Confirmed: The ‘Star Wars’ Show That Riled Traditionalists Will Be Replaced in December

Star Wars is about to replace its divisive The Acolyte TV show on Disney+.

Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012 led to a revitalization and expansion of the Star Wars franchise, beginning with the release of new films and a host of TV series on Disney+. Following the era of Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and the ominous presence of the Death Star, Disney aimed to bring in a new generation of fans.

The sequel trilogy, starting with J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII–The Force Awakens (2015), reintroduced audiences to the galaxy far, far away, setting the stage with new characters like Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver).

This trilogy concluded with Star Wars: Episode IX–The Rise of Skywalker (2019), also by Abrams, tying together decades of storytelling. In between, pseudo-standalone films like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) explored different facets of the universe, providing rich backstories and new adventures.

Disney’s era of galactic storytelling has been a lucrative endeavor. Each of the sequel trilogy movies—yes, even the highly contested Star Wars Episode VIII, The Last Jedi (2017) from Rian Johnson—netted over $1 billion at the global box office.

That said, it has been far from a clean takeover. Since The Walt Disney Company acquired the George Lucas studio, discourse has flared, centering on the canon, the timeline, and the Mouse’s diversity and inclusion efforts. The most recent victim of fan hate, The Acolyte on Disney+, drew criticism for referencing pronouns, playing with Sith and Jedi lore, and even for the live-action debut of Darth Plagueis.

Even with The Acolyte hate, Disney+ has been pivotal in bringing Star Wars to television, with The Mandalorian leading the charge. This series, set after the fall of the Empire, follows the lone bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and the beloved Grogu (The Child, “Baby Yoda”).

Other notable series include The Bad Batch, a spinoff from The Clone Wars, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, which delves into the titular character’s life post-Revenge of the Sith. Series like Dave Filoni’s Ahsoka—starring Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano—further expanded the saga, with these TV shows instrumental in exploring new storylines and deepening the mythos George Lucas began almost 50 years ago.

As for The Acolyte, Leslye Headland, co-creator of Russian Doll, makes her the first woman to lead a live-action Star Wars series. Following the release of the Ahsoka series last year, The Acolyte takes a bold step by delving the furthest back in the live-action timeline.

Set approximately 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I–The Phantom Menace (1999), the show features Amandla Stenberg as twin sisters Osha and Mae Aniseya.

The narrative centers around Jedi Master Sol (played by Lee Jung-jae) as he reunites with his former Padawan, Osha Aniseya, to investigate a dark side conspiracy. Long before the Skywalker Saga, this period explores the High Republic era, offering fresh insights into the galaxy’s history.

Despite its intriguing premise, The Acolyte faced significant backlash before its debut, becoming a target for “anti-woke” critics due to its “female-centric” label and its queer creator. This toxic discourse resulted in review bombing, giving it the lowest audience score ever.

However, it’s not all over for The Acolyte. Upon its two-episode premiere, it received the biggest Disney+ debut of 2024 and has since seen an elevated level of support thanks to the #RenewTheAcolyte trend going viral on social media.

One intriguing element of Headland’s show was the master/apprentice relationship between Osha (Stenberg) and Qimir/The Stranger (Manny Jacinto), which teeters on the verge of becoming the enemies-to-lovers trope.

But before Disney and Lucasfilm decide on The Acolyte‘s fate, its replacement is gearing up to take over the streamer.

Skeleton Crew Replaces The Acolyte

Later this year, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, created by Jon Watts and Christopher Ford, will succeed The Acolyte as Lucasfilm’s newest TV show. The studio has officially confirmed that Skeleton Crew will debut, as expected, in December, with the first installment of the series landing on December 3, 2024.

Skeleton Crew will shift the focus from the High Republic era back to the familiar New Republic timeline, sharing the same era as The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka. Captain Marvel‘s (2019) Jude Law stars as Force-user Jod Na Nawood.

Related: Report: Lucasfilm’s ‘Star Wars: Episode X’ Title Confirmed, Fate of Jedi Revealed

Law is joined by the Skeleton Crew: Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Fern, Robert Timothy Smith as Neel, Ravi Cabot-Conyers as Wim, and Kyriana Kratter as KB. The largely child-centric story also features Tunde Adebimpe, Kerry Condon, Jaleel White, and Nick Frost as the voice of droid SM 33.

PEOPLE recently shared a new look at Skeleton Crew, including images of the cast in action. Previously, footage was only shown at Star Wars Celebration 2023 last year.

“In Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Law tells PEOPLE that he and his younger cast members are ‘all in [a] constant state of confusion and jeopardy and challenge,'” writes the outlet. “He adds that the series is ‘very much a piece about working together and overcoming fears and overcoming…perhaps [one’s] opinion of oneself or one’s own weaknesses in order to succeed.'”

While the series is meant to emulate the kid-focused 80s adventures found in popular movies like The Goonies (1985) and Stand by Me (1986), recent rumors have floated regarding its early reception at Lucasfilm. As Bespin Bulletin (@BespinBulletin) noted:

‘Skeleton Crew’ according to @TheRochaSays isn’t being received very well at Lucasfilm.

This echoes similar statements made by both myself and
@MakingStarWars
. We’ve been saying/hearing similar things for a long time – certainly since last year.

Just keep expectations in check.

‘Skeleton Crew’ according to @TheRochaSays isn’t being received very well at Lucasfilm.

This echoes similar statements made by both myself and @MakingStarWars. We’ve been saying/hearing similar things for a long time – certainly since last year.

Just keep expectations in check. pic.twitter.com/o9LQlWOUQP

— BespinBulletin.com (@BespinBulletin) July 24, 2024

If this turns out to be true, it will be an unfortunate year for the Star Wars franchise.

Upcoming Star Wars Movies

Fans are anxiously awaiting the galaxy’s return to the big screen. The movie that will bring Star Wars fans back into the movie theaters is one that was only announced at the top of the year. Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026) will lead Lucasfilm’s movie slate, which includes films from James Mangold, Dave Filoni, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Taika Waititi, and Shawn Levy.

The safest bet out of the aforementioned director’s films is likely Dave Filoni’s continuation of the New Republic Era, which is expected to be heavily inspired by Timothy Zahn’s popular “Heir to the Empire” novels.

Related: Kathleen Kennedy’s Replacement Officially Changes the ‘Star Wars’ Canon

As for the rest, Mangold is tackling the origins of the Force, while Obaid-Chinoy is returning to the sequel era with Daisy Ridley’s Rey and the new Jedi Order. Not much is known regarding Waititi and Levy’s movies, but based on their past portfolio, will provide a fresh and original take on the galaxy far, far away–something traditionalists may not be on board with.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew will officially become Lucasfilm’s newest Disney+ TV show and begin airing on December 3, 2024.

Are you looking forward to Skeleton Crew on Disney+? Let us know in the comments down below!