I liked the opening title card, a mix of familiar fonts from previous crawls.

The Acolyte definitely benefits from being a fresh start for the creators and the audience alike. No homework required. No needless fan service added to the mix, and although there are nods to the publishing side The High Republic they are so subtle they likely wouldn’t be noticeable to anyone who hasn’t read the books and comics yet. Which is what good fan service should be, not the key jangling kind we often get under Filoni.

It does also help that not all the Jedi are devout dorks who shy away from emotional attachment. And so far, there are no logic defying plot issues and handwaving away, that we saw too often saw in Ahsoka, BoBF, Kenobi and late Mandalorian. It appears the Jedi as a concept and an order will be scrutinized here, with anxiety in regarding the perception of the Jedi Order to governing bodies and the public by Vernestra being something I’m looking forward to see more of as the story progresses.

The two main leads are great so far, and like others have said some good performances from the supporting cast too. Direction and editing is tight, loving the look of the show and the choreography of action scenes. Sets look gorgeous. The story is compelling and has grown on me already after only two episodes. A solid and entertaining setup, with much mystery to explore.

Some likes: the yellow lightsabers, Jedi having attachments, behaving more like some of us older fans may have envisioned the Jedi to be before the Prequels retconned all that. Jedi outposts on different planets. Seeing a Jedi Wookiee onscreen. Manny Jacinto’s role and hoping to see more of that. Being actively engaged with a story and wanting to see how it plays out.