The Acolyte: 10 Biggest Controversies About Star Wars' New Show

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte season 1.


Summary

  • The Acolyte has faced controversy but has good moments, with stellar fight scenes and interesting characters.
  • Audiences can relax, as the show does not break canon as feared and instead offers new intriguing plot points.
  • Criticisms include rushed writing and pacing issues, not the diverse casting or portrayal of Jedi morals.


If there is one thing that can be said about The Acolyte, it is that the show has been one of Disney’s most controversial to date. Even before episodes began to air, Star Wars viewers were already making assumptions about what it would entail. These assumptions led to people writing the show off entirely, either refusing to watch or dedicating their time to spreading misinformation about the series.

Although the series has its general pitfalls, it has its good moments as well. With stellar fight scenes and interesting character concepts, more than anything else, The Acolyte has good bones. However, with so many different controversies surrounding the project, it can often be difficult to see these highlights. Some of these controversies have stemmed from the show’s quality and others are just completely ridiculous.


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10 Fans Thought Ki-Adi Mundi’s Birthday Had Been Retconned

His Age Was Never A Matter Of Star Wars Canon

When Jedi Master Ki-Adi Mundi made a surprise appearance in The Acolyte episode 4 “Day,” he had audiences talking for a variety of reasons. For one, many were excited to see a Jedi who appears in the prequel trilogy. For another, some took issue with the fact that it seemed as though The Acolyte was retconning Ki-Adi Mundi’s canon birthday.


However, Ki-Adi Mundi’s birthday was only ever confirmed in Star Wars Legends.After Disney took over the property in 2014, much of this content was rendered non-canon in order to allow for Disney to create new and unique stories with Star Wars’ characters. This show has reimagined the character of Ki-Adi Mundi, allowing for new tales to be told in his longer lifespan.

9 The Acolyte Was Initially Review Bombed

People Didn’t Give It A Chance Before Leaving A Bad Review

While there are still several reasons to criticize The Acolyte, many would agree that a person should watch the media they are hoping to criticize before doing so. That way, they can understand the full story a show or movie is attempting to tell. Despite this, countless people decided to review bomb The Acolyte on websites such as Rotten Tomatoes in an attempt to make it look worse than it actually was.


Not only did this happen before the show finished, but many of the reviews seemed to have nothing to do with the show itself. They cited Star Wars becoming too “woke” as opposed to things worth criticism, such as genuine issues with the show’s pacing. This shows a stark difference on these review websites, with critics giving The Acolyte rather decent reviews.

8 It Was Originally Thought The Acolyte’s Sith Would Break Canon

The Sith Had Not Been Seen For A Thousand Years Before The Phantom Menace

Before The Acolyte began and even well into the season, there was a genuine fear that the show would break the established Star Wars canon. This is because the show features The Stranger, a character whose status as a Sith was and really still is up for debate. No matter what happened throughout the course of the show, knowledge of his existence would have to somehow be hidden from the Jedi in order to preserve their surprise at discovering Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.


With the Jedi safe from the knowledge that the Sith threat is very much alive, it allows for the inaction that their uncertainty about the Sith resurgence prompted, leading to the death of Qui-Gon Jinn.

This is exactly what happens in the finale of the series, with Vernestra Rwoh blaming every death on Master Sol in an attempt to keep things contained. With the Jedi safe from the knowledge that the Sith threat is very much alive, it allows for the inaction that their uncertainty about the Sith resurgence prompted, leading to the death of Qui-Gon Jinn. Now that the series has finished, the fears that this story of the Sith breaks canon can safely be set aside.

Left side: Jedi Master Sol wielding his blue lightsaber; Center: Mae Aniseya wearing her purple robe; Right side: Qimir wielding his two red lightsabers.

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7 The Acolyte Was Considered “Woke” For Its Diversity

Some Took Issue With The Show’s Casting Decisions

The Acolyte follows a wide set of characters, ranging from staunch Jedi to potential Sith. One thing to note is that there is more diversity in the cast playing these characters than ever before, with a non-binary Black actor playing the lead role. This should be seen as a good thing, as The Acolyte is highlighting actors who so often go overlooked, but a small and very loud group of viewers have found an issue with this, claiming that Star Wars has gone “woke” over simple casting decisions.


There has been a bit of an uproar online because of this, with dissenters being vocal about these casting decisions from the very beginning. This comes despite the fact that the acting in The Acolyte is one of the strongest things about it, with incredible performances from Lee Jung-jae, Amandla Stenberg, and Manny Jacinto to name a few. This casting is a decision that should be celebrated because Star Wars is a story for everyone, not just a select few.

