A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… the Star Wars universe is continuing to expand.
When “The Acolyte” premieres tonight on Disney+, June 4, the High Republic Era will make its way into live-action canon after years of canonical comics and novels.
In “The Acolyte,” an investigation into a spree of murders pits a Jedi Master and his former Padawan against forces of evil long thought to be extinct within the galaxy. In addition to a new era of Star Wars, the series will introduce some fun new elements into the galaxy including a lightwhip (yes, a lightsaber that’s also a whip) and a Wookiee Jedi.
The new series is created by “Russian Doll” creator Leslye Headland, who is a lifelong Star Wars fan, and features a cast led by Amandla Stenberg (“The Hunger Games”), Lee Jung-jae (“Squid Game”), and Manny Jacinto (“The Good Place”).
Below, we’ve compiled everything you need to know about “The Acolyte,” from when and where to tune in, to how exactly the show fits into the Star Wars timeline. So, keep on reading, and may the force be with you.
“The Acolyte” premieres on Tuesday, June 4 with two episodes. The subsequent six episodes will be released weekly on Tuesdays.
“The Acolyte” comes out at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Tuesday nights, exclusively on Disney+.
“The Acolyte” airs exclusively on Disney+, so you’ll need a Disney+ subscription to stream it.
Disney+ starts at $7.99/month with ads, but you can upgrade to the ad-free plan for $13.99/month. On either of these plans, you can stream all things Star Wars, from all three film trilogies to “The Clone Wars” and beyond. Disney+ originals in the Star Wars galaxy include “The Mandalorian,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” “Ahsoka,” and of course, “The Acolyte.”
Disney also offers a few bundle options to stream more for less. For $9.99/month, you can get Disney+ and Hulu both with ads, and for just $1 more than ad-free Disney+ on its own, you’ll also get access to ad-free Hulu. There’s also a trio option with ESPN+ — with ads, it’s $14.99/month, while going ad-free will cost $24.99/month total.
“The Acolyte” features actors almost entirely new to the Star Wars universe (Joonas Suotamo, who portrayed Chewbacca in the sequel trilogy, is the only major returning actor), but fans may recognize a character or two from the “Star Wars: The High Republic” book series.
“The Acolyte” will have eight episodes. Below, see the Disney+ release dates for all episodes of the series.
“The Acolyte” is set in the waning years of the High Republic era — roughly 132 BBY. Where does this fit into the rest of the Star Wars timeline? Let’s get into it by looking at when all nine of the main trilogy films are set.
So, to sum up a long-winded answer in one sentence: “The Acolyte” takes place before every Star Wars story we’ve ever seen on screen, be it live-action or animation.
Just as we mark years as BC or AD, years in the Star Wars timeline are marked as BBY or ABY — before the Battle of Yavin or After the Battle of Yavin.
The Battle of Yavin is depicted in “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope,” so everything set in the timeline beyond that (“The Mandalorian,” the sequel trilogy, etc.) is considered ABY.