The Acolyte–First trailer arrives for next Star Wars series

The first images of Disney and Lucasfilm’s coming series The Acolyte conjure lots of vibes from past Star Wars works. The first trailer for the eight-episode summer event series arrived this week. The story takes place a century before the familiar roster of main characters, but its young Jedi look like they are straight out of the prequel movies. There’s a ring of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as showrunner Leslye Headland incorporates some Asian wuxia influences we first saw in the mystic Chirrut Imwe and in several animated Star Wars Visions episodes. One cloaked character seems to copy Shin Hati in manner and dress from last year’s Ahsoka series. But there’s also the new: Carrie Ann Moss brings her own flare from The Matrix and Jessica Jones to deliver a new powerful Jedi of the level seen before played by the likes of Alec Guinness, Samuel L. Jackson, and Liam Neeson. One character looks like a Doctor Who ripoff: Rebecca Henderson plays Vernestra, a green Jedi with some scales that conjures Madame Vestra in name and appearance.

But along with Moss, the most exciting bits find Logan and His Dark Materials star Dafne Keen as a “Theelin/human hybrid” Padawan named Jecki Lon and Joonas Suotamo returning to play a new Wookiee named Kelnacca.