Hello everyone. The Star Wars universe is no stranger to controversy, and the latest uproar centers around Disney’s decision to cancel the second season of The Acolyte, a Star Wars spinoff that had sparked both praise and criticism for its progressive themes. The news has left many of the show’s cast members, as well as its creative team, stunned and disappointed.
Among those voicing their dismay is Lee Jung-Jae, who portrayed Jedi Master Sol in the first season. Despite his character’s death, Jung-Jae, who gained international fame through Squid Game, expressed his surprise at the show’s cancellation. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, he praised the series’ creator, Leslye Headland, for her storytelling and character development. “I was actually personally really looking forward to watching a season 2 with her at the helm,” he said, holding out hope that the decision might one day be reversed.
The Acolyte, created by Headland, debuted in June 2024 and initially enjoyed a strong start. The show garnered a 78% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and pulled in 4.8 million viewers on its first day, climbing to 11 million within five days. However, its popularity quickly waned, and by the third week, it had dropped out of Disney+’s top 10 most-viewed shows. Despite the early success, the show’s viewership decline and divisive reception led Disney to pull the plug.
#TheAcolyte cost ~$630K per minute of screentime
• Was canceled due to low viewership
• There are no plans to remove the series from Disney+ pic.twitter.com/o2GYM1id9s— Culture Crave (@CultureCrave) August 26, 2024
The series, which was set in the final days of the High Republic era, followed a former Padawan reuniting with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of mysterious crimes. But it was the show’s “woke” elements that generated the most buzz—and backlash. Critics, particularly from conservative circles and traditional Star Wars fans, slammed the series for its overtly progressive themes, including scenes that focused on issues like gender identity and queer representation.
Leslye Headland, who had previously emphasized her intent to bring an inclusive perspective to the Star Wars universe, faced significant pushback. In interviews, she defended her creative choices, asserting that her identity as a queer woman would naturally influence her work. Yet, as the show’s ratings on Rotten Tomatoes plunged to 18%, the backlash seemed to outweigh the praise.
Among the cast, reactions have varied. Manny Jacinto, who played Qimir, posted a simple yet poignant photo on Instagram of himself and co-star Amandla Stenberg holding hands, perhaps a subtle nod to the solidarity among the cast in the face of the cancellation. Stenberg herself had previously described the series as “gay,” a statement that further fueled the controversy surrounding the show’s direction.
Headland, who had pitched a second season to Disney, admitted that she had not been asked to continue the series before its debut. Now, with the cancellation confirmed, it appears that her vision for the continuation of The Acolyte will remain unrealized.
Disney publically cancelling the acolyte is a pretty big admission they messed up and with rumors that Marvel is abandoning woke BS in favor of more classic storytelling, might be an interesting signal of things to come pic.twitter.com/0PUJuRjX4h
— Meta Prime (@MetaPrime001) August 22, 2024
So, it seems that The Acolyte tried to bring the galaxy far, far away a little too close to the latest woke trends and paid the price for it. While Leslye Headland might have been eager to infuse the Star Wars universe with her own “inclusive” vision, it turns out that not every fan was ready for a lesson in pronouns or space witchcraft. As the ratings plummeted and Disney decided to scrap any plans for a second season, perhaps it’s a reminder that not everything needs to be force-fed into the Star Wars canon. After all, sometimes the Force just isn’t with you—and this time, it seems the audience was more than happy to say, “Move along, nothing to see here.”
Go woke, go broke! After ruining Star Wars with their woke rip-off Acolyte, Disney is having to cancel the show after just one series due to awful ratings.
Full video with @darrengrimes_ @DobbsandPolicy and @Younesrocks linked below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/eytu0Aslsm
— Reasoned (@ReasonedUK) August 23, 2024
