The series also took risks in both its stories. By creating a story outside a timeline familiar to Star Wars viewers, it did not garner a lot of attention, and the attention it did receive was very negative. Viewership of the series indicates that it started a little stronger than anticipated but eventually faltered to have the lowest ratings for any Star Wars TV series finale. Monday’s announcement of the first Star Wars Disney+ series to be canceled confirms the series being a swing and a miss for the franchise. But did it ever have a real chance to succeed?
Fans Had Disdain For The Acolyte From The Beginning
Partially due to the recent letdowns of other shows, but mostly due to Leslye Headland
When the series was initially announced to be in development in 2020, audiences were interested in a streaming series taking place during the High Republic era. As time went on, however, and more Star Wars shows began to be presented, the goodwill of Star Wars viewers began to fade. Major letdowns surrounded The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, and The Mandalorian season 3. After so many disappointments, it became clear that the majority of Star Wars viewers just had little interest in The Acolyte. This became especially clear after the release of the series’ trailers.
At the time of writing, on Star Wars ‘ official YouTube Channel:
• The first official trailer garnered 196k likes and 533k dislikes with 11 million views.
• The second trailer garnered 80k likes to 207k dislikes with 7.6 million views.
Before these trailers were released, another problem that further dissociated viewers from wanting to watch the series last year. An interview with controversial series showrunner Leslye Headland with Indiewire’s Filmmaker Toolkit back in 2019 was found and eventually went viral amongst the community. Headland’s comments further alienated her from the Star Wars community, with whom she was already on thin ice. Her words echoed sentiments that viewers had already had for her.
This is what we understand to be Star Wars. The idea that that only came from George Lucas, that only George Lucas holds the key for what we understand to be Star Wars, is just untrue. And I think the prequels are an excellent example of that. The idea that when you are hiring a director, that everyone is sitting in there waiting for George Lucas and not for the person who is going to know to hire Ralph McQuarrie, that’s the problem. That’s the misogyny…
This interview, in which she was seemingly critical of George Lucas, lost the last shred of goodwill for Star Wars fans. Headland was scrutinized for these comments, which furthered the flames in the darker parts of the internet around the discussion that Star Wars was attempting to produce “woke” messaging without regard for the Star Wars product. This, along with other comments by Headland and the apparent decline of Star Wars shows, caused many viewers to become disinterested in the series before it even aired.
Once The Show Was Released, The Firestorm Erupted Further
Review-bombing, on top of the Wookieepedia controversy, showed a deep divide among fans
Once The Acolyte aired the first two episodes, the series became a victim of a relentless review-bombing campaign on critic sites. At one point, the Rotten Tomatoes user score was almost as low as 10% during the series’ run. Although that number has risen slightly, the sentiment is clear that many people had a vendetta against the series, whether they watched it or not. Critic reviews were somewhat favorable, but on the lower end for critics compared to other Star Wars shows.
As the story began to develop, the infamous episode where Ki Adi Mundi appeared set off a firestorm online regarding his place canonically within the franchise, as well as his apparent ignorance towards the eventual return of the Sith in the prequels. The evident age retcon for Mundi and the fallout from the Wookieepedia controversy were just further escalations of just how volatile the situation around The Acolyte had become. Now, it’s known that the series would never recover from this controversy.
The Show Took Big Risks Taking Place Before The Prequels
The first story told outside the Skywalker Saga was an unfortunate miss
As The Acolyte‘s story developed, there was not much positive commentary surrounding it. While the action sequences generally received praise, the show’s story was met with disapproval. Part of this is a by-product of online commentators claiming the show’s “wokeness” has ruined it and the franchise. However, the biggest issue The Acolyte had was the challenge of being the first Star Wars movie or show to take place outside the Skywalker saga.
With a cast of brand-new characters that had no ties to any of the other movies and shows, it would be challenging for a series of this kind to attain favor with an audience that felt dissatisfied with the franchise. Story elements became very polarizing, while commonplace franchise themes felt repetitive and worn out. The twist in the finale involving Darth Plageuis’ cameo proving that Qimir was his apprentice was a surprising move that left many viewers confused and angry with the series as a whole. Unless The Acolyte‘s story was perfect, it was never going to succeed.
The Acolyte User Review Scores Averages
Rotten Tomatoes
18%
IMDb
4.1/10
Metacritic
3.9
One could certainly make the case that The Acolyte deserved to be canceled. The series garnered low viewership, and with a reported production budget of $180 million, another season of the series was just unsustainable in the eyes of Lucasfilm. This cancelation will also contribute to the conversation around streaming as a whole and what constitutes a viable show, as more streaming services declare financial losses year by year.
In the end, The Acolyte never really stood a chance of succeeding for a multitude of reasons. Given the current climate with the fanbase and its dissatisfaction with new Star Wars products, it almost felt inevitable that it would not be well received unless the show was perfect. It did not help that Leslye Headland alienated herself from the fanbase due to her comments about the show and her controversial remarks regarding George Lucas. This led to viewers having a grudge against The Acolyte from the beginning, which was not watched enough to attain a second season.
