The problems within the Star Wars fandom go far beyond mere criticism of Disney’s output. There’s no denying that Star Wars has, to a certain extent, faltered since Disney first took the reins in 2012. Though some of Disney’s earliest Star Wars productions, like Star Wars Rebels (which premiered in 2014), 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story reinvigorated the franchise, both in live-action and animation, the real problems started with the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017 and Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018.
Suddenly, Disney was dealing with an incredibly divided audience and a first-ever box office “failure,” and the cinematic branch of the franchise still hasn’t fully recovered. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker proved even more divisive, and many announced projects were subsequently canceled, with writers and other creatives clashing with Lucasfilm’s higher-ups. Though the advent of Disney+ and the release of The Mandalorian gave Star Wars a much-needed win and something substantial to build on, the damage had already been done. The fandom has been divided since 2017, and it doesn’t look like it will recover anytime soon. In fact, it’s only become worse.
The Star Wars Fandom Has A Problem With Negativity
Nowadays, it seems, Star Wars can’t win. The fandom is fractured beyond repair. Some wish Disney had simply continued the Expanded Universe, now known as Star Wars Legends, rather than picking and choosing certain elements from those novels for new stories. Many – though not all – of these audience members are vehement defenders of George Lucas’ Star Wars, often to extremely vitriolic lengths. These viewers clash with those who generally enjoy Disney’s Star Wars output, who have seen themselves reflected in new characters and joined the fandom because of something Disney produced, rather than Lucas.
There are also those, of course, who genuinely want Star Wars to try something new and fresh, and are frustrated by the interconnected and repetitive nature of projects like The Mandoverse. Will these three sides ever see eye to eye? It’s unlikely, and the reaction to and subsequent cancelation of Star Wars: The Acolyte is an illustrative, albeit unfortunate, example of everything wrong within Star Wars fandom nowadays.
The show was review-bombed before it even came out – a regrettably predictable result of the series’ earnest efforts to be inclusive and diverse – and many of those same review bombers celebrated its demise when it was officially canceled. Those who had actual, storytelling-related criticism were drowned out by the raging negativity, and those who genuinely enjoyed the series for what it was were made fun of and even harassed when they expressed their sorrow over its failure to be renewed.
George Lucas himself once “ruined” Star Wars , too, when he produced the prequel trilogy. Can the cycle of hate ever be broken?
Disney has reportedly claimed that The Acolyte was canceled due to low viewership, and while this may well be part of it, this choice also sets Disney on a precarious path. The Acolyte was the first live-action Disney+ show to try something wholly disconnected from the New Republic era and the Skywalker saga. Before it was canceled, it proved that Disney wasn’t afraid to try something new. Now, though? It’s hard to tell. Has the fandom’s overt negativity affected Disney’s decision-making here? The company’s silence after the cancelation was announced certainly makes it seem so, especially after many major outlets publicly lamented the decision.
There’s this idea among the loudest and angriest parts of Star Wars’ online fandom that nothing will ever be able to surpass George Lucas’ Star Wars, and so anything that even attempts to tell a story within the same universe is inherently unworthy of the franchise’s name, even before it’s been released. There’s nothing wrong with being a fan of George Lucas’ Star Wars movies – that’s why we’re all here, after all! – but these same people seem to keep forgetting that George Lucas himself once “ruined” Star Wars, too, when he produced the prequel trilogy. Can the (revisionist) cycle of hate ever be broken?
Star Wars Has Already Taught Us How To Respond
This now unavoidable negativity within the Star Wars fandom is especially painful considering the core themes of George Lucas’ original Star Wars story and every single Star Wars narrative produced since. Star Wars is a tale of hope triumphing over evil, facing your fears, and standing up for what’s right in the face of direct oppression and adversity. Bullying and harassment have no place in Star Wars, and shouldn’t have a place in the fandom space, either.
Arguably, considering what Star Wars stands for, Disney and Lucasfilm should be more steadfast in their convictions. If, as seems to be the case, The Acolyte was canceled in part due to the crusade against it, what does that say about these companies? How can audiences and the creatives and actors involved in these shows trust that their actions, words, and stories won’t be twisted and used against them?
We Need To Stop Pitting Star Wars Against Itself
There should always be space for people to explain why they didn’t agree with or simply even enjoy a show – but those criticisms should be made in good faith, with understanding of the viewpoints of people who may disagree with you. The pacing of Star Wars: The Acolyte didn’t always work for me, for instance. Two whole flashback episodes took too much time away from the present storyline. Additionally, I believe Disney and Lucasfilm need to stop restricting their original shows to six or eight episodes. Not all stories are meant to be told that way, and that needs to be recognized.
My issues with The Acolyte have nothing to do with the actual actors or the writers and directors behind the show, however. That’s where the discussion moves too far away from common, understandable criticism and becomes heated, charged, and often prejudiced. It’s a vicious cycle, one that’s hard to break. If Star Wars handles its future cancelations the way it has handled The Acolyte’s cancelation, however, the cycle of negativity will never be broken – it will just continue to fester.