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The series The Acolyte has just been unfairly canceled by Disney+, after only one season. A decision that speaks volumes about the status of this production Star Warswhose diffusion was chaotic. Explanations.
Since always, the series Star Wars are received in different ways within the fandom : some are adored, others are deeply rejected. That said, the case of The Acolytewhose second season will never see the light of day due to its cancellation, is unprecedented: never before has a production been so hated. So why did the series go through such an ordeal?
Every excuse is good for criticism.
Hell for The Acolyte started before it even aired, with massive review-bombing — a practice of multiplying negative comments on social media and elsewhere. The reason for this outburst? The series seemed too “woke” for some fans.
The production initially chose to cast a diverse cast. Women, black characters, others with Asian features, LGBTQIA+ personalities… In addition, these actors and actresses from diverse backgrounds were given leading roles and, therefore, strong exposure in the series.
A remarkable opening, which went far beyond what had been done Star Wars so far, but which has not been unanimously accepted. The series has consequently left with a bad reputation, fueled by extremely low and unfair ratings, all over the Internet. The production has thus collected only 18% of positive reviews from the public on Rotten Tomatoes, against 78% from the press.
Furthermore, the criticism went as far as targeting the sexual orientation of Leslye Headland, the showrunner, who is openly lesbian.
When the first episodes were broadcast in June 2024 on Disney+, another deluge of reproaches was added to the abusive accusations of wokeness: that of betraying the universe of Star Wars as a whole. Every pretext was seized upon to question Leslye Headland’s writing: for example, the supposedly incorrect bleeding of the crystal of lightsabers or the presence of Sith, while they seem to have been extinct for millennia in The Phantom Menace.
Happy Birthday Qimir (or not)
The series was far from perfect, for sure, with uneven pacing, plot twists that could be guessed, questionable narrative construction, and flashbacks galore that detracted from the overall plot. But season 1 still ended with panache, revealing a final cliffhanger about Osha’s decision to join the dark side of the Force, as well as two unexpected cameos: Yoda and Darth Plagueis.
The series developed little-known elements of the universe of Star Warsdrawing in particular on ancient lore, collected under the name of Legends. We will never know the rest of these maliciously put together mysteries, since the series will not have an extension, despite a massive campaign by fans for it to be renewed. Fun fact: this sad verdict was revealed on August 19, 2024, the birthday of Manny Jacinto, who plays Qimir in the series. Cruel coincidence of timing.
Audiences lacking strength
The cancellation of The Acolytewhich clearly becomes the first series Star Wars in live action not to be renewed after one season (in the case ofObi-Wan Kenobi And The Book of Boba Fettit is the absence of decision which predominates), can be explained by its lackluster audiences.
According to the American media Deadline, the series started very strongly on June 4, 2024, with nearly 5 million views generated on the day the first two episodes were released. This was therefore the strongest start for a series on Disney+ since the beginning of the year. A few days later, the total even reached 11 million views.
But in the third week of broadcast, The Acolyte collapsed. Episode 8 thus had the worst audience for a series finale Star Wars. The total budget allocated to it was still 180 million dollars. For comparison, Andor is around 250 million per season, while the first season of The Mandalorian was approaching 100 million.
A paradoxical strategy on the part of Disney
This cancellation of The Acolyte still raises serious questions about Disney’s overall strategy. It is difficult to understand why they chose to produce the series, with the perfect opportunity to give a voice to minorities, and to assume this direction, and then order them to silence, by simply canceling their work. In the case of The AcolyteTHE review-bombing negative appears to be one of the elements that worked against the series, allowing reactionary positions to gain cultural ground.
This is not the first time that these paradoxical decisions have arisen: the series Miss Marvelwhich features a Muslim heroine, has never been renewed, while the cartoon Avalonia, the strange journeywhich featured a gay character, was quietly released on Disney+, not directly in theaters. It’s odd that the big-eared franchise doesn’t seem comfortable with its own green lights: producing inclusive content, yes, but making it visible or keeping it alive, definitely not.
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