Early Star Wars Day trailer for Disney Plus' The Acolyte includes a fan-favorite link to the prequel movies

This isn’t outrageous!

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Disney has kicked off itsStar WarsDay celebrations early with the release of a new trailer forStar Wars: The Acolyte– and one key detail has particularly delighted fans.

TheDisney Plusteaser, which was released on Star Wars' Korean language social media channels last Saturday (April 27), is primarily made up of footage we’ve seen before. Indeed, the 45-second trailer, which is interspersed with Korean star Lee Jung-sae promoting the show ahead ofits June 4 launch on Disney Plus, mostly comprises scenes that featured inStar Wars: The Acolyte’s ominous first trailer.

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There are, though, brief snippets of new sequences amid the teaser’s familiar footage – and there’s one specific blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, concerning the return of a fan-favorite species from Star Wars' prequel movies, that has got fans talking.

At the 0:09 mark, we see Jung-sae’s character – the Jedi Master known as Sol – use his mind-trick ability on none other than a Neimoidian. This alien species, which played a prominent role in the prequel film trilogy, has largely been absent from live-action and animated Star Wars projects since the latter’s May 2005 debut. Pleasingly, though, they’re set to make a long-overdue return in the first of manynewStar Warsshows and moviesthat’ll arrive on small and big screens in 2024 and beyond.

The Acolyteis just over one month away (at the time of writing) from debuting on one of the world’sbest streaming services, so we can expect to see and hear more about it as its marketing campaign ramps up. And, with Star Wars Day right around the corner, plus the appearance of its cast at CCXP Mexico between May 2 and 5, I’m expecting a new full-length trailer to drop online in the coming days.

The Neimoidians' Star Wars history explained

For the uninitiated, the Neimoidians are a humanoid species who, unsurprisingly, hail from the planet Neimoidia. Originally discovered by explorers from Duros, Neimoidia was colonized by this galaxy-traversing race and eventually became an ally of Duro.

Unlike their Duro settlers, the Neimoidians spurned galactic colonization in favor of pursuing vast fortunes. Initially, they began by slowly seizing control of nearby planets – collectively known as Purse Worlds – before, 3,000 years later, becoming a vital cog in the Galactic Republic’s machine.

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Taking advantage of the Galactic Republic’s decline centuries after they joined, the Neimoidians were instrumental in founding the Trade Federation, an interstellar megacorporation in the year 350 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin, aka the main fight that takes place inStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope’s third act). In time, the Trade Federation found itself locked in socio-political and military conflicts with the Republic – confrontations that established The Trade Federation as the primary antagonists ofStar Wars Episode 1: The Phantom MenaceandStar Wars Episode 2: The Clone Wars. For more details on those movies, read our guide onhow to watch theStar Warsmovies in order.

WithThe Acolyteset around 100 years beforeStar Wars Episode 1, i.e. during the High Republic era – here are10 things you need to know about the High RepublicbeforeThe Acolytearrives – we should get background on the Neimoidians. Not only that, but we might learn more about their rise to prominence, power struggle with the Republic (and the Jedi), and new information on their culture and ethics. Oh, and let’s not forget thatThe Acolytewill also show us how the Sith infiltrated the Jedi, as another of its stars, Dafne Keen, exclusively told me in November 2022.

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As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.

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