Star Wars: The Acolyte has recently attracted media attention, but not for the right reasons. After airing 8 episodes, the show was canceled, with Lucasfilm and Disney providing no specific reasons. However, insiders suggest that the cancellation was due to the high production costs and low viewership.
Even before its release and subsequent cancellation, the show was highly controversial. Given the state of the series, its eventual cancellation came as no surprise.
Star Wars fans were dismayed to see a high-budget show like The Acolyte suffer from poor pacing, writing, acting, dialogues, and overall story quality. Take, for example, this notable line: “We have unfinished business, attack me with all your strength.“
While the action sequences and supporting characters stood out, the show’s lackluster elements and some surprising “twists” meant viewers didn’t get to spend enough time with or connect with these supporting characters.
Amandla Stenberg, the show’s lead, has accused critics of “hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred, and hateful language” for the show’s cancellation, despite her own history of using her platform to attack fans.
Regardless of one’s stance on Stenberg’s claims, personal attacks are never acceptable. It’s particularly strange and troubling when such attacks are racially motivated in response to criticism of a Star Wars show.
Since they can’t individually target all the toxic fans, supporters of The Acolyte have turned their focus to YouTube channels that critiqued the show. Mollie Damon from the popular YouTube channel and podcast Star Wars Explained has led an anti-backlash effort by encouraging mass reporting of channels that frequently criticized the series.
Channels such as Geeks + Gamers, RK Outpost, Nerdrotic, and Star Wars Theory were accused of “racist attacks” against “marginalized actors.” While Damon made these claims, she did not provide any supporting evidence. Nonetheless, she contacted YouTube in an effort to have these channels removed, fully aware that this could be considered libel.
Despite this, even after her followers admitted to reporting the channels without valid reasons, a YouTube spokesperson on X stated that there was no basis for taking action against these channels.
Regarding the Star Wars Theory channel, this is just one of many baseless accusations aimed at the YouTuber. When The Acolyte premiered, the channel was targeted with death threats from some of the show’s fans after criticizing Wookieepedia. The prominent YouTuber had to consider legal action due to the spread of false information, harassment against him and his team, and the overall harm to his brand.