The upcoming Star Wars: The Acolyte is all set to take us back to the days of the High Republic. The Disney+ show, set 100 years before the events of the Prequel Trilogy, was expected to excite the fans to explore an uncharted territory in the franchise so far. Sadly, the fans don’t seem so eager for it, especially after the release of the latest looks from the show.
The Star Wars fandom is famous for being one of the most divided and brutal fanbases. It can be seen in the response to the Sequel Trilogy, which started strong but ended on an unsatisfying note with Rise of the Skywalker. Although some shows like The Mandalorian and Andor were praised, it looks like the fans are again disappointed with the upcoming The Acolyte series.
Star Wars: The Acolyte continues to divide the fanbase
The Acolyte takes place in the concluding days of The High Republic era and focuses on a series of crimes that bring a Jedi master face-to-face against a former Padawan. As interesting and unique as it sounds to the other Star Wars projects, the show has failed to create much hype among the fandom.
When the first trailer of The Acolyte was released, it generated highly polarizing reactions from the fans. Several sources reported how it garnered more dislikes than likes on YouTube. Even after being the most viewed trailer for any Lucasfilm Disney+ series, it has disappointed more fans so far.
Earlier, the fans had numerous complaints about the show. While a certain section of the criticisms had racist and misogynistic undertones, many fans were also concerned about the show’s impact on the Star Wars canon. Now The Acolyte has divided the fanbase even more with the new looks of several characters from the show, released by Empire Magazine.
New look at ‘STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE.’
Releasing on Disney+ on June 4. pic.twitter.com/Mu9BGbOv3G
— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) April 8, 2024
The looks of Rebecca Henderson and Lee Jung-jae have utterly disappointed the fans. The fans took over the internet to criticize how the looks give a cheap feel rather than a premium Disney+ show. Fans have claimed that except for a few shows like The Mandalorian and Andor, budget issues can be detected in most of the other Disney+ series.
The fans go all out against The Acolyte
The upcoming show, headed by Leslye Headland, has also taken some vital risks in its production process. Headland admitted to THR that she added a different approach to the series by adding a Rashomon effect to the investigative thriller. She also added that she had a writer on the team who was never a great Star Wars fan. The creator took such a bold decision to add a fresh perspective.
However, it does not look like the fans are willing to look forward to the show, especially after the new images came out. Take a look at some of the tweets:
Looks like a Prequel to Power Rangers
— Generic Marketable Plushie (@The_Last_One_in) April 9, 2024
This shot looks like it's from an SNL skit idk how else to describe it
— Lord Mimikyu🍉 (@MIMIKYULORD3) April 8, 2024
this is the visuals star wars is giving in 2024 sigh disney do better….
— ✶gio✶ (@destineforces) April 9, 2024
First i thought it was a cosplay pic
— Hakan Satir (@Hako_Sat) April 8, 2024
It looks like they are advertising new characters for the “Star Wars” hotel.
— Michael (@MTARDI32) April 8, 2024
Man, idk why but all Star Wars shows look the same now with this weird look. Like the budget is clearly not seen
— Sam (@samk0006) April 8, 2024
Besides Rebecca Henderson and Lee Jung-jae, The Acolyte stars Amandla Sternberg, Dafne Keen, Manny Jacinto, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Carrie-Anne Moss. Leslye Headland has commented to Empire that Carrie-Anne Moss’ most memorable role of Trinity in The Matrix franchise inspired her to create the character of Indara in the upcoming show.
Despite the negative reception, some fans are also hopeful about the show and have appreciated the different look and feel of The Acolyte. It will be interesting to watch how one of the most controversial fandoms reacts to it.
The Acolyte will have a double-episode premiere on Disney+ on June 4, 2024.
