Star Wars: Where Was The Acolyte Filmed?

Summary

  • The Acolyte used filming locations in Portugal and the UK, ditching the Volume.
  • Each new planet in The Acolyte has its own unique terrain, shot in brand-new filming locations for a fresh feel.
  • The show incorporated locations in Wales and Portugal for its unique planets.



The Acolyte broke with recent Star Wars tradition, picking very specific filming locations throughout Portugal and the UK rather than leaning on newer technology. The Acolyte is the newest addition to Star Wars movies and TV shows, set 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace in the Star Wars timeline. Because it represented a brand-new era on Star Wars’ live-action screen, it required a number of new locations.

In fact, there were several new planets in The Acolyte, each with its own unique features and terrain. Perhaps for this reason, the show explored brand-new filming locations in the franchise and ditched some of the newer technology seen in recent Star Wars shows. Here’s every filming location used in The Acolyte.

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Madeira Was A Major Filming Location For Khofar And The Unknown Planet

This Location Was Chosen For Its Uniqueness

The island of Madeira, Portugal, was used for multiple scenes on the planet Khofar, where Master Kelnacca was living in solitude, but also on the Unknown Planet, where Qimir took Osha following The Acolyte episode 5. Evidently, Madeira was chosen as a location because it has such a unique environment. This worked perfectly for the Unknown Planet, which was meant to feel remote and unfamiliar.

Moreover, The Acolyte’s showrunner Leslye Headland has made it clear that the Unknown Planet was meant to mirror Ahch-To, the planet where Luke lived in exile during the sequel trilogy. While many initially suspected this was Ahch-To in The Acolyte, that wasn’t the case. However, the Unknown Planet did share Ahch-To’s rocky terrain and sense of isolation, which was very intentional.


Presumably, if The Acolyte does get renewed for a season 2, as many are hoping it will, this location will be pivotal yet again. After all, it was here that Darth Plagueis made his incredible cameo, peeking out from behind a cave entrance to watch Osha and Qimir. Surely, Plagueis’ arc would be a key part of the second season, so this filming location would only become even more important in that case.

The Witches Of Brendok’s Fortress Was Shot In The Upper Neuadd Dam

This Dam Provided The Perfect Backdrop For The Coven


The witches of Brendok were a new addition to Star Wars, as was the entire planet of Brendok, so they therefore required a new, unique location befitting a coven that had gone into hiding out of self-preservation. The Acolyte chose the Upper Neuadd Dam in the Bannau Brycheiniog, or Brecon Beacons, in Wales. Areas across the Brecon Beacons were actually used in The Acolyte, although this dam in particular served as the fortress in which the witches of Brendok lived. This filming location truly was perfect for the witches of Brendok, as it felt appropriately ancient and secure.

The Acolyte
increasingly revealed how important it was for the coven to remain not only out of sight but also safely protected within the walls of their fortress.

In fact, The Acolyte increasingly revealed how important it was for the coven to remain not only out of sight but also safely protected within the walls of their fortress. For one, the witches were hiding Osha and Mae, as they knew the Jedi would not want them raising children, but they were also protecting the vergence in the Force that existed on Brendok. Sadly, in the end, this fortress wasn’t enough, as the Jedi breached it and tragedy ensued. Nevertheless, this was a beautiful location perfectly suiting the coven.


Acolyte Master Sol and Force Vergence Custom Star Wars Image

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The Upper Neuadd Reservoir Was Used For A Key Scene On Brendok

The Jedi Ship Truly Was Right Nearby

As was true in The Acolyte, the filming location for the Jedi ship on Brendok really was near the filming location of the witches’ fortress. Specifically, The Upper Neuadd Reservoir in the Bannau Brycheiniog was the location of the Jedi’s landing site seen in The Acolyte’s episode 3 and episode 7. The reservoir had clearly dried, giving the filming location the appearance seen in the show when Mae and Osha visit the Jedi’s camp.


This, like the witches’ fortress, was also a key location. It was here that Osha and Mae were taken to be tested by the Jedi, which ended up defining the futures not only of the girls but also of the entire coven of Brendok and the four Jedi stationed there. Specifically, because the Jedi tested Osha and Mae (and Sol became obsessed with taking Osha on as a Padawan), the Jedi and the witches of Brendok had their fateful final encounter that ended with most of the coven destroyed and Osha and Mae changed forever.

Interior Scenes, Including The Jedi Temple, Were Shot In Shinfield Studios

Shockingly, The Acolyte Didn’t Use The Volume


Surprisingly, The Acolyte didn’t take advantage of the Volume, the curved LED screen offering actors accurate backdrops that has become a staple in recent Star Wars TV shows. The Volume was first used in The Mandalorian, but it was also used in both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka. Rather than using that tool, though, The Acolyte shot its interior scenes in Shinfield Studios, a massive studio in England.

