I’m writing this with only the first 3 episodes out so far, but my hopes for a solid Star Wars series are not as high as they were.
I liked the first 2 episodes fairly well- I think the Acolyte does a good job displaying the Jedi Order in an era different from any other on screen. Master Sol is a neat Jedi- I like how he’s compassionate and puts the ‘bigger picture’ in view when following the Jedi Order; he shows how one can be a compassionate and considerate Jedi while still adhering to the Order. The general concept of Jedi investigating mysterious murders is also cool.
I had a lot of problems with the third episode though. The biggest was: Why would Mae turn homicidal and want to kill her sister just after they finished saying how much they love each other and just because Osha wants to be a Jedi? That makes no sense and was out of proportion. It makes the whole episode lack credibility, and dramatically weakens the whole show. Also, I really didn’t like that it’s heavily suggested that Mae and Osha were conceived of the Force (or maybe I misunderstood this?). If they were, this really weakens the whole anomaly of Anakin Skywalker, normalizing his origins and frankly making the whole Skywalker Saga less meaningful – which I think is a HUGE mistake given that all of Star Wars is built on the foundation of the first 6 films.
I’m still going to keep watching though. I’m hopeful these flaws aren’t central to the storyline and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for some better storytelling going forward.