Summary
The cancelation ofThe Acolyteis a huge mistake by Lucasfilm, as proven by another TV show in a galaxy far, far away:Star Wars: The Clone Wars.The Acolyteseason 1’s endingleft many plot threads unresolved, meaning season 2 was expected from most who enjoyed the show. From the teases of Qimir and Osha training as Sith warriors to the involvement ofDarth Plagueis inStar Warscanonand Yoda’s increased role alongside Vernestra Rwoh,The Acolyteseason 2’s story had a lot of potential.
Unfortunately,The Acolytewas canceled by Lucasfilmonly a month after season 1 came to a close. This means that the story threads left hanging to be picked up in future projects will likely not be touched on, especially not in the prospectivestory ofThe Acolyteseason 2. While it is worth acknowledging thatThe Acolyteseason 1 was not fantastic and had its share of issues,Star Wars: The Clone Warsproves that canceling the show is a mistake.
Lucasfilm has not officially commented on the record about The Acolyte’s cancelation, but it has been reported by many reliable Hollywood trades.
The Acolyte’s Cancelation Ruins Any Chance Of Redeeming Season 1’s Weaker Story
Overall,The Acolyteseason 1’s story had its issues. The focus of the show being placed on Osha and Mae was largely a misfire, with the story being told about their backstory not being compelling enough to carry the promise of a Sith-Jedi confrontation inStar Wars’High Republic era. Combined with some shoddy moments of execution throughout,The Acolyteseason 1 was overall not as strong as many had hoped. This is not to sayThe Acolytehad no redeeming qualities, however.
The cast ofThe Acolytewas mostly fantastic, and the teases about where the show’s most intriguing characters could go in season 2 were overly exciting. If the show continued,The Acolytecould have redeemed season 1’s weaker foundations by building a story that more fans wanted to see, specifically centered around the Sith rising to power before the events of thefirst chronologicalStar Warsmovie. As such, canceling the show was a mistake, withStar Wars: The Clone Warsproving this beyond all doubt.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Cast & Character Guide
Here’s everything we know about The Acolyte’s cast and the characters they will be portraying in Star Wars' most mysterious project yet.
Star Wars Has A Long History Of Redemption
Star Wars Has Many Strong Stories That Began On Weaker Foundations
As alluded to, manyStar Warsstories of the past were given time to build on poorer beginnings. One such story is now considered among thebest-rankedStar WarsTV showsof all time:The Clone Wars.Star Wars: The Clone Warsbegan as a theatrical movie in 2008, which was critically panned and a commercial failure for Lucasfilm. The movie received a 19% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, and only a 40% approval rating from fans, all while not coming close to the commercial success of live-actionStar Warsfilms.
If George Lucas had listened to this hatred,Star Wars: The Clone Warswould never have had the chance to redeem itself…
The TV show based on the film then began releasing in 2008, withStar Wars: The Clone Warsseason 1 receiving a similarly negative response. While the reception was slightly more positive, many still criticized the show for the same reasons as the movie, all while directing hate towards new characters like Ahsoka Tano and the development of pre-existing characters like Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. If George Lucas had listened to this hatred,Star Wars: The Clone Warswould never have had the chance to redeem itself.
As it turned out, this eventually happened. Now,Star Wars: The Clone Warsis regarded as one of the bestStar WarsTV shows ever created, one that only improved with time. The first two seasons were admittedly rocky, but seasons 3-7 include some of the most memorable, action-packed, emotional, layered explorations ofStar Warscanon, the characters within it, the worlds they inhabit, and the period in which it is set.Star Wars: The Clone Warsbegan poorly, yet found its footing as it went on;The Acolytewill not get that chance.
George Lucas' prequel trilogy was also panned on release, yet he stuck the landing with Revenge of the Sith, again proving The Acolyte’s cancelation to be a mistake.
The Acolyte’s Cancelation Is A Worrying Hollywood Symptom
Story Does Not Take Precedent Over Business-Minded Metrics Anymore
The sad truth is thatThe Acolytebeing canceled is a worrying symptom of Hollywood of late. The show did not perform well, had low viewership numbers, and was not received well by sections of theStar Warsfanbase. However, rather than look past these elements and attempt to take the parts ofThe Acolytethat did not work to craft a more compelling story going forward, the show was canceled.
This proves how much Hollywood has come to center around box office gross, viewership, or exposure rather than stories, characters, actors, crew, and potential for filmmaking. If those latter elements mattered, Lucasfilm would be more willing to take a chance onThe Acolyteand build up the story to become better than it was before, just as Lucas did withStar Wars: The Clone Warsover a decade ago. Unfortunately, the business-minded status of Hollywood won out, leavingThe Acolyte’s promising future and redemptive story in the past.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
