When Is The Acolyte Set In The Star Wars Timeline?

Summary The Acolyte takes viewers back to the golden age of the Jedi Order 100 years before The Phantom Menace.

Set at the end of the High Republic Era, the series explores the Jedi's power and looming darkness in a changing galaxy.

Premiering on June 4 on Disney+, The Acolyte follows a former Padawan and her Jedi Master investigating crimes.

Disney's new Star Wars TV show, The Acolyte, welcomes viewers to a whole new part of the timeline. Star Wars has always had a habit of hopping around the timeline, with the many Star Wars movies and TV shows even charting the Skywalker Saga out of order. But when the main story wrapped up with 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, it was clear Lucasfilm needed to be even bolder if the franchise was to stay alive.

So far, the various Star Wars Disney+ TV shows have been set in very familiar territory. While it's true The Mandalorian kicked off with original characters, it didn't take long for a strew of cameos to turn up, including Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker himself. The Acolyte is something different, a glimpse of an age when the light of the Jedi shone brightly across the galaxy. Here's when The Acolyte is set during the Star Wars timeline.

The Acolyte Is Set 100 Years Before The Phantom Menace

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Star Wars: The Acolyte is set at the end of the High Republic Era, the golden age of the Jedi Order and the High Republic. It's roughly 100 years before Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, which showed the Jedi in retreat from the galaxy, bound by the Senate's politics and the whims of the chancellor. At the time of The Acolyte, the Jedi were less centralized, more willing - even eager - to involve themselves in the affairs of ordinary citizens.

The Acolyte's High Republic Setting Explained

The High Republici Era began roughly 500 years before the Skywalker Saga, and there are subtle hints in Ahsoka that the Jedi of that time went through some sort of reformation. This was the beginning of an age of exploration, with the Jedi and the Republic partnering in missions to chart more of the Star Wars galaxy map, pushing on into the Outer Rim. The Jedi did not go unopposed; as seen in Lucasfilm's Star Wars: The High Republic transmedia initiative, they collided with ancient allies of the Sith and space pirates who resented the Republic's expansion.

But The Acolyte is set at the end of the High Republic Era, meaning the golden age of the Jedi is coming to an end. Even Jedi aren't immune to the temptations of power, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them using their Force powers to demonstrate their dominance; the trailers have hinted some in the galaxy are growing to resent them. The relationship between the Jedi and the Republic grew ever-closer during the High Republic Era, and the political constraints on the Jedi will have been increasing by this point in the timeline.

Still, the Jedi of The Acolyte will be at their most confident. This will be before the hesitancy of the prequels, because these are Jedi who are confident they are the supreme power in the galaxy. It's no surprise a spree of Jedi killings in The Acolyte look set to shake their confidence so much.

The Acolyte premieres on June 4 on Disney+.