Commentary: ‘The Acolyte’ Demonstrates The Range Of ‘Star Wars’ Over ‘Star Trek’
by Frank Martin
There was a lot of controversy surrounding the Star Wars series The Acolyte. The show found itself in the middle of a culture war as viewers both praised and criticized its characters and story. But beyond the story itself, the series is interesting when viewed strictly through a lens of genre. Although traditionally labeled as science fiction, Star Wars is more akin to space fantasy. While other Star Wars stories focused on various factions of the universe, The Acolyte may just be its most fantasy-driven story yet. When its place is viewed in the larger Star Wars pantheon, it’s clear that the franchise has a much wider range than its rival in space, Star Trek.
The program focused on two sisters, Osha and Mae (Amandla Stenberg), who were separated at a young age. Mae fell in line with the Dark Side while Osha went on to train with the Jedi. Unfortunately, Osha had friction with the Order and is forced to leave the temple. Over the course of the series, the truth about the role her Master, Sol (Lee Jung-jae), played in the demise of her coven is revealed. This led Osha to turn more towards the Dark Side and away from the light.
There’s no question that Star Trek leans more heavily into traditional science fiction than Star Wars. But Star Trek dabbles in other genres. It plays around with comedy, romance, and even some supernatural fantasy in regards to some of its powerful aliens. But even given that range, The Acolyte demonstrates that Star Wars is willing to lean into the territory of traditional fantasy that Star Trek just can’t. Episode 3 in particular, which focuses on Osha’s coven of Force witches, has an aesthetic and style that rivals fantasy stories like Game of Thrones. And when placed into a universe with other shows such as Andor and The Mandalorian, it’s clear that Star Wars has a much bigger genre range than Star Trek.
The Acolyte is now streaming on Disney+.
