A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away—

Hang on, I don’t know how to finish that sentence.

I’ve heard of Star Wars.

I’ve also heard of the iconic phrase from the franchise like “May the force be with you”.

I’m also familiar with terminologies from the series like “lightsaber”, “Yoda”, and “Jedi”, though I don’t know what these words mean.

With this knowledge about the series I somehow attained consciously and subconsciously, I was just never compelled to delve into the Star Wars realm.

I guess you can say I was “lukewarm” about the Star Wars franchise.

Or at least, that was until "The Acolyte".

What the hell just happened?

The first minute of "The Acolyte" introduced me to a beautiful world constructed with mythical, ancient charm with a tinge hint of science-fiction.

The film quickly lured the audience in with intrigue as the camera panned to a mysterious masked woman who was on a mission to find a Jedi, which I learned is what they call a member of the mystical knightly order in the Star Wars realm.

The masked woman quickly located the Jedi she was searching for at a table surrounded by her companions in a crowded bar.

She addressed the Jedi as “Master Indara”.

The intimate label, and the fact that Master Indara replied by referring to the masked woman as “my child”, almost fooled me into thinking they were in a close relationship.

The masked woman quickly proved that assumption wrong when she asked Master Indara to attack her and launched a full-blown assault on the latter’s companions.

It wasn’t long before the masked woman and Master Indara engaged in an action-packed fight, where we learned that both individuals have a history with each other.

And while Master Indara struggled to remember the masked woman, it was clear that the masked woman never once forgot about the former and held a grudge strong enough to attack Master Indara.

The first scene of "The Acolyte" ended with Master Indara’s death.

Me? I was looking at the screen with furrowed brows, a slightly gaping mouth, and a head full of, “What the hell just happened?”

I had a lot of questions, and I wasn’t going to stop watching until I had them answered.

That was suspicious

In the next scene, we are introduced to a woman, who we learn is Osha, who looks eerily similar to the masked woman.

I was convinced that Osha was the same woman who killed Master Indara, and it didn’t help that more things happened that upheld that assumption.

Hence, I wasn’t surprised when the scene ended with Osha being escorted out in chains and into a prison spaceship.

There was a sense of frustration and helplessness on Osha’s part as no one believed in her innocence.

I mean, even I, as an audience, did not believe that she did not do it.

Star wars? K-Drama?

“Close your eyes. Your eyes can deceive you. You must not trust them.”

That is the first line the audience hears as the show moves to the next scene.

But trust my eyes, I was struggling.

I mean, I was pretty sure I was watching Star Wars.

So what is this famous Korean actor Lee Jung Jae doing on my screen?

Surprise.

We quickly learned that Lee Jung Jae, or Master Sol, used to take Osha as his apprentice before she left the order.

And Master Sol trusted Osha, even against the many who did not believe in her (including me) and all the evidence pointing towards Osha as Master Indara’s murderer.

Plot twist

Tensions rose in subsequent scenes as there was a prison break, which led to the prison starship carrying Osha crashing on Carlac, a snowy planet.

Master Sol then embarked on a mission with two other Jedi, including Yord, to Carlac to retrieve Osha, despite uncertainty that she might still be alive after the crash.

During the journey to Carlac, Master Sol revealed a crucial piece of information that shook my conviction that Osha was Master Indara’s killer.

So, when Master Sol finally met Osha and said, “I believe you”, when she said she wasn’t the killer, I felt what Osha probably felt.

An overwhelming sense of relief that someone believes in you.

Curious? You have to watch "The Acolyte" to find out.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away

At the beginning of this article, I said I had a lot of questions, and I wasn’t going to stop watching the film until I had them answered.

The first episode of "The Acolyte" answered some of the questions I had, but those answers led to more questions.

So, here I am writing this review, yet my fingers are itching to get to the next episode of "The Acolyte" in Disney+.

And I’m not the only one who feels that way, given that this Disney+ Original Star Wars series is currently the most viewed Disney+ original series.

The good news? There are five episodes of "The Acolyte" out on Disney+. 

The bad news? I have to wait till Wednesday to get my hands on the next episode of the series.

But hey, Disney+ is home to an extensive catalogue of films I can browse while waiting for the next episode of "The Acolyte".

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of shows and movies you can check out at Disney+: 

• Star Wars: A New Hope
• Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
• Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
• Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
• Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
• Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

What? They’re all Star Wars films and series?

That’s right, Disney+ is home to the Star Wars franchise and gives you access to the series to binge.

Or if you want to watch more Disney+ Original like “The Acolyte”, you can check out these series:

• The Mandalorian
• The Book of Boba Fett
• Andor
• Ahsoka
• Bad Batch

So, hop on your starship for a ride a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, because I know I will.

Top image via Disney+.