The Acolyte’s controversial legacy, and its impact on the Star Wars universe

By Brayden Marchak

Opinions

Since The Acolyte’s release on June 4, 2024, it has left audiences and critics divided. One review calls it “a mesmerizing blend of fantasy, and drama” that will leave viewers “craving for more,” while another claims if the show was not associated with Star Wars, no one would watch it.

The strong aspects of the show are clear— the CGI is impressive, like previous Star Wars instalments. Thanks to its high budget, the futuristic setting is immersive and realistic. The show’s sets are highly detailed; the film crew evidently put lots of love into them. The impressive choreographed fights and lightsaber duels also furthered the realism of the story.

Despite its high budget, The Acolyte has many flaws. The Acolyte continues the trend of recent Star Wars movies in which The Force does whatever the plot needs it to do. Historically, The Force is an energy field manipulated by its masters to lift objects and maneuver minds, amongst other things. However, the plot of many recent Star Wars franchise content uses The Force as a means of unearned character and plot development. For example, The Force can create tattoos on people, it can let people have children, and make people fly. The Force’s invincibility is only one of the many lore discrepancies in The Acolyte.

In the fourth episode, Ki-Adi Mundi of the prequel trilogy appears, however, according to the pre- existing Star Wars timeline, he is born 39 years after the events of The Acolyte. The laws of physics are played with as well— when the main character, Osha, crashes her ship onto a planet, she wakes up completely unharmed.

Similarly, in a flashback sequence in the third episode, Osha’s twin sister falls off of a high platform, but somehow wakes up perfectly intact. These discrepancies are exacerbated by dull acting. The Acolyte’s actors add little personality to their characters, spending the majority of the show simply line-reading. The show also struggles with pacing and scenes drag on.

While many long-time fans of the Star Wars franchise are disappointed by the quality drop of Star Wars content, some fans enjoy the show and believe criticism may be rooted in racism. Cast and crew, including lead actress Amandla Stenberg, defended the show. Weeks after the show’s premiere, she released a diss track to critics, further dividing the Star Wars fanbase. It goes without saying, The Acolyte, and the new age of the Star Wars universe, have left a controversial legacy.