeling ab.
