Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte season 1, episode 1.
Summary
Carrie-Anne Moss was heavily featured in the opening scene ofThe Acolyte, and her role in theStar Warsshow pulled off a twist that was pioneered by a 1996 horror film. Moss playsJedi Master Indara inThe Acolyte, and her first scenes in the show featured her in a deadly battle againstthe Sith Acolyte Mae. Despite being a prominent part ofThe Acolyte’s marketing and the first Jedi ofthe High Republic erashown in live-action, Indara remained a mysterious character. It turns out the show kept details about Indara sparse for a reason, and that she was part of a major twist.
It has always been known thatThe Acolytewould center around a rash of Jedi killings and present itself as something of a mystery, but its promotion was notably tight-lipped as far as details were concerned. Every piece of marketing offered glimpses intotheStar Warsshow’sworld and characters, but almost nothing about its story. Much of that was done to preserve the central mystery, but it also opened up an opportunity forThe Acolyteto pull off a massive twist early on, and channel a surprising horror movie as its inspiration.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode Guide - Cast Members, Biggest Takeaways & Easter Eggs
Here’s everything you need to follow along with Star Wars: The Acolyte, from references and trivia to main takeaways from each new episode.
Drew Barrymore’s Role In 1996’s Scream Was Advertised Constantly - Only For Her To Be The First To Die
In the original 1996Scream, Drew Barrymore played Casey, and her involvement with the slasher film was advertised everywhere. She was front and center in all the promotional material, with her face even being used for the movie’s main theatrical poster. That was a very smart marketing move at the time, as Barrymore was a massive star in 1996. She was a very prolific child actor in the 80s, and Barrymore saw several of her most popular roles in the 90s.Barrymore was the perfect star forScream, but her character was the first person to die, less than 15 minutes into the film.
Scream
Cast
1996’s Scream follows a teenage girl who is targeted by a masked killer a year after her mother’s murder who uses horror movies as a deadly game against her and her friends.
The marketing material forScreammade viewers assume Barrymore would be the main character of the film, and therefore the “final girl” who lives at the end. Barrymore even toldHot Onesthat she took the role because it got horror audiences out of their comfort zone and didn’t let them predict how the movie would end in the first ten minutes.Casey’s death accomplished exactly that and immediately set an extremely dark and suspenseful tone for the rest ofScream. Barrymore was a huge reasonScreamwas such a memorable and influential part of the entire horror genre.
Carrie-Anne Moss’ Master Indara Got The Same Treatment In The Acolyte
Barrymore’s death inScreamwas one of the best twists and marketing campaigns in Hollywood history, andThe Acolyteseems to have replicated it.Carrie-Anne Moss had a very similar role in marketing the newStar Warsshow as Barrymore did forScream, and Master Indara played almost the same part Casey did. For months beforeThe Acolyte’s release, Moss was all over promotional material for the show; she was featured in interviews, posters, trailers, clips, and more. Everyone was talking about how Trinity fromThe Matrixwould be inStar Warsand theorizing about her role in the show.
Indara
Master Indara is a Jedi Master of great physical and mental skill. Little has been revealed of her role to date.
Then, within the first seven minutes ofThe Acolyte’s premiere, the very fight that had been hyping up Indara’s role ended with her death. It was exactly the same twistScreampulled off, and it accomplished almost the same things.Indara’s death immediately told audiences that whatever they expected fromThe Acolytewas not what they were about to watch. It may not be a horror movie, but likeScream, Indara’s death set a dark tone for the rest ofThe Acolyteperfectly. None of the show’s characters are safe, no matter who plays them.
Unlike Drew Barrymore In Scream, Carrie-Anne Moss Still Has More To Do In The Acolyte
Fortunately, there’s one key difference between Moss' role inThe Acolyteand Barrymore’s role inScream. Unlike Casey, Indara still has quite a bit left to do before the show is over.Some of the promotional photos forThe Acolytehave indicated that there will be flashback scenes at some point, and Indara was featured in them. Her role in the tragedy surrounding Mae and Osha’s family on Brendok still needs to be revealed, and while it may not be exactly what audiences were expecting out of Moss inStar Wars, Indara isn’t done yet.
I Can’t Believe Star Wars Did THAT To Carrie-Anne Moss
Carrie-Anne Moss has made her Star Wars debut in The Acolyte, and I cannot believe what they did to her during her first ever galactic appearance.
Additionally, the fact that showrunner Leslye Headland could pull off the same twist Barrymore did inScreamspeaks volumes about what she brings toThe Acolyte. It’s long been known that Headland is a massiveStar Warsfan, but Indara’s twist highlights just how deep and diverse Headland’s knowledge really is. She’s bringing in anything that works from any medium, not just the galaxy far, far away. That variety of influences mirrors the inspiration George Lucas had for the originalStar Wars, and it could be a sign thatThe Acolyteis shaping up to be something truly special and unique.
The Acolyteepisodes 1 and 2 are now streaming. New episodes are released every Tuesday onDisney+.
The Acolyte
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
