Back when I was a kid, you knew what you were getting with Star Wars. The original movies had their dark points, and occasionally amputations. But for the most part, this was a kids series for kids that adults also loved. Nowadays, with more complicated adult fare like Andor on Disney+, it’s hard to tell what’s what, and what age a new Star Wars show is really for.
Enter The Acolyte, the latest series from the streamer, which thrusts us back 100 years before the rise of the Empire to show another burgeoning threat: the Sith, the dark opposites of the Jedi. And not only that, the series is a murder mystery as a strange figure is killing our ostensible heroes, one by one.
To add further fuel to the fire, this is from writer/director Leslye Headland, who is probably best known for Sleeping With Other People, Bachelorette, and Russian Doll – none of which are appropriate for your children in any way.
At the same time, as usual for Star Wars, The Acolyte has a fantastic cast. Amandla Stenberg stars as both Osha and Mae, two sisters who may be on opposite sides of the Force. Lee Jung-jae, who folks probably know best from the main hero role in Squid Game, is a Jedi master named Sol. Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Carrie-Anne Moss and more round out the cast.
So: Star Wars; great cast; on Disney+. But is this for kids? Or is this… the darkest Star Wars yet? I’ll spoil it: not really, it’s still Star Wars. But at the same time, let’s get into what you need to know, based on the first four episodes provided for critics.
The Acolyte Parents Guide: Explaining The TV-14 Age Rating
The show, like pretty much every other Star Wars show, is rated TV-14. That’s the generic equivalent of PG-13 for live-action movies, it’s more a catch-all than anything else. So let’s get more specific.
Sex & Nudity: None at all, other than a scene where Charlie Barnett has his shirt off. But then he puts it back on.
Violence: Lots of lightsaber battles and knife fights here, as well as children in danger. It’s nothing stronger than you would see in any Star Wars movie (at least in the first four episodes, I can't speak to the next four). And while there are some stabbings and dead bodies, nobody is dripping blood. In fact, even with the murder mystery, it’s all relatively bloodless.
Language: None. They’re in a galaxy far, far away where cursing only exists in alien languages.
Drinking & Drugs: Jacinto’s character wakes up from a night of drinking, but that’s pretty much it for this, as well. Everyone is too concerned with very intense Jedi things to spend time hanging at a cantina.
Overall Verdict: What Age Is The Acolyte Appropriate For?
If your kids are old enough for Star Wars, they’re old enough for The Acolyte. There are definitely some complicated mythological things going on here, and hints of an even darker storyline to come after the first half of the season. But overall, it’s no more terror than when Kylo Ren or Darth Vader attacks. And the murder “mystery” is less a mystery than revelations that slowly roll out over the run time. We’re not talking Sherlock Holmes here or anything.
In fact, the best point of comparison here is the Star Wars prequels: this is very similar in tone and pacing to those, but, you know, pretty good instead of pretty bad. If you or your kids grew up watching those, you’ll probably feel right at home with The Acolyte.