Fans were stunned when Disney canceled The Acolyte, and now they’re rallying to save the Star Wars series with a new online petition.
After a tepid response, Disney canceled action-mysteryStar Wars: The Acolyteafter one season. It’s become fairly controversial in its cancelation, with fans concerned about bothunaddressed plotlinesand the potential of itbecoming lost media.
Now, they’re rallying to save the show with aChange.org petitionurging Disney to redeem it.
The petition, which, as of this writing, is at just over 5,600 of its 7,500 signature goal, calls for fans to support The Acolyte, as it was an unusually inclusive entry in the Star Wars franchise.
“The Acolyte opened the doors for so many Star Wars fans, new and old, to feel seen,” the petition reads. “To feel welcomed and accepted by an IP and fandom that hadn’t previously been so for anyone who didn’t check off certain boxes.
“Not only that, but The Acolyte became a beacon for representation that many fans have felt was lacking in the Star Wars universe for decades.”
It’s a brilliant counterpoint to most of The Acolyte’s most vocal opponents, who levied heavy criticism against the show’sLGBTQ+ representationandfemale leadsand cited a “woke” agenda for why the show was a failure. However, the hard data says it is as simple as The Acolyteunderperforming against a massive budget.
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While the premiere blew up with a peak of 11.1 million viewers, it quickly nosedived to become Disney+’s lowest-rated Star Wars series. The Acolyte couldn’t maintain the momentum to justify a second season, especially after a reported $180 million budget on the first season alone.
All eight episodes of The Acolyte are now available on Disney Plus. You can also catch up withhow the show “wokebaited” its fans, all members of theJedi Orderfeatured, and newTV shows streamingthis month.
Christopher Baggett was a TV & Movies Writer on Dexerto’s US team and a comics expert, across DC Comics and Marvel. He also has bylines at ComicsBeat, Comic Book Resources, and The HomeWorld.
