The Acolyte Is Proof That Star Wars Wants Fewer Followers At The Helm

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Highlights

• Star Wars: The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland controversially revealed that she needed non-fans within the author’s room to maintain issues approachable.
• It labored. The Acolyte is without doubt one of the few seasons of Star Wars tv that is not wrapped up in lore and easter eggs, alienating newcomers.

I acquired off the Star Wars hype practice round Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Ebook of Boba Fett. The self-referential easter eggs and lore so wrapped up in itself turned exhausting, turning all the franchise right into a vapid mountain of tedious homework. The animated Rebels sequence now feeds into Ahsoka, which is constructed on the again of The Mandalorian, which has since grow to be The Clone Wars 2 regardless of us all liking it within the first place as a result of it was house Batman. Thank god for The Acolyte.

The issue with Star Wars is extremely straightforward to pinpoint—Dave Filoni. He’s a diehard fan above all else, enamoured not solely with George Lucas’ work however his personal contributions, always finding ways to bring back fan favourite characters even when it doesn’t match the story being informed.

Informal viewers who had been engrossed within the story of Mando and Child Yoda now have to take a seat via fixed callbacks to The Clone Wars, a youngsters’ present that wasn’t practically nearly as good as you keep in mind. And in the event you had been having fun with The Ebook of Boba Fett, shock! Now it’s Mandalorian 2.5.

Having nothing however followers on the helm has ripped away the core message of Star Wars as we watch a person play together with his motion figures as an alternative. For this reason The Acolyte’s controversial strategy is so refreshing.

Final month, showrunner Leslye Headland informed AV Club that she needed to rent individuals who “are usually not essentially the die-hard, cutthroat fan” that she is to usher in a brand new perspective. Filoni and the opposite Star Wars exhibits might study loads from this strategy, even when the thought of outsiders moving into this world is seen as an invasion by a fandom who hoards their love of this franchise prefer it’s going out of print.

Positive, Acolyte nods to the Excessive Republic period, nevertheless it makes use of these different tales as world-building gadgets, not shiny keys to distract from paper-thin narratives. The latest episode referenced the very first e book set on this time interval wherein a ship is torn aside in hyperspace, sending particles hurtling into the galaxy at such speeds that a number of moons are destroyed. It’s a small callback that makes the period really feel alive, like items are transferring past what we’re watching.

Against this, a lot of the Filoni-style storytelling makes Star Wars really feel tiny. In an infinite galaxy with numerous civilisations occupying myriad planets, the identical handful of characters maintain operating into one another throughout utterly completely different tales and exhibits. It doesn’t really feel just like the universe is transferring, as a result of the whole lot retains getting pulled to at least one level.

Acolyte drew ire for its Ki Adi Mundi cameo as many followers decried that it created a plot gap (it didn’t), however the way it was dealt with was so starkly completely different to what we’re used to. He didn’t take centre stage regardless of being an obscure character most informal viewers wouldn’t even know the title of. He was a enjoyable nod for the diehard followers and was shortly moved on from, by no means overstaying his welcome.

You don’t have to look at the prequels to grasp Ki Adi Mundi’s presence. He performs the identical position as some other background character. Cameos have grow to be warped within the age of the MCU and Star Wars. They was once small appearances to make us level on the display screen like that one Leonardo DiCaprio meme, assume E.T. within the prequels, however now cameos are characters with a lot baggage and unnecessary relevance that their involvement is usually alienating.

The response to Ki Adi Mundi completely encapsulates what Star Wars has grow to be—a shallow vat of lore. His age didn’t line up with what we knew from Legends, so the wiki drew backlash for updating its web page to mirror his new birthday. Canon had modified, the sacred texts had been burned. Star Wars followers aren’t participating with the tales being informed, simply the vacancy of a fictional timeline.

Having somebody who isn’t a fan within the author’s room is such a easy however sensible thought to maintain these exhibits from getting caught up in themselves and feeding into that lifeless viewpoint that makes them utterly impenetrable. Once I write about in-depth lore or dig into the weeds of a fandom, I ask my out-of-the-loop colleagues or accomplice to learn over my work to guarantee that it’s nonetheless comprehensible from an out of doors perspective.

The response to Acolyte being vitriol {that a} non-fan would dare step foot onto hallowed Star Wars floor is emblematic of the gatekeeping tradition that’s been brewing for many years. However at one level, you had been the outsider and the sequence welcomed you with open arms and also you discovered one thing to cherish and latch onto. That openness has been misplaced alongside the way in which, and followers are more than pleased to go away the door shut behind them—Acolyte is kicking it again open. I simply hope it’s the beginning of a development and never an outlier.