Written by Dr. Mike Robinson ~ Guest Writer
Scott Collura (IGN Southeast Asia)
In order for popular culture industries to thrive, they must constantly produce new material. As a result, every long-term franchise faces a dilemma. Companies must generate new content that honors the past that existing fans hold close to their hearts but which is also innovative enough to draw in new audiences in order to make them new fans. Recently, Disney+’s latest Star Wars series, The Acolyte, was judged to be a failure. While there have been some attempts to explain this, I would like to offer a different perspective. I believe The Acolyte was doomed from the start because it contained too many Jedi.
Ultimately, Disney’s secret calculus of profitability kept The Acolyte from being renewed. The series reportedly had a tremendous audience drop-off with each episode. A certain toxic branch of fandom blamed the diversity of the series for this problem. Star Wars has always aimed in a progressive direction, and I would argue that anyone who blames its failure on that progressive bend does not understand Star Wars (unless they were rooting for the fascist Imperials all along). Other fans have blamed those toxic fans for sabotaging the show. Review bombing is real but a good show should be able to survive it.
This is the core of my complaint about the series. It was slow, painfully slow at times. Yes, there were incredible fights and amazing special effects, but between those moments, there was not much to watch. That is because the show was about the Jedi, and collectively, the Jedi are really boring.
I realize this sounds like blasphemy. I am not saying all Jedi are dull. The Star Wars franchise we know hinges on Anakin Skywalker’s tragic transformation into Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker’s discovery of the Force and his attempts to restore the Jedi, and Rey’s (Palpatine or Skywalker – whatever you prefer) journey to find her place in the Force.
There are other amazing Jedi that fans have loved over the years—Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, etc. All of these characters are atypical. As much as they promote the Jedi’s emotionally restrained contemplative pursuit of the Force, they stand out against it when action is needed. They are rebellious and innovative.
By comparison, the typical Jedi is rather stunted and boring, a monastic hermit in a world of flashy heroes. Gathered in a group, they are deadly dull. If you don’t believe me, review the Jedi Council scenes in the prequel series. They are a sleep aid at best.
The Acolyte was set in the High Republic Era, long before any story we have seen (at least in the Disney ownership period). At the height of their prestige and influence, the Jedi are complacent in their position. It’s an important theme in the series, but it’s also really dull to watch. Without emotion, there is not much drama. That’s why Star Trek has never given us an all-Vulcan regular series.
The other problem with the Jedi is that they are crazy-powerful. In any Star Wars adventuring party, they have their place. No matter what Han Solo once said about the value of a good blaster, as a wizard and a warrior wrapped into one, a Jedi comes in handy in a fight. When everybody has the same powers, though, then it becomes increasingly hard to imagine a threat significant enough to threaten a group. Like an Avengers team that is all-Iron Men or chock full of Thors, a group of Jedi is just too much on a regular basis; with all those lightsabers flashing around, how are they not winning?
In order to counteract this effect a bit, The Acolyte went for the ultimate combo—a Wookie Jedi. And maybe that would have worked if Kelnacca had actually done something but died off-screen and then fought really hard while mind-controlled in a flashback.
In the final analysis, Star Wars works best when its heroes are in a corner, up against impossible odds. The challenge level has to be high. The heroes have to be bold. After all, Star Wars is about rebels.
