The Acolyte proved to be the most divisive entry in the Star Wars universe and was canceled after just a solitary season. The series was created by Leslye Headland, who had planned to continue telling the story of Osha and Mae, but the polarizing reactions to the first season and generally negative critical reception ultimately caused its demise.
The series paints the Jedi in a bad light and shows the perspective of some dark-side users. As a result, some viewers might be surprised to learn that a personal tragedy in Headland’s life led to her fascination with the dark side of the Force. In an interview, Headland elaborated upon the tragedy that helped her create the series, and here is what she had to say.
Leslye Headland Explained How a Personal Tragedy Helped Shape The Acolyte
Leslye Headland created The Acolyte and served as the showrunner for the Star Wars series, which received generally negative reviews from fans and critics. The series shows the negative side of the Jedi from the perspective of two sisters who find themselves on opposite sides of the Force.
During an interview with Vulture, Headland spoke about some of the inspiration behind the series. She revealed that her father became extremely sick while she was developing the series and eventually passed away.
My father made so many promises to me, and I felt like I failed because I couldn’t live up to those expectations.
The writer-producer made the above statement, explaining that she got sucked into her own feelings about her father’s illness and their history together while developing the series.
The showrunner explained that these feelings made her lean towards the dark side of the Force. Therefore, the tragedy of losing her father to illness and the unresolved tension in their relationship eventually left an imprint on the series. As a result, the series heavily focuses on the nature of the dark side.
Leslye Headland Teased What The Acolyte Season 2 Could’ve Been Like
The Acolyte wrapped up its first season in July 2024, with a cliffhanger ending that set up a potential second installment. During the same interview, Headland also teased what the show’s second season would have explored.
There are a lot of little things, like about Vernestra being Manny’s character’s master, Osha making the decisions she makes, the legacy characters that show up.
Headland made the above statement, teasing that characters such as Master Yoda and Darth Plagieus would have played larger in the show’s second season, while Mae and Osha’s story would have remained the focal point.
Despite interest in continuing the series, Headland admitted to Entertainment Weekly in July 2024 that she had not heard anything about a potential renewal. According to reports, Lucasfilm wasn’t interested in moving forward with the series as it was canceled in August 2024.
The Acolyte is streaming on Disney+.
