It is part of the Star Wars franchise, set at the end of the High Republic era before the events of the Skywalker Saga, and follows a Jedi investigation into a series of crimes.

[4][5] It sees a respected Jedi Master investigating a series of crimes that bring him into contact with a former Padawan learner and reveal sinister forces.

Plagueis was first referenced in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) and further explored in EU works, but this series is the character's first on-screen appearance.

[4] Lucasfilm executive Rayne Roberts was developing the series with Headland,[33] who was influenced by the games and novels of the Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU).

[39] The Hollywood Reporter speculated that evolving viewing habits in the streaming era and "the erosion of goodwill of the Star Wars brand" also factored into the decision.

[2][41] The series' writers included Jason Micallef, Charmaine DeGrate, Jasmyne Flournoy, Eileen Shim, Claire Kiechel, Kor Adana, Cameron Squires, Jocelyn Bioh, and Jen Richards.

[45] The Acolyte is a mystery thriller with a serialized story that builds throughout the first season, inspired by the approach of fellow Star Wars series Andor.

[48] Jodie Turner-Smith and Russian Doll co-star Charlie Barnett entered final negotiations to join the series in September 2022,[49][50] when Lee Jung-jae and Manny Jacinto were cast.

[60] At the end of May, a week before the series premiered, Headland confirmed longstanding rumors that Stenberg was actually portraying two characters: Mae and her twin sister Osha.

[67] From mid to late March, filming took place on Madeira Island, Portugal,[72][73][74] including at Fanal Forest and the parishes of Caniçal and Ribeira da Janela.

[63] Headland said additional dialogue recording (ADR) work could not be completed during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike which delayed the end of post-production, but the series was mostly done by March 2024.

All music by Michael Abels, except where noted:[82] Headland and members of the cast presented the first footage from the series at Star Wars Celebration London in April 2023.

[83] IGN's Ryan Dinsdale noted elements in the trailer that are associated with the High Republic, including the white robes and yellow lightsabers of some Jedi characters, and compared some scenes to the aesthetics of the original and prequel trilogies.

[87] Later that month, Lucasfilm and Stenberg released a video of the actor performing John Williams's musical theme for the Force from the Star Wars films on her grandfather's violin.

[94][95] Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, estimated that the first two episodes were watched for 488 million minutes during the week of June 3.

The website's critics consensus reads, "Taking fresh risks with Star Wars lore while having infectious fun playing with the stylistic trappings of a galaxy far, far away, The Acolyte is a Padawan series with the potential to become a Master.

[110] Initial reviews praised the performances, action scenes, and different take on familiar Star Wars elements, but also called the series "far from perfect".

[112] Bryan Young at /Film similarly called the series a "breath of fresh air", describing it as a "well-wrought detective story" and positively comparing the action scenes to those of the films Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Hero (2002).

Club who said it was an intriguing franchise entry that "thrills precisely for the way it repurposes well-worn Star Wars tropes" while introducing a new story and characters.

[115] Liz Shannon Miller, writing for Consequence, found The Acolyte to be bold and fun, calling it a dream project for "anyone curious about the full potential of Star Wars".

[117] Brian Lowry at CNN said the series' lack of connections to Star Wars canon "prove[d] both an advantage and disadvantage", calling it an "intriguing if modest addition" to the franchise.

[120] Writing for The Independent, Ed Power criticized the dialogue and felt the combination of martial arts with the Force for the action scenes "doesn't quite work".

[122] For USA Today, Kelly Lawler complained that the series was "full of logical fallacies, hokey dialogue and nonsensical plots", and felt it contained the worst elements of the Star Wars prequel films.

[123] Slate's Sam Adams felt the series "shrinks the world rather than expanding it" and criticized the amount of money spent on "lavish set pieces rather than building out environments".

Goldman felt Sol was the strongest character of the season and praised Lee Jung-jae's performance, but wished his backstory was better told in the flashback episodes.

[126] Specific issues included its initial description as being "female-centric";[127] the casting of Stenberg, who is non-binary and uses both she/her and they/them pronouns;[128] the overall prominence of women and people of color;[37] and the idea that Headland, who is openly queer and also the first woman to create a Star Wars series,[37][129] was pushing an "LGBTQ+ agenda".

[37] Stenberg said racist responses to her casting had a negative impact on her and people close to her,[9] and she later released a song titled "Discourse" that criticized the intolerance she had faced.

[139][140] Dirk Libbey at CinemaBlend said this was proof that the review bombing did not reflect the views of the entire audience and he was happy to see The Acolyte go viral for a positive reason following all of the negativity it had faced.

[39] Stenberg was not surprised by the cancellation because of the cast receiving a "rampage of... hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred and hateful language" since the series was announced.

Titled Star Wars: The Acolyte – Kelnacca, the one-shot was written by High Republic writer Cavan Scott with art by Marika Cresta.