By George & Josh Bate
The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte isn’t even out yet and the new book from Abrams Books is already offering tons of fun behind-the-scenes tidbits from the canceled Disney+ series.
A newly shared excerpt from the book by author Kristin Baver reveals that Han Solo played a key role in influencing the direction of The Acolyte. Read the excerpt below….
“In a sprawling galaxy with endless planets and possibilities, The Acolyte is an intimate character study that puts a fresh spotlight on that very human duality in all of us. There are no battlefronts across the star systems, no Imperial faction snuffing out the Republic, and only the first hint of the Sith. There are no indisputable versions of right and wrong, hero and villain, good and evil. The Acolyte teaches us something that Han Solo has been proselytising for decades. Faced with a crossroads, we all have the ability to choose our own destiny, but that doesn’t mean we’ll always get it right.”
The Acolyte creator Leslye Headland elaborates on this point in the book. “One aspect that I was very interested in exploring in the show was, depending on the way you look at it, anyone can be the bad guy… And depending on the way you look at it, anyone can be the good guy. Nobody wakes up in the morning and thinks they’re the villain. Everybody is doing what they think is either best for them or what’s expected of them or trying to fit themselves in a particular paradigm or ideal that is important to the institution, family, or place in the world that they find themselves in.”
In a show filled to the brim with Force wielders, it’s definitely unexpected to discover that Han Solo was a point of inspiration for The Acolyte. As Headland suggests, people in real life and, in turn, the Star Wars galaxy don’t view themselves as bad guys – they’re the protagonists of their own story. Perhaps no character epitomizes this point as saliently as Han Solo, a scoundrel, who, until his fateful meeting with Ben Kenobi and Luke Skywalker, led a life full of scheming and smuggling with little consideration beyond himself and his wallet. Han, like Mae in The Acolyte, finds himself at a crossroads and needs to make a decision that forever change the course of his life. For Mae, this decision was to murder Sol and join Qimir’s side, while, for Han, this decision was to leave a life of crime behind and dedicate himself to a cause greater than himself. In looking at the Star Wars galaxy more broadly, we can see how this theme of choosing our own destiny manifests through the journeys of a number of characters – look no further than the ensemble of rebels in Andor.
The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte will be published on February 3, 2026.
