Over a decade back, Disney acquired Lucasfilm and, with it, the hallowed IP of Star Wars. Not long after, the entertainment juggernaut rolled out its trilogy of films, which debuted to an overall mixed response, with the third movie facing the ire of fans for its interpretation of the Skywalker legacy. In a similar turn of events, the franchise’s latest Disney+ show, The Acolyte, landed in hot soup, specifically after its third episode seemingly amended the long-established canon in many places.
Revolving around the perspectives of twins, Mae and Osha, the series features a coven of Force-sensitive witches and is set towards the end of the High Republic era. However, it has found intensive criticism from many sections of the audience and reviewers, of which one has openly questioned Disney’s forced push of inclusivity and diversity while completely disregarding story and narrative arcs.
Now, Dafne Keen, who portrays Jecki Lon, will probably provide fuel for the fodder, with her revelation regarding her character’s true intentions.
Dafne Keen breaks the ice regarding the connection between Osha and Jecki
Overseen by Leslye Headland, The Acolyte features an overtly and implicitly queer set of characters, a narrative never experimented on before this heavily within the Star Wars canon, leading to a flood of questions. Amid all of this, Dafne Keen, in talks with Decider, confirmed that her Jedi padawan character, Jecki Lon, does indeed have feelings for Amandla Stenberg’s Osha.
Replying to the host’s query about a possible romance brewing between the two characters, the star went on with,
I don’t know if I’m allowed to say that, but I think she does.
The Logan actress further went on to confirm that there lies an “inevitable magnetism” between the two characters, and thus, her part of acting involved an aspect where her character did ‘like’ Osha. Furthermore, she also stood wary that as a Jedi, her character was not supposed to have “feelings” but there certainly were “guilt and confusion” angles coming in because of her supposed romantic angle.
The Acolyte falls to intense critical scrutiny
Carrying a measly 14% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, The Acolyte is currently one of the worst viewer-received Star Wars outings. An overwhelmingly united fanbase has come out to express their anger at Disney for prioritizing queer themes and inclusivity at the ungodly cost of breaking the canon, established long back by George Lucas, with scenes that contradict Anakin Skywalker’s birth as the Chosen One.
Fans have found themselves fuming after the show brought along non-binary pronouns for characters in a galaxy far, far away, and definitely separate from this Earth’s rules and paradigms. Thereafter, shots featuring fire in space not only defied logic but led many to point out Disney’s obvious foresight to matters that required actual attention.
lol they've turned Star Wars into a day time soap opera 🤣🤣
— @stevenvoiceover (@stevenvoiceover) June 19, 2024
Disney ruined Star Wars
— Deys (@DeysIsBack) June 19, 2024
I haven't even begun to watch this show but I'm dreading it. Not enough alcohol in the world to make it tolerable.
— Melee Games (@MeleeGames) June 19, 2024
Daily soap or what?
— A Sense Of Squirrel NotSure™ 🐿️ (@SquirrelNotSure) June 19, 2024
That is attachment, and romantic feelings. This ruins the canon.
— Travis (@Travis_SF0) June 19, 2024
The chain of events has led fans to believe that Disney and Headland, for that matter, simply fast-tracked representation and gender appropriation while making little effort to streamline the story which has so far depicted the Jedi as morally ambiguous and exhibiting practices more in line with the Sith. Although the review-bombing aspect cannot be denied, there lies no doubt that The Acolyte has some serious flaws to mend.
The Acolyte is available to stream on Disney+.
