Racist 'Star Wars' Fans Help Set 'The Acolyte' Up To Fail
It was sad to hear Amandla Stenberg say she wasn’t surprised by the cancellation of “The Acolyte.”
“I’m going to be transparent and say it’s not a huge shock for me,” she said in an Instagram Story at the end of August.
“The Acolyte,” helmed by Leslye Headland (co-creator of Netflix’s “Russian Doll”), was not perfect, but it certainly had more to say than “The Book of Boba Fett.”
As a “Star Wars” fan, I rooted for the series to catch on with viewers. Though “The Acolyte” was Disney+’s biggest series premiere of 2024, “Ahsoka,” the previous release, led by Rosario Dawson, had much higher ratings for its debut. The first season of the series also cost well over $100 million to make, so I understand the economics of the streamer’s decision. But I’m still disappointed about not getting a second season.
Unfortunately, “The Acolyte” may have had to contend with franchise fatigue before it premiered. But the bigger issue is that there was a very vocal contingent of fans unhappy with the show from the start. These detractors not only complained about the show’s casting, but also review-bombed the series as soon as it premiered.
“There has been a rampage of vitriol that we have faced since the show was even announced, when it was still just a concept and no one had even seen it,” Stenberg said. She described “hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred and hateful language towards us.”
It’s as if Lando Calrissian, his cape and that bouncy hair never existed to these goofy people.
Sternberg acknowledged that she was initially impacted by the attacks, but she also said that it was “an incredible honor and dream” to be in the “Star Wars” universe.
“Of course, I’m very sad about the show being canceled,” she said. “I just want to let those people know out there who ... supported us vocally, despite and in the face of all of the vitriol that we received and the kind of the targeted attack, I would say, we received by the alt-right — just that you were deeply loved and appreciated. And it made this job all worthwhile for me.”
Before Stenberg, John Boyega faced a similar racist backlash as a lead actor in the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy. No longer part of the franchise, Boyega can often be seen on Twitter rightfully cussing out racist “Star Wars” fans who try him.
Kelly Marie Tran, who starred in “The Last Jedi,” also received racist and sexist commentary from online trolls. Moses Ingram of “Obi-Wan Kenobi” experienced similar treatment.
I understand that, ultimately, there is no way to reason with these trolls. In May, while receiving the honorary Palme d’Or in the closing night ceremony at Cannes, “Star Wars” creator George Lucas called out criticism of the film series.
“They would say, ‘It’s all white men,’” Lucas said. “Most of the people are aliens! The idea is you’re supposed to accept people for what they are, whether they’re big and furry or whether they’re green or whatever. The idea is all people are equal.”
But at least some “Star Wars” fans believed they were fighting the “woke agenda,” or — as some have categorized “The Acolyte” — “anti-white propaganda.”
After Stenberg addressed the cancellation of “The Acolyte” on Instagram, her co-star, Manny Jacinto, shared at DragonCon that his “personal life goal” was to see a Season 2 of the show. And there are whispers that some who worked on the show are fighting to keep it alive.
If there is a way to produce more TV with Jacinto as a Sith Lord, I encourage all parties involved to please find a way. Cut some of the CGI budget out if you have to. Do whatever it takes short of playing with the actors’ salaries.
If “The Acolyte” were to miraculously return, there would still be racist Star Wars fans whining about there being too many Blacks, Asians, lesbians and possibly Wookies on the set.
I’m glad Disney and Lucasfilm remain committed to casting choices that allow viewers to believe that anyone can exist in science fiction — even if some fans resent them for it. I’m not sure what can be done exactly about those particular fans. I suppose, at the very least, TV review sites can improve on ways to thwart review-bombing.
But even if the resentment of racist Star Wars fans is illogical, ahistorical and incredibly dumb, it is also loud and distracting. Most of all, it’s an extra burden for these actors in these roles to carry.
“The Acolyte” and its cast, for many reasons, deserved more of a chance than their critics allowed.
Whatever can be done to better drown out future racist tirades and campaigns against “Star Wars” projects to come, the time to get started on that work starts now.
Meanwhile, I’m hoping for a better reincarnation than what we got in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”