Racist 'Star Wars' Fans Help Set 'The Acolyte' Up To Fail

It was sad to hear Amandla Stenberg say she wasn’t surprised by the cancellation of “ The Acolyte .”

“I’m going to be transparent and say it’s not a huge shock for me,” she said in an Instagram Story at the end of August.

“The Acolyte,” helmed by Leslye Headland (co-creator of Netflix’s “Russian Doll”), was not perfect, but it certainly had more to say than “The Book of Boba Fett.”

As a “Star Wars” fan, I rooted for the series to catch on with viewers. Though “The Acolyte” was Disney+’s biggest series premiere of 2024, “Ahsoka,” the previous release, led by Rosario Dawson,had much higher ratings for its debut. The first season of the series also cost well over $100 million to make, so I understand the economics of the streamer’s decision. But I’m still disappointed about not getting a second season.

Unfortunately, “The Acolyte” may have had to contend with franchise fatigue before it premiered. But the bigger issue is that there was a very vocal contingent of fans unhappy with the show from the start. These detractors not only complained about the show’s casting, but also review-bombed the series as soon as it premiered.

“There has been a rampage of vitriol that we have faced since the show was even announced, when it was still just a concept and no one had even seen it,” Stenberg said. She described “hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred and hateful language towards us.”

It’s as if Lando Calrissian, his cape and that bouncy hair never existed to these goofy people.

Sternberg acknowledged that she was initially impacted by the attacks, but she also said that it was “an incredible honor and dream” to be in the “Star Wars” universe.

“Of course, I’m very sad about the show being canceled,” she said.