Star Wars: The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland says she ran her writers room similar to Star Trek's Captain Picard. Following the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, Disney decided to put the Star Wars movies on hiatus for a few years. In the interim, Lucasfilm is focusing their attention on the small screen, producing a number of live-action Star Wars TV shows for Disney+. One of these series is called The Acolyte and was officially announced during Disney's Investors Day last year.
The Acolyte is set 200 years before the Skywalker saga, taking place in the High Republic era. That area of the Star Wars timeline has been featured heavily in recent publications, so there's much interest in seeing it come to life onscreen. Part of the appeal of working in the Star Wars franchise is there's an endless supply of stories to tell in the galaxy far, far away. And while Headland is the Acolyte showrunner, she's making sure all members of her team are involved.
In an interview with The A.V. Club, Headland opened up about her work on Star Wars. Funnily enough, she compared her approach to another classic sci-fi franchise, likening herself to Captain Picard of Star Trek. Check out her comments below:
“I think a lot about [Jean-Luc] Picard, and the way that he would utilize his crew and say, ‘What do you guys think? Any suggestions? What should we do next?’ And kind of hearing the debates and the sort of Socratic conversation that would result. I wanted to put the room together in that way. That also means hiring people that are not necessarily the die-hard, cutthroat fan that I am when it comes to Star Wars stuff.”
It's amusing to see Headland borrow from Star Trek as she preps a Star Wars show, but it sounds like she's on the right track. Filmmaking is a collaborative process, so it's important for all members of the creative team to have their voices heard as they come together to make the best series possible. In some ways, The Acolyte is largely uncharted territory for Star Wars. It's far removed from the Skywalker saga that's served as the franchise's foundation for more than 40 years. Obviously, there will probably be some connections to larger Star Wars lore (a younger Yoda is part of the High Republic books), but Headland's working with a relatively clean slate. It's for the best she's asking everyone for input, allowing a variety of perspectives to come to light.
Another interesting aspect is Headland is looking beyond die-hard Star Wars fans to work with her on The Acolyte. Recent Star Wars creatives like J.J. Abrams and Jon Favreau have a clear love and admiration for the property, channeling that passion into their respective projects (admittedly, to varying results). Bringing in some outsiders could be good for Star Wars, perhaps opening the franchise up to new ideas and directions. Star Wars is clearly a massive part of Disney's future, and in order for it to remain viable for years and decades to come, it needs to be able to broaden its horizons and expand the concept of what Star Wars can be. In the early stages, The Acolyte sounds like an ambitious project and hopefully it'll be successful.
Source: The A.V. Club
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