Leslye Headland has read your Acolyte fan fiction.

The showrunner behind one of Star Wars’ most divisive series is notably (and smartly) offline, but as a lifelong Star Wars fan, it’s important to be well-informed. That’s especially true after the bombshell in The Acolyte’s fifth episode.

It’s the kind of episode that resets the board in a major way, with many fans rightfully asking what comes next. Headland, of course, remains coy about The Acolyte’s final act, but in a conversation with Inverse, the showrunner breaks down the series’ biggest secret, the tensions between Jedi and Sith, and bringing The Stranger to life.

In 1999, two science fiction classics changed the movie industry forever: The Matrix and Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.

While conventional wisdom of the time told us The Matrix was looking forward and The Phantom Menace was looking back, you can also make the reverse argument. The Matrix may have been pioneering new types of special effects and telling a brand-new story set on the cutting edge of science fiction, but it also took inspiration from cyberpunk literature and classic anime like Akira and Ghost in the Shell.

On the other hand, while The Phantom Menace was George Lucas’ return to Star Wars after a 16-year absence, the film was a massive departure from the tone and style that would go on to create a new version of the franchise.

We take it for granted that when Carrie-Anne Moss plays a Jedi on the 2024 TV series Star Wars: The Acolyte, she’s brought 1999 back full circle, twice. But the biggest difference between now and then is movies that were major risks — including The Matrix and The Phantom Menace — didn’t seem like risks. Movies with that much moxie were just the norm.