The Death Star Human Resources Department Newsletter: June 7, 2024
THE ACOLYTE IS HERE! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
Hello there
Happy Acolyte week, to all those who celebrate! Good morning and welcome to this week’s edition of the Death Star Human Resources Department Newsletter. As a heads up, it is going to be a very short newsletter this week. A quick talk about the first two episodes of The Acolyte and that’s about it. There were too many problems in the real world that kept my attention this week. Namely, losing power five times in four days. It’s so awesome living in a failed state. I’ll be back next week with a full newsletter. Assuming the state of Texas can keep the lights on.
Also, as I’m finally finishing up this newsletter, the NBA finals have started so if there are random Luka Doncic references about how only a Jedi Master could make that no-look pass, you know why.
As always, I appreciate all of you sticking with me. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you should definitely consider smashing the subscribe button below. Or telling a Star Wars loving friend to sign up. Now, let’s get to it.
This Is Where The Fun Begins
Me when I finally make it to Galaxy’s Edge.
The Acolyte - Law & Order: Jedi Temple
The first live-action Star Wars show of the year as arrived. The Acolyte, billed as a Jedi murder mystery dropped on Tuesday. As the first show set in The High Republic era, Disney has promised us:
“…an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….
So far, I’d say it’s as advertised. Part of the reason The Acolyte appealed to me is I just like a good murder mystery. Always have. It’s the same way Andor and it’s quasi-espionage appealed to me, I love that stuff. The other reason I was looking forward to The Acolyte is it’s something new, at least to me. The characters aren’t part of the Filoni-verse. As far as I can tell, you can come into The Acolyte with only a passing knowledge of Star Wars and enjoy it.
Death Star HR Editor Note: Spoiler alert. I post this in the welcome email and whenever a new series comes out. The Death Star Human Resources Department posts spoilers. If you don’t want to know what happens in The Acolyte before you’ve had a chance to watch, I’d just keep scrolling. Quickly. You have been warned.
The Acolyte Mystery Counter:
Is the show actually a murder mystery? Yes, in the technical sense. And technically right is the best kind of right. There are Jedi being murdered. There is a slight mystery about the whodunit, so I guess we’re moving on to the whydunit.
Mystery 1: are there murders? Yes, so far two Jedi have been killed. Indara and Torbin. Mark as solved.
Mystery 2: Did Osha commit the murder? No! But we’re met to think she did. For about 5 minutes. She has a twin, it’s not some sort of Fight Club thing they’re doing. This one is solved too.
Mystery 3: do we know who the murderer is? So far, yes. Mae. Who was presumed dead. Mark as solved.
Mystery 4: why is she committing the murders? It clearly has something to do with a fire on her home planet of Brendok. Mark it as kind of solved.
Mystery 5: Who is Mae’s master? Ahh, finally an unsolved mystery. We only saw a person in black with a red lightsaber from a distance. Very sithy.
Mystery 6: What’s the deal with Manny Jacinto’s character? Is he actually the big bad? I hope so, because Jason from The Good Place as a Sith Lord would be a lot of fun.
Mystery 7: What is an acolyte? Is it different than a padawan?
Even though the show answers more questions than you would think in a fairly short amount of time, there’s still plenty to to think about. What happened on Brendok? Why is it important to kill a Jedi when you’re unarmed? Why did Mae reach for both Indara's and Sol’s lightsaber during the fight? The best thing I can say about the show is I want to know what happens next.
The Good:
Yord might be my new favorite character. I know the Jedi are supposed to be zen warrior monks, but if I had Jedi powers and a six-pack, I’d probably be a little full of myself too. I wonder if the inspiration was Ganner Rhysode
Sticking with themes from Legends, I like the idea of the Jedi being political. There are also factions in Legends trying to cut the Jedi down to size.
The Jedi Detective Agency is fun. Just like when Obi-Wan got to play Sherlock Holmes in Attack of the Clones.
The Bad:
I might have liked a little more mystery about if Osha and Mae are twins. I get there are only 8 episodes and it’s not the main mystery, but a little more suspend would have been nice. It’s like she’s suddenly alive and everyone just shrugs their shoulders about it.
The Wookiee Jedi did not get enough screen time. He should get all of it.
Killing off Carrie-Anne Moss made for a shocking start to the show, but I really would have liked to see more of her character as well.
Wildcard:
Did Osha get her name because all Star Wars working environments are dangerous? I almost named this newsletter the Death Star OSHA Department but thought HR worked better.
The third episode drops next Tuesday. We’ll update the mystery counter next week.
This Day in Star Wars History
June 7th has quite a few births and one death.
Liam Neeson was born on this day in 1949. I’d really like to see Qui-Gon return for a Tales of the Jedi.
Rick Hoberg was born in 1952. He was an inker and a cover artist on a bunch of Star Wars comics. I’m including him because he was born in Belton, Texas and I never thought I’d see Belton mentioned in Wookieepedia.
Cowboy hat aficionado and master troll Dave Filoni was born in 1974.
Bill Hader was born in 1978. I always think of him as one of the cops from Superbad. He was also one of the “voices” for BB-8 in The Force Awakens.
To close out the circle of life, Christopher Lee passed away. Turns out he was right about the corruption in the Senate and the Republic after all.
From the Depths of Wookieepedia
The first few spins of the Wookieepedia randomizer didn’t give me anything good, but then we landed on Brandis Turgah. And like me, you probably saw the name and weren’t sure if Brandis Turgah is a character, or an alien, or a ship, or a type of food. It’s well known Star Wars foods are my favorite for this section, but no such luck.
Turgah was a character from the Star Wars roleplaying game, and his bio was he worked for the New Republic and was a thief who tried to steal from some Bothans. The entry notes that after he got caught, Borsk Fey'lya (a well known name to Legends readers) forced him to work as a double agent. My favorite part though was this:
Slightly built, Turgah was considered to have a rodent-like face. His role as an informer and spy led him to be secretive at all times. He had a habit of trying to keep his work secret, even when he wasn't doing anything wrong. He kept to himself, and confided in nobody.
Sure, it’s one thing to make Turgah a double-agent, but it’s a little on the nose to say he looks like a rat. Star Wars isn’t always known for subtlety.
News From the HoloNet
The Acolyte Showrunner Pitches Her Dream Star Wars TV Show: Knights Of The Old Republic
COME ON, FILONI. MAKE IT HAPPEN
I saw some chatter on this online, but I have to say Star Wars has done a good job keeping the twists under wraps.
Rare Boba Fett action figure sells for record-breaking $525,000
I wouldn’t pay a penny over $500,000.
The Acolyte's Best Jedi Is a Guy Who Kinda Sucks, and That's Great
Sharing for the headline. And because it’s correct.
That’s it for this week. If you like what I’m doing, please subscribe. I’ll catch you next week, and may the Force be with you.
I suspect we have not seen the last of Carrie-Anne Moss given how strongly it is hinted that the murders are connected through a common traumatic event in the past.
Luka Doncic looks and sounds like a Star Wars name. Wonder what caused that scar above Jedi Luka's right eye? Maybe a run-in with a Wookie?