Next Star Wars Showrunner Confirms Disney Is Moving Away From One George Lucas Idea

Summary

• “The Acolyte” will redefine balance in the Force, emphasizing the need for both light and dark, contrary to George Lucas’ original view that the dark side was the cause of imbalance.
• Disney has shifted the concept of balance in the Force since taking over “Star Wars,” and it can be seen from the sequel trilogy to shows like “Ahsoka.”
• Lucas’ views on balance in the Force evolved in “The Clone Wars” and will influence “The Acolyte.”

The Acolyte has promised to be different from any other Star Wars story that has come before it, and showrunner Leslye Headland recently confirmed that means moving away from one of George Lucas’ central ideas about the Force. As more details about The Acolyte are confirmed, it is becoming clear that the upcoming Star Wars show will completely change the franchise in a number of ways. The Acolyte is set to change the Star Wars timeline by depicting the High Republic era in live-action, but it will also shift a much more fundamental part of the franchise: how the Force is understood.

Speaking to the Total Film magazine, Headland said that she and The Acolyte are taking a different approach to defining what balance in the Force looks like.

“Honestly, the way I look at it is, there is no light without darkness. No good without bad. So to me – and this might just be a personal thing – the Force is about balance. It’s not just a Marvel superpower. (The Force-sensitive) aren’t using telekinesis because they’re special, powerful people; it’s because they’ve achieved balance. As Yoda says, ‘My ally is the Force.’ So the idea of a separation from that was really interesting… If you are unbalanced, the Force cannot protect you.”

In the original and prequel trilogies, George Lucas viewed the dark side of the Force as the cause of imbalance in the Force. Lucas described true balance in the Force in 2010, when he said that “What happens when you go to the dark side is it goes out of balance, and then you get really selfish.” Headland’s view of balance in the Force directly contradicts that belief, as her quote mentioned that “there is no light without darkness.” It’s an interesting take on the issue of balance, but it’s not exactly novel, as Star Wars has been reexamining that central conflict for years now.

Disney Has Been Reinterpreting “Balance” For Quite Some Time

Since Lucas stepped away from Star Wars and Disney took over, the idea of balance in the Force has been shifting. Balance in the Force is now much more about mastering both the dark and the light, and it can be seen in several different areas of the franchise. One of the main areas it was displayed was in the sequel trilogy, through Rey Skywalker and Kylo Ren’s Force dyad, a connection between light and dark side users that granted them immense strength. Lucas’ interpretation of the Force shouldn’t have given them special powers for blending both sides, it would have weakened them both by causing imbalance.

Another great example of Disney’s new definition of balance comes from Ahsoka. In the World Between Worlds, Ahsoka was visited by Anakin’s Force ghost. The main difference in Anakin’s portrayal there was that he had grown significantly by balancing both sides of his identity: his strength in the light as Anakin with his strength in the dark as Vader. The idea of balancing both sides of the Force isn’t entirely new, though, as George Lucas’ definition of balance seemed to be evolving just before his departure from the franchise.

Lucas was directly involved in Star Wars: The Clone Wars when it introduced the Mortis gods, three powerful and ancient Force users. The Mortis gods, and particularly the Father, represented a very different view of the Force, one where light and dark had to live in harmonywith neither side overtaking the other. That arc marked a major shift in Lucas’ thinking about balance in the Force, and it seems now Star Wars is expanding upon it even further. It will be interesting to see what The Acolyte adds to the discussion of balance, and how its light and dark side users can coexist.