Internet Goes Feral Over 'Star Wars' "He/They" Character

While it might be a critical success, The Acolyte is proving to be a disaster with fans. Along with the controversy surrounding Kathleen Kennedy and showrunner Leslye Headland, episode four of the divisive Disney+ series just started another fan flame war with a weapon more disastrous than the Death Star… Pronouns.

After Leslye Headland and Amandla Stenberg’s comments about The Acolyte being the “gayest” Star Wars entry ever, viewers have accused Disney and Lucasfilm of pushing some form of woke agenda or other such claims. Can one character be the cause of so much drama?

Related: With Mark Hamill Replaced, Disney Begins Updating the ‘Star Wars’ Sequel Era

The series has not gone over well with many longtime Star Wars viewers, but some fans can’t figure out why. After all, a cute and cuddly character like Bazil can’t really be such a threat to the galaxy, right?

What Happened on The Acolyte?

After rejoining Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) and Padawan Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen), Osha (Amandla Stenberg) travels with the Jedi Knights to Khofar to track down Mae before she murders Master Kelnacca. To find him, Jedi Knight Yord Fandar enlists the help of a Tynnan tracker, and the following exchange occurs.

Osha: Who is that?

Jecki Lon: That’s Bazil.

Osha: Is he [dramatic pause]… or they… with us?”

And that’s it. That is the singular moment in the entire episode that sets blasters to “woke” and apparently ruins the whole experience.

Related: ‘The Acolyte’ Lead is Worse Than Darth Vader

Kathleen Kennedy and Leslye Headland might not be everyone’s favorite creators right now, but there comes a point where it feels like the critics are simply generating controversy for the sake of controversy.

Even Forbes admitted that the real “problem” with the show’s most recent episode was the appearance of Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, which seemed to create a breach of canon with a continuity error. If that’s indeed the most glaring error with the show thus far, the pronouns of a fictional alien beaver creature come off as small potatoes in comparison.

Fight the Real Enemy

With the addition of the “Lesbian Witches” in episode three, this pronoun “issue” feels like it’s only being used to fuel the fires already burning Headland’s direction. In this writer’s opinion, the fact that she openly and willingly hired writers who had never seen Star Wars is truly a more glaring issue than anything else.

Related: Fans Debate: ‘Star Wars Land’ or Galaxy’s Edge?

The Acolyte is far from the vision of the Star Wars franchise most fans are familiar with, but that doesn’t mean it’s 100% awful (or even 14% rotten). To its credit, it gets way more right than some fans might be willing to admit.

The samurai elements that clearly inspire Master Sol and his generation’s Jedi Order, the use of practical effects and makeup with cutting-edge CGI making up the world, and the pre-prequel storyline are all interesting elements that generate intrigue for fledgling fans, at the very least. In reality, it’s all about learning how not to feed the trolls.

Were you shocked and offended by Bazil’s pronouns? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!