Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte season 1, episode 1.
Summary
Leslye Headland, the showrunner forThe Acolyte, recently revealed a surprising source of inspiration for her work on theStar Warsshow:Breaking Bad. SinceThe Acolyteis set during theHigh Republic era, about 100 years before the Skywalker saga, its place intheStar Warstimelineallowed it to break several of the franchise’s molds. It still has to fit into the largerStar Warscanon, but the show also has entirely original aspects, likeThe Acolyte’s characters, which lets it experiment more. Some of those experiments came in the form of drawing from stories beyondStar Wars.
While speaking toEntertainment Weekly, Headland said that the opening scene ofThe Acolytecame about after she was impressed by the opening scene ofBreaking Bad, written by Vince Gilligan.
“Not to compare myself at all to Vince Gilligan, but the cold open to Breaking Bad is one of the best cold opens ever. So whenever I sit down to write anything, I’m like, ‘Well, I won’t be able to top that, but in my show, what’s the version of that?’ And it felt like the best I could come up with was killing Carrie-Anne Moss. It was icing Trinity and just having everyone go, ‘I’m sorry. What’s happening in this?’”
After the premiere ofThe Acolyte, it’s clear to see just how muchBreaking Badinfluenced Headland. Her opening scene took Carrie-Anne Moss, one of the most talked about parts of the entire show, and killed her off immediately.Indara’s death inThe Acolyte’s premiere shockedmany viewers, and immediately set a dark tone for the show that proved no one was safe. While it may not have been exactly the same asBreaking Bad’s cold open, it accomplished many of the same things very early on.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode Guide - Cast Members, Biggest Takeaways & Easter Eggs
Here’s everything you need to follow along with Star Wars: The Acolyte, from references and trivia to main takeaways from each new episode.
The Acolyte’s Cold Open Really Did Work To Raise The Stakes
Breaking Badbegins quite excitingly with a pair of pants floating through the desert, an RV with several dead bodies sloshing around in it, and Walter White taking a pistol to make his last stand against approaching sirens in just a shirt and underwear. It was the type of opening that made audiences desperate to know what could have caused such a scenario, and it clearly had a similar effect on Headland.The Acolyte’s first scene accomplished exactly whatBreaking Bad’s did: it drew viewers into a story that had already started and made them want to catch up as quickly as possible.
As far as shocking viewers and drawing them into a tantalizing story goes, Headland fully succeeded with the opening toThe Acolyte. In just over seven minutes, she established Indara’s skills as a Jedi, a mysterious connection between her and Mae, and killed off one of the show’s most advertised characters.Everything aboutThe Acolyte’s opening scene screamed “this show is not what you think it is,” just likeBreaking Bad’s did. Headland mentioned that she didn’t want to compare herself to Vince Gilligan, but the fact is, her opening was on par with his.
Indara
Master Indara is a Jedi Master of great physical and mental skill. Little has been revealed of her role to date.
It’s also interesting to note thatBreaking Badis likely not the only non-Star Warsinspiration Headland had.Indara’s death mirrored Casey’s shocking death inScream, and it’s possible Headland intentionally drew from the classic horror film as well. Those inspirations highlight both Headland’s versatility andThe Acolyte’s. They also highlight one of Headland’s strengths as a writer: she’s willing to draw from any source to makeThe Acolytebetter, and the effect of that strategy is plain to see in Indara’s opening scene.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
