Howdy, spacefarers! Apologies for the delay in posting—September got away from me. My goal is to publish at least once a month, but life had other plans. Luckily, I convinced the wonderful Sydney to join me and share her thoughts on the latest addition to the Star Wars Disneyverse!

It's been a while since The Acolyte aired its last episode. By now, you probably know the show was canceled. If I had recorded this earlier, that news might have been a surprise. However, given the backlash, it's not shocking. At the time of writing, the show holds a 4.1 on IMDb, and the fan and critic ratings on Metacritic are split—3.2 from fans and 67 from critics.

Despite the negative press, I urge you to watch The Acolyte and form your own opinion. If you don’t like it, let me know why! That’s more than my co-host, AJ, who hasn’t even watched the show but still decided it sucked. What’s he basing that on? Probably all the controversy surrounding the creator and the show's lukewarm reception. At least give it a chance and see for yourself rather than relying on hearsay.

Rewatching the first episode, I noticed a lot of foreshadowing I missed the first time around. For example, Mae’s black eyes really creeped me out during the second watch. Also, it’s fascinating to see how the creators attempted to expand the Star Wars universe just 100 years before The Phantom Menace.

Unfortunately, many elements feel familiar, such as the Neimoidians on the cargo ship where Osha, our protagonist, works as a mechanic. Of course, more CGI shots of Coruscant were included—because what Star Wars property would be complete without it? As much as I understand that Coruscant is central to the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Temple, I wish Disney didn’t stick to their 80/20 formula for Star Wars. It means we’re seeing a lot of the same things to keep fans happy.

This “safe” approach has been a critique since The Force Awakens—where a young, poor individual from a desert planet embarks on a journey, hops on the Millennium Falcon, meets Han Solo and Chewbacca, and destroys a giant space station. We’ve seen this before! While there are new characters, there’s still so much unexplored in the Star Wars universe, including planets and biomes that deserve screen time.

Sigh... I guess we should be thankful we’re still getting new Star Wars movies, shows, and content. You don’t always get what you love, but sometimes, you’ve got to love what you get.

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