The Acolyte’scancelation was big news last summer, especially because the show had stirred up so much online discourse and controversy, but one year after the show’s premiere, did Lucasfilm really make the right choice by not reviewing the show?The Acolytedebuted with a two-episode premiere one year ago today, although the show had already drawn plenty of criticism before episodes had even been released. This stemmed from a number of places, ranging from backlash to the show’s diverse cast to the idea that the show was changing (or ‘ruining’)Star Wars.
The Acolytecertainly isn’t the only project amongStar Wars’movies and TV showsto suffer this fate, as the entire sequel trilogy makes clear, but there was something particularly jarring and vitriolic about the hate that targetedThe Acolyte. The news thatThe Acolyteseason 2wasn’t coming after all (despite many expecting it) actually threw those online conversations into even more chaos, rather than settling things down. With all this history, you have to wonder:was deciding not to renewThe Acolytefor season 2 really the best decision Lucasfilm could have made?
The Acolyte’s Viewership Didn’t Justify Its Massive Budget
This Show Was Simply Too Expensive Based On Its Audience
While some ofthe backlash toThe Acolytecame down to a combination of racism and an unwillingness to accept something new inStar Wars, there were legitimate issues with the show even from the outset. One of the most significant was a problem that several streaming shows of late,Star Warsand other Disney+ shows among them, have faced. Namely,The Acolytebudget was simply too big for the viewership it had.The Acolyte’sbudget, a staggering $230 million, actually makes it one ofStar Wars’most expensive shows to date, although beaten out significantly byAndor.
In part, this was an audience issue. Yes,Star Warsis among the biggest movie franchises out there, alongside the likes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe andStar Trek, but the franchise has struggled with TV shows over the years. WhileThe Mandalorian, which began years beforeThe Acolyte, continues to be lauded as one ofStar Wars’best TV shows, others, likeThe Book of Boba Fettand evenObi-Wan Kenobito a certain extent, have struggled quite a bit more. This putThe Acolyte, yet another live-action series, on a bit of a backfoot.
The bigger problem in the case ofThe Acolytewas the newness of the story. Some in theStar Warsfanbase will always watch a new show or movie, no matter the focus. Others, though, will tune in just for the shows starring characters they know and love.Obi-Wan KenobiandThe Book of Boba Fettstruggling therefore suggested just how difficult an uphill battleThe Acolytehad. This, added to the fact that it was a brand-new era oftheStar Warstimelinebeing shown on screen, meant lower viewership from the jump compared to otherStar Warsshows.
The bigger problem in the case ofThe Acolytewas the newness of the story.
What’s more,streaming has also changed over the years, which madeThe Acolyteparticularly challenging to budget for. In fact, showrunner ofAndorTony Gilroy recently declared that streaming is dead, in part referring to the fact that Disney simply isn’t going to continue to shell out this kind of money for streaming shows. Unfortunately, that was a realization that came too late to preventThe Acolytegoing significantly over budget, which didn’t help its chances for a renewal (and only intensified the criticisms of the show).
The Finale Left Some Very Interesting Possibilities On The Table
Admittedly, even I had someproblems withThe Acolyte, though none of them had anything to do with diversity or even the cast/acting in general. There were legitimately some issues with the structure of the show, such as the relatively short episodes combined with their only being 8 total episodes. This isn’t an issue unique toThe Acolyte—it’s a growing frustration when it comes to streaming shows—but becauseThe Acolytehad so much ground to cover in terms of backstory, it just felt too rushed in myriad ways.
Even with these issues, though,The Acolytehad plenty of potential that we never got to see come to fruition.The Acolyteendingin particular left a number of thrilling possibilities on the table, from the introduction of Master Yoda as part of Venestra Rwoh’s cover-up scheme to the reveal that Darth Plagueis himself was watching Osha and Qimir. Sadly, withThe Acolyteseason 2 seemingly being called off for good, those stories may never get any follow-up. Of course, that gets into another genuine problem with the show.
The Acolytesimply put too much stock in the belief that it was getting renewed for season 2, and almost the entire finale felt like a set-up for another season. The finale feels so certain that more is coming, in fact, that some believe Disney may even have told those behind the show that they would get a second season. Of course, we may never know the truth on that front, so it remains speculative. Even so, it’s really a shame that we will never see where those stories go, which a second season undoubtedly would have provided.
It’s really a shame that we will never see where those stories go, which a second season undoubtedly would have provided.
The Acolyte’s Controversy Left The Star Wars Fanbase Divided
Division Within The Fanbase Was Seemingly At An All-Time High
Sadly, the merits of the show aside,the hostility surrounding the show almost certainly influenced this decision by Lucasfilm. It’s worth noting that Lucasfilm never indicated directly that the negative responses impacted the fate of season 2. The truth is,The Acolyteseason 2 wasn’t ever officially confirmed in the first place, so Disney and Lucasfilm could let themselves off the hook fairly easily given it wasn’t necessarily a true ‘cancelation’ in that sense (although it still felt like one, especially given the finale).
Whether Lucasfilm ever confirms it or not, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario wherein the backlash had no bearing whatsoever on the decisions Lucasfilm made about season 2. Particularly considering the budget was so much higher than it was originally meant to be, it seems likely that when executives saw all the tug-of-war happening within the fanbase, they decided to pull the plug on another season.This has also left the fanbase incredibly divided, even now.
It’s difficult to imagine a scenario wherein the backlash had no bearing whatsoever on the decisions Lucasfilm made about season 2.
The Acolyte’s Cancelation Only Worsened The Division
The Decision Not To Renew The Show Proved Equally Unpopular
Even a year afterThe Acolytewas first released, division within the fanbase remains. In fact, it still feels nearly impossible to have a constructive conversation about the show in online spaces because any genuine discourse about it, positive or negative, is drowned out by the loudest, most vitriolic voices. This has done damage far beyond just the reception ofThe Acolyte, though.
These issues withThe Acolytereally built upon years of tensions growing within the fanbase. Although movies likeStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menacereceived plenty of criticism, which the experiences of actors like Ahmed Best and Jake Lloyd clearly convey, the massive divide among fans largely kicked off with the sequel trilogy. LikeThe Acolyte, to date, posts aboutStar Warswill contain comments claiming the sequels, Disney, Rey Skywalker, etc. all ‘ruined’Star Wars.
The cancelation ofThe Acolyteactually only made this division worse, even if Disney and Lucasfilm intended the opposite. It didn’t do anything to quiet the negative backlash—if anything, it just validated it and made some feel more confident in discussing their hatred of the show—and it felt like a betrayal to those who liked the show. It remains unclear whether these issues could ever be truly (or, at least, mostly) healed within the fanbase.
Skeleton Crew And Andor Were Both Positive Steps Forward, But That Doesn’t Resolve Everything
Image via Disney+
Over the last year,theStar Warsfandom has taken steps in the right direction. Several months afterThe Acolyteended,Star Wars: Skeleton Crewwas released. Although tonally different from manyStar Warsshows and movies, many found the show charming and well-executed. Most recently,Andorseason 2 was released, and it performed significantly better thanThe Acolyteand many otherStar Warsshows, with many now considering itStar Wars’best show thus far.
Still, the damage done withThe Acolyteremains, and it’s nevertheless true that deciding not to renew the show ultimately resolved nothing. There were surely budgetary concerns, which were arguably reasonable, but the cliffhangers left by the finale really deserved the opportunity to be wrapped up. It’s difficult to say definitively whether this was the right decision by Lucasfilm, as there were many factors to be weighed, but it remains disappointing thatThe Acolyteconcluded the way it did.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
