The Acolyte showrunner reveals first details about the new Star Wars prequel

Star Wars The Phantom Menace
(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

New plot details on the upcoming Star Wars show The Acolyte have been revealed.  

A new report from Vanity Fair has revealed that the show is set a century before The Phantom Menace, the first prequel film. "A lot of those characters haven't even been born yet," showrunner Leslye Headland said. 

"We're taking a look at the political and personal and spiritual things that came up in a time period that we don't know much about," she continued. "My question when watching The Phantom Menace was always like, 'Well, how did things get to this point?' How did we get to a point where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it? Like, what went wrong? What are the scenarios that led us to this moment?"

Headland also explained that the show takes place in a bright era for the galaxy. "We actually use the term the Renaissance, or the Age of Enlightenment," she said. 

"The Jedi uniforms are gold and white, and it's almost like they would never get dirty. They would never be out and about," Headland added. "The idea is that they could have these types of uniforms because that's how little they're getting into skirmishes."

There's no release date for The Acolyte just yet, but the next Star Wars shows to hit Disney Plus will be Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, The Mandalorian season 3, and Ahsoka. 

While you wait, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows coming soon from the galaxy far, far away.

Molly Edwards
Entertainment Writer

I'm an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.