The Acolyte showrunner hints at a return to extended universe canon that Star Wars retconned out of existence 10 years ago

The Acolyte
(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland infused her love for Star Wars Legends, the Expanded Universe that is no longer canon, into the upcoming series.

"There were certain things that I really wanted to do. You'll see a half Theelin, half human Jedi, Jecki, played by Dafne Keen, which was always a dream of mine," Headland said in an interview with StarWars.com. "There's also some EU lore that I decided to put in because I thought it was so cool and no one told me I couldn't. [The series will introduce] a Zygerrian Jedi and canonize one species that’s yet to be seen. There are a couple of really big EU ideas that are utilized both early on in the series and later in the series."

Set at the end of the High Republic, approximately 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte sees a former Padawan renuite with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes – but the forces they confront are more sinister than they could ever imagine. The cast includes Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Carrie-Annie Moss, Dafne Keen, Amandla Stenberg, and Jodi Turner-Smith. You can watch The Acolyte trailer here.

Lauren Milici
Senior Entertainment Writer

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.