Leslye Headland Clarifies Startling Opening Sequence Death in ‘The Acolyte’: “You Have to Go Hard”

‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ debuted with its first two episodes, sparking mixed reviews. Critics praised its content, while fans criticized its perceived “inclusive” tone. Despite the controversy, the show achieved the largest premiere on Disney+ this year, garnering 4.8 million streams on its first day.

The initial two episodes provided minimal insight into why we should invest in its characters and storyline, yet it does feature some notable fight sequences. In one of the early scenes, a confrontation unfolds between Amandla Stenberg’s Mae and Carrie-Anne Moss’ Master Indara.

Although heavily featured in the marketing campaign and building anticipation for the show, Indara meets her demise within the opening minutes, setting off a galaxy-wide pursuit to address the new threat to the Jedi order. Fans expressed surprise and disappointment, anticipating more from Indara. In her recent interview with Gamesradar, the show’s creator, Leslye Headland, clarified the necessity of this scene.

From a filmmaker perspective, I just felt like with the cold open, especially with a new story, that you just have to go hard. You have to say the Jedi are going to take some Ls; you’re not going to know who the good guys and the bad guys are. And it’s going to feel very visceral. […] Even if you already know it’s going to happen, it doesn’t have to be a big gotcha moment. It just has to be a moment where the emotional and the physical – meaning the fights – melt together. Carrie-Anne, not just being an action legend, is also a phenomenal actress. She was able to play all those beats within the fight as well as, of course, her death scene.

I understand the need for a recognizable action star to be the one who dies to emphasize Mae’s threat level, but honestly, in my view, the scene failed to evoke any emotional reaction or sense of urgency. If anything, my initial thought was “what a waste of budget.”

What are your thoughts? Do you think that scene was essential? Share your opinions in the comments below!