For a franchise of stories set a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, this will be the furthest back in time many Star Wars fans will be experiencing. The Acolyte is the first live-action series set during the High Republic Era; a period of time where both the Republic and the Jedi were at their best.

Set about a century before the events of the prequel trilogy, a former padawan (Amandla Stenberg) teams up with her Jedi master (Lee Jung-jae) to solve a series of crimes. In doing so, a lot is unraveled in who is really at play at the center of it all.

I was fortunate enough to watch The Acolyte‘s first four episodes, and it has become my new favorite Star Wars live-action series. Right off the bat, there is so much to praise: the story, the characters, the fight scenes, and more.

The story alone is intriguing, just on paper. It’s so rare that we see a mystery/thriller set in Star Wars, save for some episodes of The Clone Wars. To have a whole series centered around this genre in a universe we’re so familiar with is fascinating to see unfolding.

This is pulled off thanks to show creator Leslye Headland and the effective performances of the characters we see throughout the series. There’s a lot to say about every single one of them, but Lee and Stenberg are very much the standouts as the co-leads of this production.

In a period before the Jedi became much more dogmatic and detached from the galaxy in which they serve, Lee does a fantastic job of bringing warmth and empathy to his character. In the case of Stenberg, ever an effective actor, she really gives her all and then some, in selling the fear, anger, and hate her character goes through.

Aside from the era The Acolyte is set in, one of the notable takeaways from the trailers and sneak peeks we’ve seen so far is the use of hand-to-hand combat in several of the fight sequences. While those who’ve watched The Clone Wars know that that’s a style of combat taught to the Jedi, it’s rarely ever seen utilized outside of that. It’s so fascinating to see on full display, especially when the likes of Carrie-Ann Moss — best known for her ass-kicking portrayal as Trinity in The Matrix films — are involved.

The utmost satisfying part of The Acolyte is that it’s because it’s set so far in the past that there’s little to no connections to draw to the characters fans otherwise better know from the franchise — most of whom haven’t even been born yet. It’s because of that disassociation that fans can, for the most part, relax and just enjoy it for what it is.

While yes, there are the books and comics that precede the events of the series, and sure, there are arguments that can be made about how what happens throughout these episodes may inform what happens much later in the universe’s timeline. However, from how it’s positioned so far in these first four episodes, it’s not enough to where it’s something to painstakingly stress over. Heck, if The Acolyte winds up being the first Star Wars anything for a viewer, I believe it’s fair to say that they wouldn’t have to know much beforehand, as it’s that accessible of a show.

In the near five years since the first Star Wars live-action series premiered in the form of The Mandalorian, viewers have since gotten a slate of shows where some landed better than others. While there may be some hesitation over what to make of a show set an ever longer time ago, centering on characters we’re unfamiliar with, playing with genres and combative moments otherwise under-utilized in Star Wars, what I can offer as words of reassurance for the pessimists out there is that at the end of the day, The Acolyte still delivers on the principles that have defined the franchise over the last 47 years: The duel between good and evil, friendship, family, and hope.

The two-episode premiere of The Acolyte is now streaming on Disney+, with a new episode out every Tuesday afterwards.