First trailer for new Star Wars TV show teases a secret Sith, a Wookiee Jedi, and more from the High Republic

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The first trailer for The Acolyte is out

The first trailer for new Star Wars series The Acolyte has arrived, and it looks epic.

It features footage shown at Star Wars Celebration last year, and opens on young Padawan undergoing training from Lee Jung-jae's Jedi who tells them, "The force is powerful, it is power, we must respect." Elsewhere in the clip, we get a look at Jodie Turner-Smith's sinister-looking character who warns: "This isn't about good or bad, this about power and who is allowed to use it." Dark and light collide in the trailer, which ends with a chilling shot of Jedis with lightsabers.

The Acolyte goes back far beyond what we’ve seen in live-action Star Wars so far, set some 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. It follows a former Padawn reuniting with her Jedi master to investigate a string of heinous crimes.

The Hunger Games’ Amandla Stenberg and Squid Games’ Jung-jae lead the cast, alongside Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, and Turner-Smith. We also know that Rebecca Henderson will play Vernestra Rwoh and Chewbacca actor Joonas Suotamo will play Wookiee Jedi master Kelnacca.

The series is helmed by Russian Doll co-creator Leslye Headland, who has previously said the show sees the Jedi at the height of their powers. "We're looking at a time period where there is peace throughout the galaxy," she told Entertainment Weekly. "It was very challenging and interesting to make a Star Wars with no war in it. So the question became, 'Well, what should the show be about if it's not going to be about galactic conflict?'"

There will be two episodes at launch, before the series continues weekly. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the new Star Wars movies on the way and our breakdown of the Star Wars timeline.

Fay Watson
Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.