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Credit: LucasfilmStar Wars: The Acolyte has been accused by the fandom of everything from racial pandering to misandry and, maybe worst of all, breaking canon established by novels and comic books previously declared non-canon by Disney. But, according to the show creator…who cares?
In the world of fan obsession, these kinds of deviations from previously imagined Star Wars concepts are very serious allegations, but Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland is openly dismissing it in a new interview with Collider. Headland has already been open that she was aware of the intense criticism she and the show would come under, and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has gone on record to say:
“[I]t’s terrifying. I think Leslye has struggled a little bit with it. I think a lot of the women who step into Star Wars struggle with this a bit more. Because of the fan base being so male dominated, they sometimes get attacked in ways that can be quite personal.”
Related: Kylo Ren Confirmed for ‘The Acolyte,’ Lucasfilm Exec Says ‘You Shall See”
With a fanbase as famously intense (to put it politely) as Star Wars, it makes sense that Leslye Headland would be both prepared for and still struggle with the kind of criticism that comes with putting female POC as the leads of a show, taking place during the largely unexplored High Republic Era, and depicting events in a non-chronological manner that apparently enrages some viewers.
Lucasfilm describes The Acolyte:
In The Acolyte, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….
The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.
However, that press release does not include the numerous controversies that have enveloped the show, including the existence of “lesbian space witches,” possible pre-Anakin Skywalker Force immaculate conception, and unfamiliar Sith Lords.
Related: Report: Luke Skywalker To Return as ‘Star Wars’ Main Character, Disney Rejects New Series
In response to all of this, The Acolyte is being heavily reviewed bombed, currently holding the lowest audience score of any Star Wars series to date (yes, including the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special). It turns out that Leslye Headland is actually pretty chill about that and thinks review bombing is basically part and parcel of the Star Wars universe these days.
[Collider]: Are there conversations behind the scenes where people acknowledge that this is a movement to review-bomb on Rotten Tomatoes and [that] isn’t actually indicative of what fans are actually thinking?
[Leslye Headland]: Oh, yes. Everybody knows what review bombing is like. Truly when the show first came out, my publicist was like, “OK, with the review…” I was like, “Does anybody take that seriously anymore?” Perhaps the average… I understand the point of it, which is that the average viewer would look at the site and say, “Oh, the user review is really low.” But I think that, if you’re in the Star Wars fandom, I think you already know what review bombing is. So I guess if you’re totally new to the fandom and you’re considering watching the show, it could affect you. But I also think that my work in the past has been very word-of-mouth anyway, so I don’t know if it… I think that because behind the scenes, we all know what it is — it’s not that it’s not concerning — but I think it’s pretty expected. I would say.
It is likely that, at this point, there is little that the creator of The Acolyte could do to anger the segment of Star Wars fandom that already hates her show. However, if there’s a chance that anything more could rile them up, it would be simply ignoring their review bombing.
Do you think Rotten Tomato audience scores reflect quality or review bombing?