This isn’t about good or bad. This is about spoilers for “The Acolyte,” and who is allowed to use them, so proceed with caution.
There’s been a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in aggravation about the giant mess that is the streaming landscape and how it’s embodied in “The Acolyte” being canceled. Leslye Headland’s “Star Wars” series is undeniably imperfect, with the quality of its writing, direction, and even acting varying wildly from episode to episode. When it comes to the big picture, however, it’s readily the franchise’s most daring live-action TV series this side of “Andor.” Indeed, Headland’s High Republic adventure expands upon the more radical ideas introduced in George Lucas’ “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, further exposing the hubris of the Jedi at the height of their powers and revealing just how little they or anyone else in a galaxy far, far away actually know about the Force.
Throw in some dazzlingly choreographed, Wuxia-inspired lightsaber duels, a willingness to kill off its characters in a genuinely shocking fashion, a finale littered with tantalizing mysteries and plot threads itching to be continued, and Manny Jacinto’s arms (and the rest of him along with them), and there are plenty of reasons to be unhappy about “The Acolyte” coming to an abrupt, unceremonious conclusion. Even Lee Jung-jae, whose deeply-flawed Jedi Master Sol paid for his previous mistakes with his life in the show’s final episode, is sad to hear that the series won’t be continuing for at least another season.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Lee said he “really loved Leslye’s writing” and “thought that she was a great writer and director who was very talented in the storytelling, as well as creating characters and creating meaningful structures within the story.” So, despite his unlikely (though far from impossible — this is “Star Wars,” remember) return, he was “personally really looking forward” to seeing what Headland had planned for season 2.
Always in motion is the future of Star Wars
A flawed yet audacious “Star Wars” project brings out the fandom’s dark side, only for Disney and Lucasfilm to chart a safer (and more cowardly) course rather than forging ahead down the trail it blazed? We’ve been here before, haven’t we? The hope is that the studios won’t repeat the mistakes they made after “The Last Jedi” by avoiding more live-action High Republic TV series or movies in the foreseeable future, but that’s probably expecting too much at this point in time. Then again, “Always in motion the future is,” as a wise old Jedi once observed, and the more “Star Wars” fans voice their support for bolder stuff like “The Acolyte,” the better the chances it’ll make an impression on the House of Mouse.
Lee, for his part, is refusing to let go of the dream that the story of “The Acolyte” will continue in some form, possibly even as part of the High Republic publishing initiative. “Honestly, I am hoping that maybe there could be changes in the future,” he told EW. “Because you never know what’s going to happen. So on a personal level, I really hope we could get to see further stories of Leslye’s second season.” To be sure, if would be mighty strange of Disney and Lucasfilm to make Darth Plagueis’ Legends backstory canon once more with the “Acolyte” finale, only to never revisit the Sith Lord or reveal what became of his pupil (Jacinto’s “Stranger”), or the latter’s own newfound student, Osha (Amandla Stenberg). There’s just way too much meaty storytelling potential there to ignore altogether.
“The Acolyte” is currently available to stream in its entirety on Disney+.
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