I don't like watching shows from week to week, so I wait until the season wraps to check out. Being a lifelong fan of Star Wars, I was very excited for Disney's latest foray into the galaxy far far away, The Acolyte.
Most Star Wars projects get some attention, but The Acolyte received a furious response from the community, which I generally ignore because Star Wars fandom has developed a reputation for not liking stories that show Black and Brown folks in their space fantasies.
When I finally did sit down to watch the show, I found it started a bit slow and it had some awkward tone moments as it figured out how it wanted to present itself, but it was a compelling story about how the dogma of the Jedi discounts the empathy needed to relate to human needs, resulting in disastrous consequences. The overall narrative and presentation diverged from the usual nostalgia that is deployed in most Disney Star Wars projects and introduced new characters to tell a different type of story. For me, it was a great project that suffered from some sketchy moments, but in the context of the larger story it was trying to tell, these were minor negatives that did not negate the quality of the original story.
I like talking about Star Wars stuff because, well, I'm a nerd, and I like talking about deeper narrative choices, character motivations, and those subtle notes that producers put in for people like me who are deeply familiar with the many facets of that world.
Unfortunately, it was difficult to find fans of the show because the people who spoke out to get attention about the show either claimed the show broke the lore, meaning it went against previously established narratives (it didn't), or regurgitated the popular thought among the aforementioned bigots who don't want diversity 'forced' into a show about space wizards and aliens. Many people seemed so caught up in repeating controversial narratives that weren't true rather than talking about the actual project and the story it was presenting.
The Acoloyte turned out to be Disney's least popular SW show, replacing the much-loved Andor at the bottom of the Star Wars series stack. This may be a surprise for a lot of people with the way critics gush over Andor, which is deserved because it's really good, but the reality is that few Star Wars fans watched it preferring mediocre storytelling that focused on characters and narratives from the original trilogy.
This preference of the fanbase for stories that remind them of what Star Wars combined with the latent hatred many so-called fans have for Black and Brown actors alchemized into a toxic slush of conversation that centers one's preconceived biases about what they want the story to be as opposed to being open to new ideas and narratives, even if they are presented well. A significant part of the fanbase has shown a preference for narratives we've seen before that feature white or white-passing leads.
The beauty of the Star Wars franchise is that it tells an ongoing story of people and creatures from all different backgrounds joining together to fight a seemingly invincible foe that leverages religious fanaticism to maintain its oppression. Diversity is a critical component of this fight against tyranny as it takes contributions from everyone for even the hope of success. It's not a concept that was recently introduced to the franchise but has been a cornerstone of the storytelling since the beginning.
Unfortunately, it seems many alleged fans of the franchise either missed the point of the overall arch or just don't care about the story, bringing their fundamental appreciation for that world into question. Do you like the complicated narrative of people struggling to find their way in an environment that wants to maintain brutal control at any cost, or do you just like seeing white guys blow stuff up?
I will always love Star Wars because it opened my mind up to an entirely new world that has had my attention since the single digits.
But the commentary around The Acolyte has reminded me of why we don't get better stories in such despite there being so many compelling narratives that have gone into building that world.
And that's just... disappointing.