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Long Live ‘The Acolyte!’ Manny Jacinto Talks ‘Star Wars’ Series Season 2

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Posted on by Nathan Kamal 1 Comment
Qimir, AKA The Stranger, in Star Wars: The Acolyte. His hair is hanging off his face and he looks quizzical (in a sinister way).

Credit: Lucasfilm

The Acolyte is dead. Long live The Acolyte! At least, according to Manny Jacinto.

Manny Jacinto gazes into the distance. They are outdoors, with a blurred background featuring large, dark rock formations and a body of water.
Credit: Lucasfilm

Every new Star Wars project is greeted with the kind of controversy that is usually only afforded to global news events, but, even by that standard, the kerfuffle around The Acolyte was pretty huge.

The series, created by showrunner Leslye Headland, received a backlash from a vocal contingent of Star Wars fans that were, variously, upset about the quality of writing of the show (fair), the canon-breaking of its narrative (dubious), its supposedly “woke” politics and centering of POC actors as leads (uh…), and a whole bunch of other stuff, including lesbian space witches and the bizarre last-minute appearance of Darth Plagueis, often known as “the Wise.”

The review-bombing of its Rotten Tomatoes score tells you about all you need to know.

Mae (Amandla Stenberg) screaming in 'The Acolyte'
Credit: Lucasfilm

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The Acolyte was set during the “High Republic” era of the Star Wars universe, about a century before The Phantom Menace (1999) and before anyone had ever heard of a Skywalker. The series centered on Jedi Master Sol (Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae) investigating the bizarre murders of fellow Jedi while reuniting with Osha (Amandla Stenberg), his former Padawan.

Stenberg also played Mae, Osha’s long-lost twin, who seems to have a bone to pick against the Jedi and has picked up some Dark Side skills from the mysterious Stranger (Manny Jacinto).

It has been widely reported that Lucasfilm chose not to renew The Acolyte for a second season. It is debatable whether Disney canceled the Star Wars series because of the complaints of fans who hated seeing women on screen (which you can argue about, but the vitriolic receptions to Rey, Osha, Jyn, and Rose don’t lie) or because the series was mind-blowingly expensive to produce.

But regardless, fans who hoped for The Acolyte Season 2 are out of luck.

Daisy Ridley looking distressed as Rey Skywalker
Credit: Lucasfilm

But Manny Jacinto, the breakout star of the show, isn’t giving up the fight. At the recent Dragon Con in Atlanta, the actor was asked what his personal life goal was, and his answer was simple: “The Acolyte Season 2.”

It isn’t terribly surprising that Manny Jacinto would be gunning for a second season of the show. Previously best known as the lovable Jason Mendoza in the NBC sitcom The Good Place and for having his lines cut by Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick (2022), The Acolyte was an enormous boost for the actor’s career.

Amandla Stenberg as Osha Aniseya (L) and Manny Jacinto as The Stranger (R) in 'The Acolyte'
Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: Enough Is Enough: Lucasfilm Needs To Get Involved With the ‘Star Wars’ Fandom

While there were both valid and questionable complaints about many aspects of the show, pretty much everyone was on board with Manny Jacinto’s portrayal of Qimir, AKA the Stranger, a mysterious figure who managed to be goofy, sinister, sexy, terrifying, and sympathetic from scene to scene.

The series season finale (and now the series finale, unless…) left Jacinto and Stenberg facing a new, troubled future together and lingering questions about Qimir’s past as a Jedi Padawan, and it seems that the actor really really wants to explore that.

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 at the end of The Acolyte.
Credit: Lucasfilm

There is always the chance that Lucasfilm will backtrack and renew The Acolyte for another season, though it’s pretty unlikely. On the other hand, Disney loves a spinoff, so…might we suggest: Star Wars: The Stranger: Origins? Coming to Disney+ 2026, maybe!

Do you want to see an Acolyte spinoff series featuring Manny Jacinto?

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