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Credit: LucasfilmThe Acolyte struck a deep and unpleasant nerve with a loud faction of Star Wars fandom, who accused it of pushing “woke” identity politics on their beloved space opera, and now the same people are already certain the same thing will doom the next live-action series.
The Star Wars franchise is in something of a reset mode, with Lucasfilm looking to revitalize a series that has become increasingly bogged down in endless conversations over what “canon” means and how many people of color can appear on screen before it somehow becomes a racial polemic.
While the Disney-produced sequel trilogy grossed a whole lot of money at the box office, there has not been a theatrically released Star Wars film in five years, and Disney+ series like The Mandalorian are no longer receiving the acclaim or (more importantly) the viewership they once did.
Related: ‘Star Wars’ Producer Says George Lucas Never Understood His Own Characters
The Acolyte was the first Disney+ Star Wars TV series based on entirely new characters since The Mandalorian first began streaming in 2019 and then became a launchpad for Clone Wars characters once Dave Filoni entered the picture.
Created by Leslye Headland, the series followed Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) and his former Padawan Osha (Amandla Stenberg) as they investigate the mysterious deaths of numerous Jedi during the High Republic area, approximately a century before The Phantom Menace (1999).
The series was controversial before it even aired, in large part because of Leslye Headland‘s joking comments that it would be the “gayest” Star Wars project yet (Headand is openly gay, it should be noted) and for featuring a cast of mostly POC actors.
The Acolyte was also criticized for allegedly breaking canon (it didn’t) and for being of poor quality in terms of acting and filmmaking (which is subjective, to say the least), but it would be facetious to say that the idea of “identity politics” did not permeate the cultural conversation around it.
Now, Star Wars scooper @BespinBulletin is claiming that the upcoming live-action series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is getting a harsh internal reception at the studio and fans are claiming it must somehow be because the show, which no one has yet seen, is not focused enough on identity politics to satisfy “woke” executives.
‘Skeleton Crew’ according to @TheRochaSays isn’t being received very well at Lucasfilm.
This echoes similar statements made by both myself and @MakingStarWars. We’ve been saying/hearing similar things for a long time – certainly since last year.
Just keep expectations in check. pic.twitter.com/o9LQlWOUQP
— BespinBulletin.com (@BespinBulletin) July 24, 2024
Numerous social media commentators have chimed in to assert that the relative lack of press around Skeleton Crew must have to do with it not being “woke” enough. The theory goes as such:
- The Acolyte was “woke.”
- Lucasfilm liked it.
- Lucasfilm reportedly does not like Skeleton Crew
- Therefore, Skeleton Crew must not be “woke” enough and is being somehow punished by the studio for that.
Related: Demonic Heroines Challenge the Jedi Order in ‘The Acolyte’
Needless to say, there are many assumptions that go into reaching this conclusion. @iOrder66 postulated, “Not enough identity politics 🤔,” while @KingOfNarwals asked, “Is it related to the toxic work environment behind the scenes?”
@Liambacon3 alluded to the common perception that Disney has “ruined” Star Wars with gender and racial politics, saying, “They thought the Acolyte was good. They thought the Sequels were good, they thought the Last Jedi was good enough to give RJ his own trilogy.” @DarthNihilusx cut through the subtext and just said it outright: “Because there’s not lesbian witches and their agenda. It’s definitely going to be better than Wokelyte.”
Skeleton Crew does not yet have a scheduled release date but is expected to be streaming on Disney+ in late 2024. The series was created by Jon Watts and Christopher Ford, with at least one episode directed by Bryce Dallas Howard. It stars Jude Law, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Robert Timothy Smith, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Kyriana Kratter, Tunde Adebimpe, Kerry Condon, and Jaleel White.
Do you think Lucasfilm will make The Acolyte season 2?