6 Viewers Disagreed With Anakin’s Origins Being “Stolen”

It Doesn’t Take Away From Anakin’s Chosen One Status

When it was revealed that Osha and Mae Aniseya were born of the Force without a father, many legacy Star Wars viewers were upset by this story choice. This is because until now, the only character to have been born of the Force in such a manner was Anakin Skywalker, with this playing a part in how he was considered to be the Chosen One. Many believed that this was simply copying Anakin’s backstory, making it less special in the process.


While it is up for debate whether this changes anything about Anakin down the line, this does offer an interesting plot point for Mae and Osha. It is also possible that their birth in the Force through the Force vergence could be the inspiration for Darth Plagueis’ research into creating life using the Force. Only time will tell, and it is possible that viewers will receive answers should The Acolyte season 2 happen.

5 Questioning The Morals Of The Jedi Drew Anger From Fans

The Jedi Have Been Portrayed This Way Before

One thing that many viewers have taken issue with in The Acolyte is the show’s portrayal of the Jedi. Throughout the series, they are shown to be slow to act at best and, at worst, corrupt. Some have taken issue with this, not seeing the need for this darker spin on the Jedi Order.


However, this is not the first time Star Wars has covered the corruption of the Jedi. In fact, the franchise has been portraying the Jedi like this for decades. Not only do the prequels cover the potential downfalls of the Jedi with their refusal to see Darth Maul as a Sith and their lack of attention to Anakin’s fall to the dark side, but the beloved video game series Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic also covers this topic in a variety of different ways.

4 Showrunner Leslye Headland Was Criticized By Certain Viewers

Viewers Were Fixated On Headland Instead Of The Show


When Leslye Headland was announced to be the showrunner for The Acolyte, the series was mired in controversy about it, and to no fault of Headland herself. Not only is Headland a woman, but she identifies as a lesbian as well. These facts together sent many of Star Wars’ more vocal viewers into a fit, claiming that the show would not be good simply because she was in charge.

This ties back to the criticism of the show being too “woke,” as some viewers seem to think. It is almost as if any person from a marginalized group taking part in a project they think they should enjoy automatically deems it as bad media. There is a lesson to be learned here, as there are plenty of valid reasons to criticize The Acolyte, but this is not one of them.

The Acolyte - Tasi Lowa, Sol, and the Sith lord

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3 Some Of The Acolyte’s Dialogue Was Seen As Controversial

Single Lines Of Dialogue And Individual Moments Have Drawn The Ire Of Fans

Similar to the fan reaction to Ki-Adi Mundi’s birthday change from Star Wars Legends, there are many minor dialogue or plot moments in the show that have sparked fan discussion. Many of these happen throughout the show, but the most attention has been lent to the final episode in the series. This happens a couple of times, with both of the more recent and notable instances surrounding the show’s main characters, Osha and Mae.

For one, when Mae is speaking with Sol on his ship, she tells him to go to hell, a concept that many consider to be foreign in a world where the Force is the primary religious concept. Another instance occurs when Osha causes Sol’s lightsaber to bleed, a process that in the comics takes much more time and effort than what is shown in The Acolyte. There are just a couple of the more recent examples, with many more occurring throughout the season.


2 The Portrayal Of The Witches Of Brendok Proved Controversial

Some Disliked The Inclusivity Of The Witches

When The Acolyte episode 3 aired, it was controversial for a number of reasons. Many panned it for being somewhat unnecessary, especially considering viewers eventually received another flashback episode that told the real story of things later down the line. However, many chose to focus on the witches of Brendok and their portrayal in these flashback episodes.

In a continued problem for the series, issues struck again because the group featured two women who seemed to be in a relationship, with Mother Aniseya and Mother Koril creating Mae and Osha together. Many decided that this was something that shouldn’t be in Star Wars for one reason or another, because it simply wasn’t something they cared about or wanted to see. This, as well as the “Power of Many” chant, seemed to be the impetus for many to make fun of this episode as a whole.


1 The Quality Of The Acolyte’s Writing Was Not Seen As Good Enough

The Show’s Story Had Plenty Of Genuine Issues

One of the more valid issues with the series was its continued writing and pacing issues. This potentially came as a result of the 8-episode format being too short for a series such as this, but regardless, the series suffered for it. Character motivations were changed on a dime, with entire events seeming to be forgotten for the sake of pushing the plot forward.

These writing mishaps have left holes in an otherwise compelling story, one that still has the opportunity to be thought-provoking. If the series does go into a second season, this is one of the main things that should hopefully be fixed. This is one of the main things The Acolyte should be criticized for, not the litany of perceived issues that should not be seen as issues at all.


All episodes of The Acolyte are now streaming on Disney+.

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