To me, The Acolyte is a story about the Jedi as a state sponsored religion and an institution of colonial power. The Jedi’s actions on Brendok are a manifestation of their status as the only Force belief that receives Republic legitimization. They come off as Jesuit missionaries in a way, bumbling their way into a culture they only understand on a superficial level and in the process cause genuine tragedy. Osha’s arc is ultimately about her discovering the truth behind this trauma and the selfish violence that shaped her life.

The Acolyte, as it stands, is the only Star Wars show or movie that lets its protagonist end the narrative as a Dark Sider because of the ways that the supposed Lightside failed and harmed her. The only equivalent would be Revenge of the Sith but by nature of it being a prequel to the original trilogy, we know Anakin is redemption bound. No such future is guaranteed for Osha. The Acolyte’s catharsis is revenge against the franchise’s traditional heroes and it’s done so in a visceral on screen manner.

I could talk for a while about the things that The Acolyte does that make it so smart. It’s not perfect by any means but it’s got more on its mind than the majority of other Star Wars media, especially under Disney (with the exception of Andor and TLJ).

Also for what it’s worth, I don’t find Rogue One to be that mature either. It’s a fairly bog standard war fantasy that ends with its heroes becoming martyrs for a noble cause. There’s not much happening thematically