The shots inside the Jedi Temple in
The Acolyte
are absolutely stunning.

Clearly, this choice worked out, as the shots inside the Jedi Temple in The Acolyte are absolutely stunning. Because The Acolyte is set in the High Republic Era, expectations were high for the Temple to truly look like it was in its golden age, and The Acolyte delivered. The interior of the Temple looked downright regal, matching the style of the Jedi’s robes in the show. There was something incredibly crisp and clean about The Acolyte’s Jedi Temple, and that really did make it feel as though it was an earlier, more vibrant version of the prequel trilogy’s Temple.


Several Forest Scenes Were Shot On The Englefield Estate

The Forests Of The Englefield Estate Were Ideal For Khofar

The Acolyte also took advantage of the forests of the Englefield Estate, which is situated close to Shinfield Studios, for some of its outdoor scenes. Presumably, this means this location was used for shots on Khofar, as that planet predominantly consists of woods. However, the Englefield Estate could also have been used for some combination of Brendok and Khofar scenes, as both would have benefited from the forest environment.


This, too, was an absolutely essential setting to get right, particularly for Khofar. Although Qimir had (sarcastically) described Khofar as a “relaxing forest retreat” for Master Kelnacca, it really became the site of The Acolyte’s bloodiest battle. Yes, there was more loss of life during the encounter with Osha and Mae’s coven, but on Brendok, the witches mainly fell to Indara, who killed them by breaking their possession of Kelnacca. In contrast, the battle between Qimir and the Jedi on Khofar was an absolute bloodbath.

During this battle, Qimir not only cut down multiple Jedi with his two lightsabers—sadly, including Jedi Padawan Jecki Lon—but also snapped Yord Fandar’s neck. The unsettling darkness of the Khofar forests at night certainly contributed to these violent scenes significantly. In fact, Osha used that darkness to her advantage, getting the creatures of the planet to attack Qimir with a trick involving her Pip droid.

The Englefield Estate Wasn’t The Only Forest Used In The Acolyte


The Taf Fechan Forest in the Brecon Beacons National Park was also used for forest scenes, although this location seems to have specifically been for Brendok’s forests. This makes sense, as this location would share elements with the locations of the Jedi camp and the witches’ fortress, bringing a realistic harmony to all the locations across Brendok. In all likelihood, this specifically was the location for the Brendok scenes with young Osha and Mae when they had left the coven’s fortress and were sitting together under the bunta tree.

This also allowed for a beautiful full-circle moment, as this was the location where Osha and Mae ultimately said goodbye to one another in The Acolyte, with Mae agreeing to have her memory wiped just to protect her sister. The different forest locations were also a wise choice, as they felt very different from one another. While the forests of Khofar were dense and mysterious, the forests of Brendok felt more open and full of life.


A Lot Near Trago Mills in Merthyr Tydfill Was Used In The Acolyte

The Specific Use Of This Location Isn’t Clear

A lot near Trago Mills in Merthyr Tydfill was also used in The Acolyte, although its exact purpose isn’t clear. However, as this location is also in Wales, it’s possible that this setting had yet another connection to Brendok. The Acolyte’s finale did see Osha, Mae, and Master Sol all return to Brendok (with Qimir as well), which means that additional shots could have taken place at this location.


This would make this yet another pivotal filming location, as the reunion of Mae, Osha, and Sol on Brendok completed Osha’s arc with her decision to kill Master Sol and join the dark side. This was truly a chilling moment in The Acolyte—which was already full of chilling moments—as this was when Osha inadvertently bled Sol’s kyber crystal as she Force choked him to death. However, this also led to the coolest moment in The Acolyte and one of the coolest in all of Star Wars, when Osha ignited Sol’s lightsaber and it turned from blue to red.

Various Locations In London, Including Pinewood Studios, Were Used In The Show

Additional Locations In London Were Used As Needed

Like the lot near Trago Mills, other locations in London, including Pinewood Studios, were used for various scenes in The Acolyte, although the specifics aren’t all clear. However, locations in London were apparently used for some urban settings. This suggests they could have been the sites used for Olega, the planet on which Master Torbin was stationed before Mae came to kill him.


Little was known about Olega in The Acolyte, as Mae and the Jedi looking for her spent very minimal time there. However, it was the one planet in the show confirmed to have a local Jedi Temple on it, and, of course, this was the place where Torbin ultimately died, making it important all the same. While some specifics may remain unknown, it’s quite clear that The Acolyte was very intentional in the filming locations that it used, and, in the end, these beautiful locations clearly paid off.

All episodes of The Acolyte are now streaming on Disney+.

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