Credit: LucasfilmFollowing a serious bout of controversy, one star of The Acolyte has spoken out about being cut from a major blockbuster franchise.
What is The Acolyte?
Star Wars: The Acolyte is set during the final days of the High Republic era, approximately 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)–George Lucas’s first movie of the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
This period showcases the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order at the peak of their power and influence, offering a fresh backdrop for new storytelling within the Star Wars universe.
The series explored the shift of the Jedi’s Golden Age, focusing on the emergence of dark side powers and the return of the Sith. As the title revealed from the off, The Acolyte centered on characters associated with the dark side and their villainous operations, delving into themes of secrecy, power, and betrayal.
Created by Leslye Headland, known for her work on Russian Doll, the show is the first live-action project set in this era, replacing The Phantom Menace as the earliest chapter of the saga.
The cast includes notable actors such as Amandla Stenberg (Osha Aniseya/Mae Aniseya), Lee Jung-jae (Jedi Master Sol), and Rebecca Henderson (Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh), contributing to the series’ fresh perspective on the Star Wars mythos.
Produced by Lucasfilm and streaming on Disney+, The Acolyte focuses on the High Republic and the early rise of dark side forces. The series aimed to expand the franchise’s mythology and provide new insights into its ancient history–but not everyone was happy with how it was handled.
What is the saying? Star Wars fans are the biggest Star Wars haters?
Despite the intense backlash over Headland’s The Acolyte, the series looks set to gain a second season. The climactic events of the finale—titled “The Acolyte”—left many questions unanswered and several untied threads.
From the final shot of Vernestra approaching Jedi Master Yoda to the new Master/Apprentice relationship of Osha and Qimir/The Stranger (Manny Jacinto) to that surprise cameo from Darth Plagueis, it would be a shame if these storylines were left unfinished.
Manny Jacinto recently spoke to GQ about his time on The Acolyte, discussing the disappointment of the show’s review-bombing and explaining that perspective comes with time.
“Mixed feelings all around,” he told the outlet. “There’s a lot of love, which is great, but when somebody doesn’t like it, it’s that one comment that kind of just gets to you a little bit.”
Jacinto expanded, alluding to a certain, very vocal part of the fandom:
“It’s a cycle. With everything that’s come out since the original trilogy, there’s always a very passionate group that doesn’t like change, that wants that same feeling that they experienced when they were kids, only now they’ve grown up and their taste has matured and they’re more critical about art or the world, and then they are just more precious about the things that they experienced when they were younger.”
Audiences are very protective of the legacy George Lucas began almost 50 years ago. The acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company is something that many ardent fans of the franchise cannot shake, laying the blame for canon changes and additions at the feet of the House of Mouse.
Jacinto acknowledges, though, that things may change in the future. Just like the fandom now reveres Hayden Christensen’s portrayal of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, maybe one day the same will be true of The Acolyte.
“…it sucks that sometimes you have to wait 10, 20, 30 years to get your flowers,” Jacinto said. “But the fact that a lot of people are enjoying it right now, I think that’s all I can focus on right now. It might just take some time to get other people on board, but at the end of the day, I am so proud of what we made.”
20 years ago, a large portion of the fandom despised the prequel trilogy, with a lot of criticism thrown at the feet of Christensen. However, at last year’s Star Wars Celebration Europe, the actor received rapturous, extended applause when appearing for his interview. Times can change.
In the same interview, The Good Place actor shares the story behind him being cut from a major Hollywood franchise.
“It’s flattering that there was a little bit of an outcry, but it wasn’t shocking to me,” Jacinto told the outlet of his removal from Top Gun: Maverick (2022). “There was this sense of where the film was going [on set], like I can see them focusing the camera more on these [other] guys and not taking so much time on our scenes.”
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“Fortunately, it still was a great experience–you get to see this huge machine at work, see how Tom Cruise works, and you get to be a small part of this huge franchise,” Jacinto explained.
“It kind of fuels you, because at the end of the day, Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise,” Jacinto said. “It’s up to us—Asian Americans, people of color—to be that [for ourselves].”
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He ended his comments with a call to arms: “We can’t wait for somebody else to do it. If we want bigger stories out there, we have to make them for ourselves.”
While audiences may never see Manny Jacinto take to the skies in the Top Gun franchise, they will most likely see him return in future installments of the Star Wars saga as The Stranger.
All episodes of The Acolyte are now streaming on Disney+.
The series stars Amandla Stenberg as Osha/Mae, Lee Jung-jae as Sol, Manny Jacinto as Qimir/The Stranger, Rebecca Henderson as Vernestra Rwoh, Carrie-Ann Moss as Indara, Joonas Suotamo as Kelnacca, Dean-Charles Chapman as Torbin, Jodie Turner-Smith as Mother Aniseya, Charlie Barnett as Yord Fandar, and Dafne Keen as Jecki Lon.
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