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Credit: LucasfilmAfter its initial eight-episode run, Star Wars: The Acolyte finally concluded its saga last week. As is tradition with any popular piece of episodic media, many wonder when and if there will be a second season.
Much has been speculated about The Acolyte season two, especially with what showrunner Leslye Headland and other Lucasfilm creatives have shared on the internet. While the series did reveal some very interesting concepts, reception for the newest chapter of the Star Wars franchise has been far from ideal.
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What began as a tale of intrigue, Jedi masters, and murder soon twisted into a jumble of misguided plot points that demonstrated a disregard for the fans and a clear and blatant misunderstanding of the source material. When “woke” and “lazy” are the nicest things fans have to say about the series, something has to be wrong.
And yet, despite everything that has been written or said about the series, talks of a second season still spiral on social media. However, revelations from Lucasfilm might tease new ideas and direction for another chapter, but the way they dance around confirmation does not bode well for the series.
Will The Acolyte Get a Second Season?
Set during the High Republic era, The Acolyte follows Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae as he investigates the murders of multiple Jedi Masters alongside his former Padawan (Amandla Stenberg), uncovering a sinister plot that threatens the Jedi Order at the hands of her sister and a mysterious Sith Lord (Manny Jacinto). However, Master Sol and a pair of twin Force-users have their own deadly secrets.
That descriptor alone sounds like a thrilling adventure in the galaxy far, far away, but it was a short-lived concept that was soon replaced by a forced narrative that buried the core elements of the meaning of Star Wars under ham-fisted social commentary. Naturally, the core demographic of fans was far from pleased.
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The series undeniably had several brilliant ideas, especially utilizing the High Republic era and seeing the Jedi Order at what some might consider their peak era. While divisive to some (talking about you, Jacinto), the performances were easily some of the best the franchise has seen in some time.
That said, all the cool visuals, thrilling settings, stellar acting performances, and absolutely spectacular combat sequences and lightsaber duels mean nothing without the elements that make Star Wars the spectacular series it is. It might look cool, but The Acolyte is the pig Lucasfilm has been slathering in well-designed lipstick since it first premiered.
What Went Wrong?
It can be so easy to sound like the growing mass of perpetually dissatisfied Star Wars fanboys with an undeniably toxic history, but trouble arises when one of the most involved figures at Lucasfilm goes out of her way to remove fans from the equation.
Although she might have cut her teeth on Russian Doll, Leslye Headland consistently and continuously finds herself at the center of The Acolyte’s problems. The turmoil goes far beyond her coven of lesbian witches on Brendok, as her vision for the galaxy far, far away demonstrates the abundant lack of understanding for both the lore and the fans of the Star Wars saga.
A Walk on the Dark Side
At its inception, Lucasfilm announced that The Acolyte would cast the Jedi in a villainous role and expand our understanding of the Sith. That’s all well and good, and it’s an element the extended universe found success with in the past, but the creative choices the series makes completely miss the mark.
They say the mark of a truly great villain is that they commit their evil deeds, believing that they are a force for good. Although that aspect was attempted with The Acolyte’s zealous Jedi and Witches of Brendok, the fabric of the storyline unraveled somewhere after episode three.
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The series was billed as a study of the Dark Side of the Force where Jedi are the antagonistic force. It was great idea in theory, but the delivery did nothing to depict it’s dark Force-users as anything but the emissaries of evil fans have known from every other chapter of the Star Wars saga.
Anyone familiar with the basics of Star Wars knows that the Force represents the dichotomy of the Light Side and the Dark Side, good and evil, right and wrong. Although Mae and the other witches of Brendok used the Force by pulling at the ‘threads’ of the universe, their power was derived from anger, fear, and eventually hatred.
Additionally, Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Mother Koril (Margarita Levieva) all but admit to the use of Sith Alchemy to conceive the twins, essentially going against the laws of nature and the galaxy and forcing the Jedi to intervene. Pair that with the outwardly demonic influence of their possession powers seen before the finale, and it rips them from “morally-gray” to black without a second thought.
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On the other side of the Force, the way Headland depicts the Jedi as more of a zealous religious cult while making martyrs of her witches only further throws salt in the wound. The image of a group of women living outside the natural order of the galaxy while being “oppressed” by religious peacekeepers paints the series with an anti-faithful and namely anti-Christian message that naturally upset many in the fan community.
Although the producers tried to cultivate something fresh and exciting with this new era of the timeline, they strayed too far away from the core of the franchise in the process. However, Headland herself admits to why that happened, digging her grave deeper in the process.
Further Failing the Fans
One of the most damning pieces of evidence against both the series and Headland as a figure at Lucasfilm is her brazen overtures about not having Star Wars fans involved in the creative process. During an interview with Indie Wire, Headland made no secret about her stance on both the fans and the lore her team crafted when she stated,
“There were people like myself that were like later-in-life [Dave] Filoni acolytes. I literally had one writer that was like, ‘I have never seen any of them. I’ve never seen any “Star Wars” media.’ And she’s texting me before we started the room, she’s like, ‘Luke and Leia are brother and sister, what the…?’”
Knowing that, the fact so many of the controversial choices in this series were green-lit into existence isn’t just insulting to the fanbase, but it demonstrates a level of incompetency that should make both Lucasfilm execs and the fanbase cringe.
Logic dictates that any show, series, or film about a particular topic needs to have some form of familiarity with the source material, and the conscious choice to go against that rule has had more than a few consequences.
Wasted Potential
As much as The Acolyte dropped the ball, it did have more than a few creative concepts and impressive features sprinkled throughout its run. The High Republic setting gave viewers a different flavor of the galaxy that wasn’t bound to the conventions of the core series, the performances from Lee Jung-jae and Amandla Stenberg were remarkable, and the fight scenes were some of the most impressive displays since the prequel trilogy.
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One of the most stunning and compelling additions was the reveal of Darth Plagueis hiding in the shadows during the final episode. The infamous Sith Lord known in the lore for manipulating the midichlorians to create life, exactly how Osha and Mae came into being.
Since it was established that the twins were conceived from a Dark Side influence, it makes complete and total sense that Plagueis the Wise would be instrumental in their journey. Unfortunately for die-hard fans, it seems that these concepts and ideas will soon be shelved.
Current Status on The Acolyte
At the time of writing, there are currently no plans to green light a second season. While Lucasfilm is reportedly expanding its universe with novels and comic books, there is very little hope for a return to Disney+.
Additionally, recent reports from Headland revealed the showrunner pleading for fan support on social media. In a report from Collider, Headland made the following statement.
“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 also later went on to encourage viewers to ignore the reviews and tell friends about the show. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that begging fans to watch is hardly a good sign.
Knowing what we know now, The Acolyte abandoned the values of the Star Wars universe, insulted its fanbase with a thinly veiled social commentary, has all but lost its audience, and its creators are begging for support on social media. In this writer’s opinion, it’ll take more than Jedi mind tricks to make us forget this galactic blunder.
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From what we can tell from the recent reports, The Acolyte is currently on life support. As Headland and the rest of the team behind the much-maligned show steps away, it might be time for both Disney and Lucasfilm to reevaluate its future.
Do you think we’ll see a second season? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!