Credit: Inside the MagicAfter concluding with its final episode, Star Wars: The Acolyte drew to a close as Osha and Mae (Amandla Stenberg) went their separate ways after the events surrounding the massacre on Brendok. Unfortunately for Lucasfilm, the series finale was likely a mercy killing to spare the studio further fan backlash.
The Star Wars mystery thriller, set in the High Republic era, follows a former Jedi Padawan turned murder suspect as her old master (Lee Jung-jae) investigates a series of Jedi killings while uncovering the truth of a sinister plot and a mysterious Sith Lord (Manny Jacinto). While that all sounded good after the first two episodes, Lazy writing, a forced agenda, and a complete disregard for the source material had fans tossing the show into a critical Sarlacc pit.
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Although Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland ended the season with room for further exploration and even teased the live-action debut of Darth Plagueis the Wise, fan reception for the series has been anything but warm. Now, it seems like the show’s creators are pleading on social media to get season two off the ground.
The Acolyte: A Thread of Desperation
It’s no secret that the show completely missed the mark with die-hard Star Wars fans, and shortchanging such a large audience is far from the wisest business decision on Disney or Lucasfilm’s part. However, pleading on social media for fan support absolutely reeks of desperation.
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In an interview with Collider, Leslye Headland was asked what (remaining) fans could do to ensure a second season of The Acolyte, to which she replied:
“Truly, any online support and love you can send the show. It’s a little tricky because of the way that the internet works, but if you enjoyed the show and you want to see more of the story, any support that you can give the show on social media platforms would be super helpful. Sending love to the cast, too. You’ve seen what Hayden [Christensen] went through. He’s getting the love now, but give the love now if you enjoyed the performances.”
Headland later went on to add,
“Encourage your friends to watch the show. A lot of my work has been word of mouth. We were talking about the review bombing, so just telling people not to pay attention to the IMDb score. If you enjoyed it, tell people. It kind of seems that it’s sort of basic, but I think what’s interesting is that, nowadays, if you like a show, you’re very rarely going to go online and be like, ‘I liked this show!'”
The way Headland urges viewers to ignore the IMDb score doesn’t exactly do her any favors. Especially since it seems to mirror the same neglectful energy both the showrunner and Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy previously showed their audience in recent comments.
A Great Disturbance in the Force
How troubled does a Disney+ production have to be when the creator is literally pleading on social media and telling audiences to just ignore the poor reviews? The optics of the situation are far from positive, and that season two ship has already sailed.
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The sad truth is that the fans are truly suffering at the end of this whole debacle. Headland has even gone on the record showing how little she and her team care about the lore they’re working with by denying fans a place in her writers’ room.
What Lucasfilm failed to realize with The Acolyte is that a majority of the Star Wars fanbase is completely and entirely immersed in this fictional universe, and there is lore they want to see brought to life on the screen. Cut them out of the equation, and there goes the source of funding, merchandise, and the “word of mouth” Headland states she depends on.
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The Acolyte has incredible visuals, stunning lightsaber duels, and some seriously incredible performances, but they are all for naught if the script trashes everything that Star Wars represents. Headland and Lucasfilm have denied fans a voice long enough, and the mob has turned against them.
Is Lucasfilm getting desperate? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!