The new Star Wars prequel series, The Acolyte, is approaching its season one finale. As you’re watching, you might be curious whether there will be a Season 2 of The Acolyte on Disney+. Read on to learn more about the fate of the new series that has received mixed reviews.
The Acolyte is part of Lucasfilm’s franchise and takes place at the end of the High Republic era before the events of the main Star Wars movies. The sci-fi series explores how an esteemed organization like the Jedi Order could be at its peak and on the brink of turmoil as seen during the Skywalker saga.
Leslye Headland created the show for Disney+ and serves as its writer, executive producer, and showrunner. The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.
Leading up to the Season 1 finale, the previous episode, “Choice,” took viewers back to Mae and Osha’s past and revealed what happened on Brendock when the Jedi showed up. It’s discovered that the sisters aren’t actually twins but were created by the coven through a Force vergence on the planet.
“Tune in next week. Tune in next week,” she said, promising viewers their lingering questions will soon be answered. “We definitely aren’t going to leave you hanging.”
“You do a show like this, you take a lot of risks, you don’t really save a lot of those types of questions for season two,” she added. “There are a lot of things you do save for a season two, but that kind of question is not one of them.”
Has Disney+ green-lit a second season of The Acolyte? Here’s what to know about the future of the Star Wars prequel.
Will There Be A Season 2 Of The Acolyte On Disney+?
Disney+ has not renewed The Acolyte for a second season. However, series showrunner Leslye Headland said there have been “conversations” about continuing the show past season one.
When recently asked by Nerdist if she knew whether The Acolyte was getting renewed for a second season, she answered “no.”
“I have no idea. Well, not that I have no idea. I would say there are conversations,” Headland clarified in the July 10 interview. “And I don’t know when that will happen. I don’t know when that decision will be made.”
The showrunner previously told Collider that she initially pitched The Acolyte as a multi-season show. “There are a lot of things at the end of this season that I think are narrative threads that are not tied up, for sure.”
At the same time, Headland said she’s not the type of writer interested in giving fans an emotional cliffhanger. “I want you to feel like you’ve had a particular type of catharsis, and an emotional experience in watching those eight episodes because I like rewarding the audience with that.”
This is refreshing news for fans, who might get invested in new characters and storylines in the Star Wars universe only for the TV series to end prematurely. Headline added that there are more plot lines she could explore in a second run.
“I still think that means you can pepper in things that are like, ‘I wanna see where that’s gonna g’” and, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize that person was related to that person in this way, and I’d like to see more.’ But there isn’t something where you feel like you’re on the edge of your seat to have that catharsis, and then you have to wait two years. These things take forever to make, so I would hate to make a season that didn’t feel complete, even if it was still open for more story.”
So far, the first season of The Acolyte has garnered mixed reviews from critics and fans. On Rotten Tomatoes, the show boasts a positive 80% critics score and an upsetting 14% audience score.