'The Clone Wars' Episode That Was the Secret Inspiration for 'The Acolyte' (2024)

Editor's Note: This article contains spoilers for the premiere of 'The Acolyte'.

The first two episodes of The Acolyte hit the ground running, and feature a number of elements that make it stand out from other Star Wars series. It's set at the height of the High Republic era, which is a relatively unexplored period of time in Star Wars canon. It has a major twist within the first episode — the series isn't just following the titular Acolyte Mae (Amandla Stenberg) but her twin sister Osha as well. Even though it features the familiar trappings of Jedi Knights and lightsabers, The Acolyte feels like a truly fresh entry into Star Wars territory, which makes it all the more surprising that series creator Leslye Headland drew major inspiration from another popular Star Wars series.

Headland said that Star Wars: The Clone Wars was a major influence on the story she crafted for The Acolyte, telling IGN that one episode in particular shaped the narrative thrust of the series. "The Clone Wars [inspired The Acolyte], a lot being inspired by Nightsisters. We don’t have any Nightsisters in this show, but being inspired by them, being inspired by Asajj Ventress. My favorite episode is 'The Wrong Jedi.' I definitely took some inspiration from that," she said. "The Wrong Jedi" was a monumental episode in The Clone Wars' run, as it would end up shaping the direction of future Star Wars shows to come.

The Acolyte

The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.

Release Date

June 4, 2024

Cast

Carrie-Anne Moss , Amandla Stenberg , Lee Jung-jae , Manny Jacinto , Dafne Keen , Jodie Turner-Smith , Rebecca Henderson , Charlie Barnett , Dean-Charles Chapman

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Seasons

1

Studio

Disney+

Franchise

Star Wars

"The Wrong Jedi" Changed the Trajectory of ‘The Clone Wars’ – and Ashoka Tano’s Life

"The Wrong Jedi" serves as both the Season 5 finale of The Clone Wars, and the conclusion of a story arc that upended the life of Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein). When a series of bombs is set off at the Jedi Temple, Ahsoka is framed for the murder of the bomber and goes on the run, but is ultimately captured and put on trial before the Jedi Council. Her master, Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter), eventually learns that Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger) was the real culprit behind the bombs. Even though she's been cleared of all charges, Ahsoka winds up leaving the Jedi Order.

This was a major shock for viewers who had been tuning into The Clone Wars since its premiere, as Ahsoka had grown to be a fan favorite. Her leaving the Jedi was a shock that also foreshadows Anakin's own disillusion with the Jedi's ways. "I understand. More than you realize, I understand wanting to walk away from the Order," he says — a feeling that leads him to the dark side of the Force, and the mantle of Darth Vader. Ahsoka would return in the concluding season of The Clone Wars, with the series' final episodes running parallel to Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and setting up her appearance in future Star Wars shows.

‘The Acolyte’ Features a Plot and Themes Similar to "The Wrong Jedi"

Within the first two episodes of The Acolyte, the influence of "The Wrong Jedi" can be felt. There's Jedi being murdered by a mysterious assassin, an assassin that has a connection to the Force. There's even a former Jedi who walked away from the Order and is being framed for another person's crimes. In the same way that Barriss grew disillusioned with the Jedi's ways during the Clone Wars, Mae harbors a resentment against the Jedi for their actions during the fire that claimed her family's lives. The biggest link between the two comes in the form of a scene between Osha and her former master Sol (Lee Jung-jae), as it directly mirrors the confrontation between Anakin and Ahsoka. But where Anakin begs Ahsoka to turn herself in, and she refuses, Osha pleads with Sol to believe her innocence. It works, as Sol not only saves her from falling, but brings her along to apprehend Mae.

‘The Clone Wars’ Continues To Have a Major Impact on Star Wars

The Acolyte is only the latest in a long line of series to draw inspiration from The Clone Wars. Whole characters and series have spun out of the events of The Clone Wars over the years. Star Wars Rebels would feature characters from The Clone Wars, most notably Ahsoka and Captain Rex (Dee Bradley Baker); its finale would also shape the Ahsoka series. The Bad Batch also takes place in the wake of Order 66, with its core cast previously showing up in the final season of The Clone Wars. The planet Mandalore would play a major role in the series, with Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor) developing romantic feelings for its duch*ess Satine Kryze and the reborn Darth Maul (Sam Witwer) taking over the planet. The Mandalorian continues to explore Mandalorian culture, with series creator Jon Favreau even taking a voice role in The Clone Wars as Pre Vizsla; Katee Sackhoff also reprised her Clone Wars role of Bo-Katan Kryze in live-action.

One beloved Star Wars film also features a major link to The Clone Wars. Saw Gerrera first appeared in the Clone Wars episode "A War On Two Fronts," becoming determined to secure peace by any means necessary after losing his sister Steela in the fight to retake his home planet Onderon from Separatist forces. Gerrera would be portrayed by Forrest Whitaker in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and later returned to reprise the role in Rebels and Andor. He raises Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and delivers her a final message from her father, Galen (Mads Mikkelsen), who was conscripted by the Empire to finish building the first Death Star. The Acolyte drawing influence from The Clone Wars only shows how influential the latter series has become over the years, and proves that Star Wars has a wide depth of influences to choose from outside of the core movies. Time will tell if future episodes — or even future Star Wars projects — will continue this trend.

New episodes of The Acolyte are available to stream Tuesday nights on Disney+ in the U.S.

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