There's little doubt Star Wars movies and TV shows. This was particularly jarring, first because that meant it had become even more controversial than the sequel trilogy, and second because of the vitriolic nature of this backlash (some of it before the show even aired).
While Lucasfilm has never confirmed that this response had any impact on the company's decision not to create The Acolyte ending alone heavily hinted another season was coming. After a year of witnessing this backlash, controversy, discourse, and the show's cancelation, I'm still convinced that many of these responses were overreactions.
The Acolyte Was Receiving Backlash Before It Even Came Out
Negative Reactions To The Showrunner, Actors, And Teasers/Trailers Began Early
I doubt the sincerity of criticisms of The Acolyte in part because intense backlash was happening before the show was even released. In fact, before we had a trailer, some in the fanbase were angry that Leslye Headland was the showrunner, as she was seen as a so-called 'woke' choice, and were equally outraged by the diversity of the cast. This is far from the first time the fanbase has expressed anger over racial diversity within Star Wars and/or a woman being at the helm (Kathleen Kennedy being another good example).
This is far from the first time the fanbase has expressed anger over racial diversity within Star Wars and/or a woman being at the helm.
There will always be some who claim that racism and misogyny aren't at the root of this issue, but backlash focused on the show being 'woke' with its casting and crew inherently means that is exactly what it's about. That's easy enough for me to wave off as unreasonable, as racism and misogyny are never justifiable. While that alone had me convinced we were already having conversations in bad faith, the controversies and negativity only intensified as the show was being released.
Hatred Of The Acolyte Only Became More Out Of Control As Episodes Were Released
Each Week, The Criticism, Backlash, And Scrutiny Only Grew
There were a number of choices within the episodes themselves that also led to backlash and controversy, and that more or less escalated each week. Among those complaints was the decision for sisters Osha and Mae to be created via the Force, which many argued was stepping on the toes of Anakin Skywalker's Chosen One prophecy, and complaints in keeping with those mentioned above, such as Osha and Mae's mothers seemingly being a queer couple. Some of these critiques were more valid than others, certainly.
For example, grievances about the brevity of each episode and the fact that the season had just 8 episodes felt reasonable, given it did feel as though The Acolyte was trying to cram quite a bit of story into a very short season, which made certain arcs feel rushed. This became particularly frustrating when the show spent 2 of its 8 total episodes on the backstory regarding what happened on Brendok. It's also true that many storylines didn't feel satisfying in the end because the show seemed positive it was getting picked up for another season.
The Acolyte's Backlash & Controversies Revisited Now The Series Is Over
Now that all episodes of The Acolyte are streaming on Disney+, let’s look back at all of the controversy the show caused—and if it was warranted.
The problem therefore isn't every complaint or criticism; the issue is that the extreme nature of this backlash often reflected serious overreactions. While it's fine to be frustrated with the direction a show is taking or narrative choices, it's never reasonable to take to social media and leave a string of hate comments under actors' posts. Likewise, it began to feel like a feeding frenzy when it came to social media takedowns and content creators bashing the show every week.
Even A Year Later, Conversations About The Acolyte Are Impossible
There's Rarely Genuine Discourse About The Show Because It Gets Drowned Out
What's perhaps most frustrating is the way this extreme hate for The Acolyte has made it impossible to critique or discuss the show with genuine intentions. Any attempts, particularly online, to have conversations about the legitimate issues with the show are immediately drowned out by those who continue to obsess over hating on and ripping apart the show, its actors, and its creators. It doesn't take long for any discussion of The Acolyte to be inundated with comments about how it was 'woke,' 'ruined' Star Wars, and 'failed' because of its diversity.
The other side of this coin comprises those who loved The Acolyte (or at least liked it) and are angry that Lucasfilm chose not to renew it for a second season. Unfortunately, because of how extensive and hateful much of the backlash was, those in this camp are also frequently unwilling to engage in discussions critiquing the show because a type of sensitivity—perhaps rightly—has developed around it. In the end, though, all these components add up to any sincere conversation about the show being shut down.
All these components add up to any sincere conversation about the show being shut down.
The Acolyte Wasn't Perfect, But Some Responses To It Were Absurd
The Show Had Potential, But It Also Never Had A Chance
My opinion of The Acolyte is far from believing the show was perfect. I agreed with arguments about the number of episodes and length of each episode meaning that this complex story wasn't given the room to be fully fleshed out and that hurting the overall narrative. This is a complaint I have about many streaming shows, even outside Star Wars. I also took issue with certain choices, like making connections to previous Star Wars movies and shows a bit on the nose at times and leaving so many arcs unresolved because the show was betting on another season.
Even as I have these opinions, though, I recognize that there's no need to attack those who did like The Acolyte or the show's actors or creators, and that's the key difference. It's fine to dislike a show, of course, and conversations about frustrations or disappointments are fair game. That's a far cry from taking to social media to say hateful things about or to others, which is largely what was happening with the backlash to The Acolyte.
That is precisely what I'm referring to when I say these responses largely seem like major overreactions to me. Even if one believes that The Acolyte is the worst thing to ever happen to Star Wars (a viewpoint I don't agree with), turning that belief into online harassment is just not reasonable. This also gets at a larger issue within the fanbase that has been building for years. Ultimately, the backlash to The Acolyte was often disappointing, jarring, and unproductive, and I continue to think it was primarily overstated.
The Acolyte
- Release Date
- 2024 - 2024-00-00
- Showrunner
- Leslye Headland
- Directors
- Leslye Headland, Alex Garcia Lopez
Cast
Mae
Lee Jung-jaeMaster Sol
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Leslye Headland, Charmaine De Grate, Kor Adana
- Franchise(s)
- Star Wars
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