The Acolyte has a writer that had never seen Star Wars – here’s how they made the show even better in episode 3

The Acolyte creator Leslye Headland hasn’t been shy about wanting a writers’ room that doesn’t just include those who were massive Star Wars fans.

In fact, one of the Disney Plus show’s writers had never seen a Star Wars movie prior to getting the job. But it was that unique outside perspective that led to a useful piece of feedback that helped elevate and improve a scene in The Acolyte’s most recent episode.

"In episode three, we have the twins as children. When you’re world building in an episode – creating a new world after just two episodes – you’re really intent on having everybody explain things," Headland tells GamesRadar+ of the most recent entry in the series, which featured a sustained flashback to Mae and Osha’s upbringing on Brendok.

And the note Headland "loved"? She explains: "So the kids weren’t talking like kids. They were talking like Star Wars characters. She said, ‘When I was a little kid, I just cared about how many cookies were going to be at something.'"

Headland continues, "I thought: ‘Oh my god, thank you!’ I would have worried about the world building and the Star Wars-ness of these children and she humanized the characters – or attempted to! Sometimes I was like, 'No, we’re doing the Star Wars version.'"

One of the moments in question appears to be when Mae and Osha ask for some spice creams – despite leaving the settlement before The Ascension ceremony. It’s a cute moment and, at once, feels natural while also drawing attention to the very different parenting styles of Mothers Aniseya and Koril. A note worth making, if you ask us.

For more on The Acolyte, jump into these explainers, guides, and cast interviews:

• The Acolyte episodes 1-4 review
• A guide to The Acolyte
• The Acolyte release schedule
• What is The High Republic? The Acolyte’s new Star Wars era explained
• When does The Acolyte take place on the Star Wars timeline?
• Who is the masked villain in The Acolyte? What we know about the Star Wars Sith explained
• New Star Wars show The Acolyte's sets were so big and detailed, the actors needed a map to get around and were literally “tripping on mushrooms”
• Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae on joining The Acolyte, making history as a Jedi, and why he thinks Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland has a "fresh take" on Star Wars
• The Acolyte creator talks pitching The High Republic – and the biggest challenge behind the new Star Wars era
• Star Wars' cute new droid has an incredibly wholesome inspiration behind it
• The Acolyte crew built lightsabers for the new Star Wars show that could be used "the way Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn use them"