The Acolyte Calls Out the Sequel Trilogy’s Biggest Problem

Years since its conclusion, the Star Wars sequel trilogy remains one of the more divisively received eras of Star Wars history. While there are a number of problems with the sequel trilogy, one of the biggest is called out and rectified by the Star Wars television series The Acolyte.

The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy’s Biggest Problem

One of the most glaring issues in the Star Wars sequel trilogy is its lack of compelling villains, particularly its recurring antagonist Kylo Ren. Compared to Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine in the original trilogy or Darth Sidious and his various apprentices in the prequel trilogy, Kylo Ren came up lacking in several factors to make him an effective villain. These deficiencies, despite Kylo Ren’s striking design, are apparent right from the sequel trilogy’s opening movie, The Force Awakens.

After an admittedly impressive introduction that has Kylo Ren lead the First Order on a merciless raid of a village and capture of hotshot pilot Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren quickly becomes a petulant antagonistic figure. The secret of his parentage is spoiled rather quickly and anticlimactically in The Force Awakens, robbing the character of any sense of mystery. Kylo Ren spends much of The Last Jedi on the sidelines before turning on his mentor Lord Snoke, however, this villainous ascension is undercut in The Rise of Skywalker by the sudden return of Palpatine and Kylo Ren’s half-hearted redemption by the end of the film.

This all isn’t a dig at Adam Driver’s performance as Kylo Ren, who does occasionally shine through the material he has to work with in the sequel trilogy. The problem with Kylo Ren, which one could argue applies to the entire sequel trilogy overall, is that the rotating creative teams don’t quite have a consistent and interesting path for the character. And without a compelling villain for the heroes to square up against, the Star Wars sequel trilogy feels directionless and hollow in its execution.

How The Acolyte Fixes the Sequel Trilogy’s Biggest Problem

Where The Acolyte excels is in its sense of blurred morality, especially in terms of deconstructing the Jedi Order and how flawed even its most seemingly noble figures can be. This leaves the young protagonists of the series unsure of whom they can completely trust, even as they are faced with the vicious Qimir, a Sith warrior who guides twins Osha and Mae as he embarks on a vendetta against the Jedi. In one of the more effective reveals in recent Star Wars stories, Qimir is initially posing as a smuggler while the Sith battling the Jedi is a mysterious figure who is unveiled as Qimir in the series’ fifth episode as opposed to his identity being spoiled immediately like Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens.

There is also a magnetic and enigmatic quality to Qimir that Kylo Ren completely lacks, and not one rooted entirely in the villain’s identity. Whenever Qimir is on-screen, it’s all eyes on him as he commands virtually every scene he’s a part of, especially after the big reveal about his Sith nature. By the end of the first season, we still don’t know the full relationship between Qimir and his apparent master Darth Plagueis nor do we know his full background with Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh, we just know she was his mentor and he is visibly worried about confronting her. This leaves a lot to the imagination and, with a villain as charismatic as Qimir, viewers want to know more about this sullen antagonist.

The Importance of Strong Star Wars Villains

Ever since Darth Vader first briskly strode onto the Tantive IV in A New Hope, Star Wars has led with its best foot forward with its memorable villains. It was Darth Maul and his double-bladed lightsaber that stands out the most favorably from The Phantom Menace and Anakin Skywalker’s descent into darkness that carries the subsequent movies in the prequel trilogy. The sequel trilogy never quite matches that with its selection of antagonists, from the lackluster Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke to the rushed inclusion of Emperor Palpatine.

The Acolyte is driven narratively by a set of mysteries that only become more intriguing as the story progresses, from the link between Mae and Osha to the questionable acts of the Jedi Order. The biggest question left unresolved by the first season finale is more information about Qimir and Plagueis that will hopefully be explored in a potential second season. In a handful of episodes, Qimir quickly made himself more memorable than his counterparts in the sequel trilogy and certainly got the internet talking about him in a way that Kylo Ren could never match.