The somewhat surprising news came Monday night that Lucasfilm will not move forward with season two of The Acolyte. The Disney+ series was groundbreaking as it finally took Star Wars outside the Skywalker Saga and to a new era with the High Republic. It also introduced various new characters to the franchise, but now those stories won’t continue in the television format. The Acolyte has its fans but also endured plenty of criticism, some of which warranted.

However, the series was also targeted as part of a culture war for its diverse cast and outspoken showrunner, Leslye Headland. The show’s estimated budget of $180 million and the viewership it attracted didn’t do enough to keep the story going. The Acolyte was a bold Star Wars project that could’ve taken the franchise toward a promising future. Instead, the series became controversial and joined the ranks of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story as projects that have split the fanbase more than any other. The Acolyte‘s premature end is one of Lucasfilm’s greatest failures, severely damages the brand, and could have some major implications for the Star Wars franchise.

A Return to the Heavy Focus on Familiar Star Wars Characters

So much of Star Wars has focused on legacy characters established in the Skywalker Saga despite the franchise existing in an entire galaxy. Star Wars is a franchise with limitless potential given its setting and The Acolyte was the first major departure from with the story taking place in a new era for live-action. Given Lucasfilm’s reactionary approach to Solo and killing the anthology films, it would be no surprise if Lucasfilm decided to take fewer risks and pulled from the familiar once more.

The danger with returning to the familiar is that it can quickly make the franchise stale. Relying on legacy characters also risks angering the fan base since so many have an attachment to these characters. Luke Skywalker’s portrayal in Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi showed that many viewers are unwilling to accept interesting story directions that challenge them in favor of pure fan service. While fan service can occasionally be enjoyable, Lucasfilm has shown it can exhaust this nostalgic tactic and lose its impact, as shown in The Rise of Skywalker. Star Wars was never a safe franchise and always took risks, but given the results, it would be no surprise if Lucasfilm turned back to its biggest players instead of creating new and exciting stories under Disney.

A Continuation of The Acolyte Could Happen Elsewhere

Star Wars is a vast fandom, and every project has its supporters, no matter how much it might’ve bombed or how poor the critical reception was. While The Acolyte might not be moving forward on Disney+, the story could continue in other mediums like books and comics, which wouldn’t be that big of a stretch since that’s where the High Republic comes from. The Acolyte‘s finale teased a lot about what’s to come with the planned inclusion of Darth Plagueis, Yoda, and a further exploration of the Jedi and its relationship with the Republic. The Acolyte followed a similar format that has been successful in projects like Star Wars Rebels and The Mandalorian, which started with original characters but quickly expanded to include familiar faces, yet this time around it won’t get a follow-up.

At San Diego Comic-Con last month, Lucasfilm announced characters from The Acolyte will continue in publishing. The Wayseeker will be a new novel following Vernerstra Rowh. An upcoming comic book will also focus on the Wookiee Jedi Kelnacca and an untitled young adult novel will explore Yord and Jecki before their deaths in The Acolyte. Lucasfilm announced these books before it came out that The Acolyte wouldn’t continue and it’s unclear if these projects will still happen. With the outcry on social media, there appears to be an audience for this story, and publishing might be the place since it would be far less of an investment for Lucasfilm.

“I already talked about Plagueis, and then there’s a bunch of High Republic, Legends stuff that I’d be interested in folding into the show. I’ve already talked to [Lucasfilm executive] Pablo [Hidaldo] about some characters from the High Republic. We’re still working that out.” — The Acolyte creator Leslye Headland teases the characters she wanted in a potential second season .

History could also repeat itself and follow a similar trajectory as The Clone Wars, which ended prematurely twice before getting a proper send-off. If the fan base is loud enough, there is always a chance The Acolyte could continue in some fashion, but it seems at the moment, the series will join Solo as a beloved Star Wars project that met a tragic fate and no continuation despite some exciting setup.

Less Live-Action Star Wars Shows Moving Forward

Disney has been slowing down on the number of shows it will produce on Disney+ after Lucasfilm and other studios announced a plethora of them in 2020. With The Acolyte‘s cancellation and Andor wrapping up with its next season in 2025, that leaves Skeleton Crew, which is also not expected to be a multi-season series, and Dave Filoni’s Ahoska, which is getting a second season. Ahsoka could be the lone live-action Star Wars series moving forward since The Mandalorian is moving to the big screen with the planned 2026 film. Live-action Star Wars television was a prospect George Lucas tried to get off the ground for years but was unable to before selling off the franchise.

Disney made it happen, yet mixed results have followed despite standouts like Andor and The Mandalorian. Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett highlight the limitations of telling a Star Wars story in the medium. Star Wars has thrived in animation and could become the focus of the output on Disney+ in the future As for live-action, the idea of getting multiple shows in a year may be a thing of the past, and that might not be a bad thing, since Lucasfilm has plans for a return to film and due to the impact of an overabundance of projects affecting the franchise’s sacredness.

The Disney era of Star Wars has featured plenty of highs and lows. The franchise’s return after the Disney purchase got off to a dream start, with Star Wars Rebels and The Force Awakens appeasing many in the fandom and outside of it. With Lucasfilm producing more than ever before, that would quickly fade away, with most Star Wars projects failing to unite the fan base now. The Acolyte was a chance for Lucasfilm to pave a new path for the franchise and show that it can be more than just the initial characters and era that started it. Based on The Acolyte, there may not be an audience for fresh and exciting Star Wars stories. There’s also a real possibility that there may be audience burnout from the excessive amount that has come out over the years, and Lucasfilm may need to pull back on how much it can produce for quality’s sake.

Star Wars has the potential to rival the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in scope, and in many ways, it does from a setting perspective. However, Star Wars may need to go back to basics and deliver a story that captures the essence of what the franchise is and is less experimental. Lucasfilm had to play around with the property because of the large amount of content produced to make each project stand apart from the others in an attempt to match the shared cinematic universe concept. The franchise will continue; it may simply need less and more time and development spent on a story or two that can excite fans in the best way possible. The Acolyte was a devastating blow to Lucasfilm and its failure will have long-term consequences on the franchise because it was a concept that could’ve taken Star Wars toward a promising future of fresh and exciting storytelling.