Star Wars TV has been skirting around the original trilogy's timeline, either building up to it in Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor or following it with The Mandalorian or Ahsoka. However, a new Star Wars series, one set far, far away from the original trilogy, is paying homage to the classics in a unique way.
The Acolyte has always been a mysterious project. Helmed by Russian Doll creator Leslye Headland, it’s set in the last days of the High Republic, a century before the prequel trilogy. Though the series has wrapped filming, we’re still learning new details about the production. Movies and TV shows often film under codenames to avoid drawing attention and, according to Forbes, The Acolyte’s codename was Blue Stockings.
The Blue Stockings Society was a women-led salon and literature group founded in 1750, when it was still considered unusual and even inappropriate for women to receive a classical education. That speaks to the feminist message The Acolyte has long teased: even when it was first announced, it was made clear the show was “female-led.”
But this codename has a rich history in Star Wars too. Star Wars codenames have always been unique, from the serious (Huckleberry for The Mandalorian) to the silly (Jar-Jar’s Great Adventure for Attack of the Clones). The franchise’s most famous working title is Blue Harvest, the codename for Return of the Jedi. That’s also the name of the Family Guy episode that parodies Star Wars, which brought the name into the mainstream.
Blue Stockings seems to be referencing this classic Star Wars title while giving it a feminist twist. That’s good news for any fans wary of The Acolyte’s distant setting: it still has the heart and soul of the Star Wars franchise in mind. Next year, we’ll finally find out just how its events ripple through to the classic trilogy fans know and love.
