Credit: Inside the MagicIf you tuned in to the latest episode of The Acolyte last night, you’ll know that things got surprisingly steamy as Osha (Amandla Stenberg) confronted a scarred and shirtless Qimir (Manny Jacinto) at the hot springs of some unknown planet. However, this was hardly the heated, blood-rushing scene the showrunners hoped for.
Considering the fact that viewers saw the show’s self-proclaimed Sith Lord impale young Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) and snap the neck of Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett) viciously and violently, “seduced by the Dark Side” is not exactly the phrase we’d use to describe the episode. Moreover, this mix of death and mature scenes might spell curtains for a certain director’s future project.
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Lucasfilm’s resident visionary and Chief Creative Officer, Dave Filoni, recently showed interest in pursuing an R-rated Star Wars project. However, that might be a pipe dream as reviews and negative fan reception continue to drag The Acolyte further into oblivion.
The Acolyte: Too Hot for Disney+
Last night’s episode, “Teach/Corrupt.” saw Qimir take off more than just his helmet when confronted by a kidnapped Osha. The strange smuggler/Sith gives quite an alluring performance (as pointed out by Polygon) as he attempts to sway Osha to his side of the Force, but the scene comes off as incredibly jarring with the knowledge of what he’s capable of.
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Even Osha calls him out for murdering young Padawans during their conversation, which he simply dismisses as slaying his enemies. As tempting and seductive as some villainous archetypes might be, now’s not the time to throw on the smolder, especially given the show’s recent reviews.
The Acolyte was billed as a darker shade of Star Wars right from the get-go, but this increase in mature content might not sit well with some Disney+ subscribers. As both Kathleen Kennedy and showrunner Leslye Headland continue to stir up controversy, the results might not bode well for future dark materials.
Best Laid Plans
Dave Filoni recently expressed interest in doing an R-rated Star Wars film on the Happy Sad Confused podcast (found here), stating that “whatever we do, it has to be really well done.” Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, considering Filoni’s pedigree.
The Star Wars wunderkind previously made waves with Clone Wars, Star Wars: Rebels, Ahsoka, and The Bad Batch, all of which had significantly dark episodes and subject matter. However, The Acolyte has done little to keep Lucasfilm in fans’ good graces.
Although the series has only two episodes left before its awaited/demanded conclusion, the fanbase might need to let the sheets cool down before cranking up the intensity again with a literal R-rated film or series. That said, conversations about such a project are still entirely theoretical.
Similar to how Disney is recovering after its “flop era” with the success of Inside Out 2 (2024), post-Acolyte Star Wars might need a palate cleanser to regain fan interest. Of course, that’s what Grogu and The Mandalorian is for, right?
Do you think Star Wars is getting too hot and heavy? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!