“Star Wars” fans, it’s time to stop.
There’s been a disproportionate negative reaction to “Star Wars: The Acolyte,” a new live action show that takes place in the High Republic era, about 100 years before “Episode I — The Phantom Menace,” much of it in bad faith. In fact, it’s gotten review bombed to the point where its audience score now dips past the infamous “Star Wars” holiday special, with much of the discussion online devolving into racist rants about its diverse cast.
I reviewed the first two episodes of it on this website and will likely post my reactions to each one on InReview’s TikTok. The series hasn’t been great, but it’s been fine. I don’t expect any “Star Wars” show to necessarily grip me like the first season of “The Mandalorian” did, and I know that some of the franchises’ best — like “Clone Wars” and “Rebels” — started out bad but evolved over time.
Some have nitpicked the aesthetics of the show, like Jeremy Jahns, who said it was like a CW- version of “Star Wars.” That’s fair — I was surprised something on this scale was even being attempted for TV. But good science fiction has never needed top-of-the-line special effects to succeed, so long as it is buoyed by strong writing.
The scripts so far have been fine. Many characters have yet to make a full impression yet, but we’re also only on episode three and we have a large ensemble cast. Episode 3, which has prompted perhaps the strongest response, is all flashback, though it’s necessary in order for us to understand the nuances of the relationship between Osha and Mae, our force sensitive leads who are also twins.
Its direction — that the Jedi institution of the High Republic was imperfect and possibly hid dark secretes — is great, with Episode 3 being particularly interesting. I don’t think we’re supposed to side with the Jedi, who unnecessarily treat Osha and Mae’s Force-sensitive coven with hostility and think they are entitled to being able to abduct Osha in order to train her. The fact that they allow children to make the decision to leave their parents at all is absurd and provides nuance to how the Jedi became so incompetent and full of themselves in the prequel films.
Like “Ahsoka,” another fine series that unfortunately required fans to watch two other shows in order to fully understand, I think a lot of the backlash comes from the fact that this isn’t some people’s ideal version of “Star Wars.” In fact, almost every “Star Wars” project has come up against this since the prequels.
The thing is, nothing will ever be. The only way to do that, it seems, is to remake the original trilogy verbatim, which “Episode VII — The Force Awakens” came the closest to doing, and as a result, has been one of the best received recent “Star Wars” films. “The Mandalorian” managed to remix that OT feel, but has since lost its focus in its later seasons.
Still, that does not excuse the vitriol online. Maybe fans think this is OK because it was popular to bash the prequels, but it’s gotten to the point where fans need to stop and move on. If you don’t like something, you need not run to the keyboard to write something you would never show your boss or family; you can just disengage.
If you don’t like a show or film, don’t watch it. It’s that simple. If you watch it anyways, all you’re doing is helping its ratings.
I’ve been a “Star Wars” fan since I was a kid. I engaged with a lot of its media — comics, books, video games etc. I don’t think “Star Wars” has to just be the story of those first three films — in fact they are far from my favorite parts of it. Reading the old Expanded Universe showed me that its world can be vast and populated with many interesting stories from different creatives.
It’s a universe brimming with creativity that should be filled with positivity, not hate.
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