Lucasfilm has tossed its latest spin-off into the Great Pit of Carkoon
As far as Star Wars quotes go, Yoda’s “Do or do not, there is no try” is certainly up there. As first reported by Deadline, Lucasfilm has opted to “do not” regarding the possible second season of The Acolyte, with the Star Wars offshoot being canceled just over a month after the conclusion of its first season.
The Acolyte is a prequel series, set around 100 years before Star Wars: Episode One – The Phantom Menace, following a respected Jedi Master as he investigates a crime spree, encountering a former Padawan and sinister forces.
A mystery-thriller in the Star Wars universe with a Jedi detective? That might be the coolest premise I’ve ever heard – yet I couldn’t get into it and, as it turns out, I wasn’t the only one.
The Acolyte drew almost 5 million views on its first day – making it the biggest Disney Plus launch of the year – and, four days later, it was sitting at a very healthy 11.1 million views globally. Ranking at six and seven over its first two weeks in the Nielsen Top 10 Originals chart, it fell off the grid and didn’t reappear until the final episode pushed it into 10th spot according to Deadline – with the lowest viewership for a Star Wars series finale.
It wasn’t all bad, though. While Star Wars: The Acolyte’s audience score on Rotten Tomatoes currently sits at a rotten 18%, the ‘All Critics’ score is at a much healthier 78%.
While controversy enshrouded this project – mostly mind-numbing complaints aimed at its female lead (Amanda Stenberg) and diverse cast – which may account for some of that rotten score, the fall-off in numbers shows the on-screen performance didn’t do much either. Even my Star Wars-obsessed colleague didn’t finish it.
