Disney is happy to let the toxic dudebros win, I guess!
The Acolyte was a new and exciting show in the Star Wars franchise. Fans were given a look at a time period in the High Republic Era that was never before seen in live-action. We had new characters to love, a cliffhanger with Yoda, and it was just exciting.
But any kind of “change” in Star Wars brings with it a rush of angry dudebros with their pitchforks. They never gave the series a chance. Through review bombings and hating on social media, these men made it impossible for anyone to talk about the series. Still, fans of The Acolyte remained positive and fought through the noise these guys were making.
Calls to renew the series poured in on social media right before the finale, and for a moment, it felt like the fans who actually find joy in Star Wars could win for once. Instead, it has been announced that the show will not return for season 2. Whatever hope we had for more stories from The Acolyte were dashed and it feels like those in charge gave in to the toxicity of this fanbase.
Star Wars fans can be split into three parts: Those who love this franchise more than anything, those who just enjoy watching it but aren’t diehards, and then the kind of toxic “fans” who ruin it for everyone. Depending on who you ask, the “toxic” part changes. People who spend their time angry on YouTube and cry about Luke Skywalker’s death not being “cool” enough for them? Those are the toxic ones to me.
And they are the ones who refused to let The Acolyte find its fandom, just constantly screaming at anyone who dared love the show and making life miserable if you wanted to share your support.
This is a win for those toxic people
Every single thing these toxic bros like? It gets another season. Look, I love The Mandalorian, but they don’t have an issue with that show. They were furious over Obi-Wan Kenobi (a GREAT SHOW), and it hasn’t been given a second season. These are the angry YouTube “warriors” who mocked The Book of Boba Fett repeatedly.
If they like the show, they are rewarded. So what about the rest of us? What about the fans who find joy in all these stories? Who love the franchise and don’t spend our time attacking people who like a different part of it? Should we stop caring about Star Wars because they’re going to cancel something we like because some angry man with a camera setup said they should?
It’s been hard being a fan of this franchise my entire life. I’ve been quizzed by men who think they know more, and I’ve watched stories I love get trashed because some guy decided it was bad and made that his whole personality. But still, I’ve stuck around. I did that because I love this franchise. I just wish that this franchise loved its actual fans.
These angry men are never going to like what the franchise does unless they are the ones calling the shots. Canceling The Acolyte adds fuel to their fire, and it is just heartbreaking to see. I hope we still get things like Skeleton Crew and Andor moving forward. I hope that this franchise still takes chances, because otherwise, it’s appealing to the kind of men who have the worst ideas about what Star Wars is.
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