The Acolyte showrunner defends Episode 1’s controversial death

The Acolyte Episode 1 featured a major death that left Star Wars fans rattled, but showrunner Leslye Headland has defended the controversial decision.

Things in a galaxy far, far away kicked off with a bang, as the cold open of The Acolyte Episode 1 killed off a character viewers had been excited to see in the Star Wars universe.

While it could be argued that it “wokebaited” fans with this character’s fate, Headland has defended her decision to start the show on a jaw-dropping note. Warning: spoilers for The Acolyte below.

“The truth is that I just wanted to create a cold open,” Headland told Entertainment Weekly. “I think it’s the TV writer in me, to create a cold open that you were just shocked by.”

She continued: “Not to compare myself at all to Vince Gilligan, but the cold open to Breaking Bad is one of the best cold opens ever.

“So whenever I sit down to write anything, I’m like, ‘Well, I won’t be able to top that, but in my show, what’s the version of that?’ And it felt like the best I could come up with was killing Carrie-Anne Moss. It was icing Trinity and just having everyone go, ‘I’m sorry. What’s happening in this?’”

The Acolyte Episode 1 begins with a visually stunning fight between Indara (Moss) and the show’s big twist character Mae (Amandla Stenberg).

While Indara was described as a Jedi Master proficient in “Force-fu” fighting before the show began, she was quickly killed by Mae, as the young warrior used the Force to drive a knife into her chest.

It was a truly shocking turn of events, as Moss had been touted in the press as one of the show’s biggest draws, so it didn’t take long for some Star Wars fans to slam The Acolyte for killing her off so quickly.

However, The Acolyte still managed to set a Disney+ record, as it became the highest-viewed premiere of 2024.

The Acolyte is streaming weekly on Disney Plus. Find out about more upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, the best Star Wars quotes, and more TV shows streaming this month.