Although Star Wars: The Acolyte had the highest hopes, its reception and ratings have bombed it into oblivion. However, the volatile reaction from the audience might force Disney to pull the plug on an entire Star Wars era.
Although it’s still a critical success, The Acolyte has almost entirely lost the core fanbase of the Star Wars galaxy. With a RottenTomatoes score of 14%, it currently sits as the worst-rated entry in the franchise.
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No matter what planet you’re from, that’s not a good sign. After the recent drama surrounding the comments made by Kathleen Kennedy and series showrunner Leslye Headland, Disney might not just cancel a single show.
End of an Era: Star Wars Kills The High Republic
As much as the show gets wrong for some viewers, one thing that The Acolyte truly gets right is the presentation of the High Republic Era. Set 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace (1999), the High Republic was clearly meant to be a fresh take on the Star Wars mythos, and now we might never see it again.
Although Osha and Mae (Amandla Stenberg) are still involved in a murder plot involving Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) and the rest of the Jedi Order, poor ratings and an outraged fanbase will undoubtedly end the setting for future spinoffs and films. Although there might be hope for it under anything Dave Filoni might cook up, it’s safe to say that these might be the last days of the Republic.
But Why?
Here’s the scenario: Disney has invested millions of dollars into the series (around $180 million). Since it’s currently the poorest-performing series in the entirety of the Star Wars brand, keeping it going would be a poor financial decision.
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Although we can’t say for sure whether the series will be renewed, Leslye Headland has expressed she has “four or five other mysteries” she’d like to explore. Given how she has treated both the male audience and the LGBTQ+ community she claims to represent, the chances of seeing that happen are slim to none.
The real victim of the entire saga is the High Republic Era as a whole realm. This was the perfect grounds for Lucasfilm creators to try out new things, experiment with effects, creatures, and environments, and tell a different story without being conformed to a strict set of canon that came in the eras that followed.
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The Acolyte is only halfway through its initial run, but it will take a strong movement in the galaxy to fix this disturbance in the Force. Much more might be revealed before the season ends, but we need a new hope if we want to return to the High Republic again.
What did you think of the new Star Wars setting? Let us know in the comments down below!