Part 2/12:
Leslie Hedland, the creator of The Acolyte, emphasizes that the series was always a risky venture. Unlike other Star Wars entries, the show attempted a bold narrative approach by sidestepping familiar tropes and visual language. It was set in an era with “all-new characters” and avoided the traditional iconic elements such as stormtroopers and the political conflicts the franchise is renowned for. Instead, it drew inspiration from the High Republic novels, which itself was a recent, but failed, creative gamble aiming to fill in the galaxy’s lore with fresh storytelling.