STAR WARS Spinoff Promoting LGBT Ideology Canceled After Season 1
By Movieguide® Contributor
STAR WARS spin-off series THE ACOLYTE will not get a second season, as Lucasfilm has opted not to continue the show.
Lucasfilm and Disney+ confirmed they would not be picking THE ACOLYTE up for another season, leaving some fans disappointed that some cliffhangers will never be resolved.
A description of the show reads, “A hundred years before the rise of the Empire, the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic have prospered for centuries without war. During this time, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a Jedi Master against a dangerous warrior from his past.”
The Hollywood Reporter noted that fans loved Manny Jacinto’s character, The Stranger, and were excited about hints that Yoda would be featured in Season 2, “but viewership data was not strong enough to prompt a season two, according to sources.”
Other outlets reported the same thing, pointing out that THE ACOLYTE’s viewing numbers faltered almost from the beginning.
“THE ACOLYTE did OK with critics, with 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, but divided STAR WARS fans, which was reflected in its overall viewership,” Deadline reported, explaining that, despite a decent start, THE ACOLYTE couldn’t “sustain the momentum” and viewership numbers quickly dropped.
The Hollywood Reporter also acknowledged that some of the trouble might have been “the evolving nature of streaming viewing habits and the erosion of goodwill of the STAR WARS brand when it comes to its series.”
In addition to this, some took issue with LGBTQ themes that were featured in THE ACOLYTE. Movieguide® previously reported:
STAR WARS’ latest addition, THE ACOLYTE, leans heavily on LGBT ideology…
Last year, Abigail Thorn’s casting in the show was announced, making Thorn the first transgender cast member in the STAR WARS universe.
Leslye Headland, creator of the spinoff series, detailed her motives behind THE ACOLYTE, describing the emotions she felt while watching FROZEN…
So, when it came time to create THE ACOLYTE, Headland’s goal was “to make something like this that is, you know, for lack of a better term, Disney, meaning something that like my parents would have allowed me to see when I was younger as a queer person, that I would have been able to understand a queer person.”
“I really was inspired by it and I was like ‘God, I would love to make a story like this,’” she continued. “When I was developing this original idea to pitch to [production company Lucasfilm’s] Kathleen [Kennedy], I thought … you know it can’t just be that, you know, when you’re pitching STAR WARS you have to pull from what you know [STAR WARS creator] George [Lucas] was also interested in.”
However, STAR WARS fans are not keen on this latest ideological addition to their beloved galaxy.
Crosswalk Headlines reported, “a review of the first few episodes of THE ACOLYTE posted to YouTube warned that the third episode would ‘completely redefine what ‘The Force’ is’ and highlighted how ‘two mothers conceive twins’ as part of the plot line. In the video, posted by Geeks + Gamers, one fan of the franchise told the others on the panel to ‘get ready for pronouns in Star Wars.’”
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