Disney Quickly Puts an End to ‘The Acolyte’ Drama After Intense Fan Backlash

in Disney, Entertainment, Star Wars

Osha (Amandla Stenberg) and Qimir (Manny Jacinto) dressed in dark clothing stand side by side against a neutral background. The one on the left wears a hooded outfit and has short, styled hair, giving off subtle Star Wars vibes, while the one on the right has long hair tied back and is wearing a sleeveless top. Both appear contemplative.

Credit: Lucasfilm

Shortly after The Acolyte merchandise went missing on Disney’s digital storefront, the company has brought back a few select pieces for fans to enjoy.

A collage of characters from 'Star Wars: The Acolyte' on Disney+
Credit: Lucasfilm

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After news broke of the cancellation of the Disney+ original Star Wars series The Acolyte, fans were quick to notice all merchandise and traces of the series had vanished from the company’s online store.

The Acolyte was nowhere to be seen, putting more fuel into the fire regarding claims that Disney had shuttered the series due to poor fan reception.

However, Disney has seemingly reversed course, or at the very least, found an extra supply of The Acolyte merch in the back, with several new items being readded to the company’s online store.

 Screenshot of a shopping webpage displaying four Star Wars-themed clothing items. The left sidebar has filter options like "Accessories" and "Clothing." The products shown include three T-shirts and a sweatshirt, each with prices and star ratings—perfect for fans of The Acolyte.
Credit: Disney

The Acolyte Controversy

Few Disney+ original shows became quite as controversial as The Acolyte, a brand-new adventure set in the ever-expanding Star Wars universe. Premiering on June 4, 2024, The Acolyte sought to tell a bold new story set 100 years prior to the events of George Lucas’ first prequel film, The Phantom Menace (1999).

However, The Acolyte would only last one season, with Disney confirming the show’s cancellation in a shocking update earlier this month. In the wake of the series’ cancellation, many fans have mourned The Acolyte, forever pondering the show’s potential.

Others rejoiced, with The Acolyte becoming an incredibly controversial show for both Disney and the Star Wars community.

The series was incredibly divisive right out of the gate, though some backlash regarding The Acolyte was unfairly warranted. A significant chunk of discussion stemmed from the fact that the show’s lead, Amandla Stenberg, was a woman of color.

This is not a new phenomenon within the Star Wars sphere, with Kelly Marie Tran’s portrayal of Rose Tico, a character first introduced in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), becoming the source of intense backlash as well.

Tran left social media following the highly publicized attack on both Rose Tico’s character and the actress herself. The character of Rose Tico had a smaller role to play in the film’s sequel, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

Daisy Ridley also faced intense backlash for her portrayal of Rey, the central character of Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Qimir/The Stranger in a dark cape stands in a post-apocalyptic environment, holding two red lightsabers reminiscent of Star Wars. The surroundings include ruined buildings, overgrown vegetation, and debris. The figure has a menacing stance with arms extended, lightsabers ignited.
Credit: Lucasfilm

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Disney had a sure-fire hit on its hands with The Mandalorian but has struggled to capture the same charm and magic of the first original Disney+ Star Wars series, with Ahsoka, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and The Book of Boba Fett all proving to be much more divisive.

The Acolyte attempted to reinvigorate the Star Wars franchise in new and interesting ways, bringing several fan-favorite characters into the fold. The Acolyte also marked the first appearance of a legendary Star Wars character, but it was seemingly too little too late.

There’s a staggering divide between critics and fans on review aggregate site Rotton Tomatoes, with the critic score for The Acolyte sitting at 78% and the audience score resting at a dismal 18%. Only 32% of Google users recommend the show, with The Acolyte sitting slightly above a 4.0 rating on IMDB.

‘The Acolyte’ Merchandise Debacle

A shirtless man with wet hair stands in front of a rocky, reflective body of water. His expression is serious, resembling The Acolyte, and the lighting is low and moody, emphasizing his muscular physique and the natural, rugged setting behind him.
Credit: Lucasfilm

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The use of The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, which enables users to view snapshots of webpages taken on certain dates, reveals that Acolyte merch stopped showing up on the Disney Store between July 29 and August 6, weeks before The Acolyte was officially canceled.

Merchandise items have since reappeared in the Disney store. Three different T-shirts are available for $29.99 each, and a sweatshirt is online for $39.99.

While the future of The Acolyte looks grim, the issue of vanishing items has seemingly been fixed, allowing fans to pick up a few more pieces of merchandise.

Some fans theorized the disappearance of The Acolyte merchandise indicated Disney might eliminate The Acolyte entirely, something the company has done before with another Disney+ original.

Launched in 2022, Willow was one of Disney’s most ambitious projects to date, with a reported budget of over $150 million. However, the show was canceled after its first season and ultimately erased from Disney+ amid a content purge across both Disney+ and Hulu platforms.

Did you enjoy The Acolyte? What’s your favorite Disney+ original series?

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