Warning: This article contains spoilers from episodes 1 and 2 of The Acolyte.
One of the most refreshing elements of Star Wars: The Acolyte is that it can be understood and enjoyed without prior knowledge, making it one of the most accessible entry points into the long-running franchise. It's a cast of almost entirely new characters at an unexplored point in the timeline.
That being said, the series does incorporate some fun Easter eggs that connect to other Star Wars stories, such as a reference to Jedi Master Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman) having taken the Barash Vow, a concept related to Charles Soule's Darth Vader and High Republic: The Blade comics.
Another great Easter egg in The Acolyte premiere is that Osha (Amandla Stenberg) crash-lands and is later found by Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae), Jedi Padawan Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen), and Jedi Knight Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett) on the snowy planet Carlac, which first debuted in The Clone Wars season 4 episode "A Friend in Need." This memorable The Clone Wars episode features the introduction of Bo-Katan Kryze when she is part of the Mandalorian terrorist group, Death Watch.
As Lux Bonteri grieves the death of his mother, Mina Bonteri, he joins forces with Death Watch on the planet Carlac. Lux blames Count Dooku for his mother's death and believes that with the help of Death Watch, he can have his revenge against Dooku.
Meanwhile, Ahsoka Tano tries to save Lux from going down a dark path and make him see how dangerous his new "allies" truly are. This episode shows Ahsoka and Bo-Katan meeting each other for the first time as well, paving the way for their relationship that would be integral to The Clone Wars Season 7 and The Mandalorian Season 2.
The Acolyte takes place long before these events, but Carlac plays a role at an even earlier point in the canon timeline. During the audio drama Tempest Runner by Cavan Scott, which takes place about a hundred years before The Acolyte in the High Republic era, several members of the villainous group known as the Nihil are captured on Carlac and later questioned by the Jedi and the Republic.
Seeing Carlac's live-action debut in The Acolyte is an exciting connection for fans of The Clone Wars and The High Republic publishing initiative, but viewers don't need to know any of this information to understand The Acolyte's story. The Acolyte will likely continue to distinguish itself by primarily exploring new characters, locations, and storylines while throwing in occasional references to a variety of other Star Wars stories.