Evolving Star Wars

I sometimes wonder if we deserve Star Wars. On one hand, we bemoan the franchise for not innovating. On the other hand, whenever the franchise tries something unique, we get annoyed and act vitriolic. The latter’s especially bad because it harms real people and forces the creators to backtrack. What should we expect?

I’m sure you’re aware that The Acolyte wasn’t renewed for a second season. This make me somewhat sad. Yes, it was messy and narratively-unfocused, bringing up concepts that weren’t fully resolved. I get that. At the same time, it was daring. It not only broke away from what so much of Star Wars has centred around, it also served as a deconstruction of The Jedi. Particularly, it tackled corruption, ignorance and the notion that The Jedi are flawless, suggesting they might not actually be. This, I think, is in keeping with what George Lucas was initially getting at with The Prequels.

So why was a second season scrapped? The obvious answer is that it wasn’t doing well ratings-wise, but I’m not convinced. Ratings are influenced by those watching, and people couldn’t shut up about this show during its syndication. If anything, the conversation should’ve kept the numbers high, so there’s got to be more. And I think there is.

I suspect bigotry played a part in why The Acolyte was ended early. I say this because the same bigotry made the franchise “course correct” following the fan-reception of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Ignoring the quality of the movie, many longtime fans weren’t pleased with its choices. They were also really vocal, sending death threats to cast members and the higher ups. It got so bad the franchise returned to the familiar with the next movie, which also caused a huge outcry.

Essentially, toxic backlash hurt The Star Wars Sequels. And now it’s hurting shows like The Acolyte, shows that are telling innovative stories. What’s worse, it’s sending a message to executives like Kathleen Kennedy that innovation’s bad, and that it’s bad to gamble on exciting storytellers. That’s terrible for many reasons, but chief among them is that it’s causing stagnation. It’s also leading to the belief that Star Wars isn’t innovative, despite that being untrue.

It also doesn’t give adventurous shows a chance. I remember Jessie Gender mentioning that many fondly-remembered series on TV had rocky starts, but they were given time to grow and get better. With the advent of streaming and instant gratification, that’s not happening. I agree with that sentiment. Because why bother with persisting if you have no reason?

Perhaps the best example is Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I love that show, considering it one of the franchise’s best. That said, its initial season’s rough. I even remember that the pilot movie, which introduced Ahsoka Tano, was trashed in 2008. People remember the show fondly now, but that took time. It wasn’t an immediate sell.

Still, it had time to grow. And that was because no one was clamouring for instant returns on the series, which even gave us a spin-off on Disney+. If Star Wars: The Clone Wars debuted today, it’d most-likely be cancelled after 1 season. It’d be criticized for its piss-poor storytelling, but also because its main focus, Anakin’s Padawan, is a bratty kid taking time away from more interesting characters.

That’s another aspect with the backlash over The Acolyte: its new characters. Specifically, most of the first season’s roster’s female, a minority, or both. The only familiar character of note is Yoda, who has a brief cameo in the finale. But the cast being new and diverse was an issue for many people, and they let Kennedy and show-runner Leslye Headland know. They let them know so often and excessively that the show’s been cancelled after one season, and we’ll never see the cliffhanger at the end of Season 1 get resolved.

This is what I don’t get: the show wasn’t great immediately? Give it time. The show introduced ideas that challenged what people knew? So what? The show had a diverse cast? Okay, why’s that a reason to be toxic?

I’m not sure if these fans realize they’re the reason Star Wars doesn’t innovate. Forget new characters, let’s focus on old ones! Forget seeing The Jedi as flawed, or good and evil being about perspective, let’s have The Jedi be superheroes! Forget Luke Skywalker being layered and conflicted emotionally, making him feel real, let’s have him young, cool and waving around his lightsaber with a de-aged body and A.I. voice! Is this what we want from Star Wars? Because I don’t!

Oh, and if anyone higher up is reading this: please don’t cave to fan-backlash. It not only validates their behaviour, it makes you look like you don’t know what you’re doing. For a franchise that’s worth more now than when it was purchased from George Lucas, the appearance of mismanagement, even if that’s not reality, isn’t a good look. It also gives ammo to awful people. The franchise deserves better.

I’m not saying you can’t dislike or be cold to a Star Wars-adjacent property. I’ve made my thoughts known about Andor myself! But personal qualms shouldn’t give you free reign to be nasty to those involved in making what you’re consuming. Because it has real-world consequences, even if you don’t think so. It also makes you look childish.

It’s probably too late now to reverse The Acolyte’s cancellation. Yet that doesn’t make me less sad, especially when it posed interesting ideas that warranted exploration. It may not have been the most-polished offering from Star Wars, but it was fun anyway! Besides, it’s Star Wars! If a franchise about magic monks with laser swords makes you toxic, then chances are that says more about you. I mean that.