Online Series: Star Wars: The Acolyte on Disney+

[Bounces R Way]

In case anyone can't see the tweet or wants to read the original article:

‘The Acolyte’ Canceled: No Season 2 For Disney+’s ‘Star Wars’ Series

The story of The Acolyte will not continue, with LucasFilm opting not to proceed with Season 2 of the Star Wars offshoot starring Amandla Stenberg.

deadline.com

The power of no one watching

 

[Richard]

The thing is, none of those things were why the show wasn't good. They just didn't tell a good story. Blaming it on "wokeness" is just lazy and stupid.

I'm blaming it on wokeness based on the comments of the creators themselves as to their motivations and objectives for creating the show. Hence, entertainment was 1A or 1B - "message" was first or a co-equal prime consideration. A good writer doesn't have to proclaim THIS BOOK IS ABOUT X,Y,Z - he or she tells a story and if it has a theme or a moral that is secondary to the story not the prime consideration. Crime and Punishment is so interesting because the story and characters are interesting, the morality is secondary to the entertainment, and yet, at the end, you can also see and think about the message or, just enjoy the entertainment.

It was the other way around, according to the creators own words, for this show. That's one of the reasons it sucked. Also, with I'm sure its diversity club, its hiring objectives, its craft regulations and inclusions it wasted a HUGE budget and felt small.


Tell a good story, get the best people. Not rocket science but corporate Disney seems to have to relearn this very simple idea.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

The thing is, none of those things were why the show wasn't good. They just didn't tell a good story. Blaming it on "wokeness" is just lazy and stupid.

The story was crap partly because of the "wokeness". It's becoming lazy writing and tuning off an entire portion of viewers.

 

[Blitzkrug]

The story was crap partly because of the "wokeness". It's becoming lazy writing and tuning off an entire portion of viewers.

You know, people would take you more seriously if you stopped using "woke" as a copout for explaining why the writing sucks.

It absolutely does, no one here is going to disagree but this is such a lame argument at this point.

 

[PenguinSuitedUp]

You know, people would take you more seriously if you stopped using "woke" as a copout for explaining why the writing sucks.

It absolutely does, no one here is going to disagree but this is such a lame argument at this point.

Is it lazy when it’s the truth? When media becomes more about spreading agenda than about creating original, compelling content, inevitably the entertainment value of the product will suffer. It’s not art; it’s propaganda.

 

[Stylizer1]

Is it lazy when it’s the truth? When media becomes more about spreading agenda than about creating original, compelling content, inevitably the entertainment value of the product will suffer. It’s not art; it’s propaganda.

Everybody trying to get that CEI ratings money. Basically extortion by a different name.

 

[Osprey]

You know, people would take you more seriously if you stopped using "woke" as a copout for explaining why the writing sucks.

It absolutely does, no one here is going to disagree but this is such a lame argument at this point.

I agree, but feel that it's also a copout when others attack the use of the word instead of guessing what was meant and arguing with that. People also often use "lazy" to refer to writing, despite that being just as vague, but rarely does anyone mind that. Use the word "woke," though, and it tends to trigger a reaction, suggesting that it's not the lack of explanation that annoys people, but the use of that particular word. I try to avoid using it for that reason, since it tends to lead to lame arguments over the word, itself.

 

[kingsfan28]

I agree, but feel that it's also a copout when others attack the use of the word instead of guessing what was meant and arguing with that. People also often use "lazy" to refer to writing, despite that being just as vague, but rarely does anyone mind that. Use the word "woke," though, and it tends to trigger a reaction, suggesting that it's not the lack of explanation that annoys people, but the use of that particular word. I try to avoid using it for that reason, since it tends to lead to lame arguments over the word, itself.

That's one word I'd love to go away. Pretty sure a majority of people who use it have no clue what it really means or where it came from. They just use it as a buzz word without explanation as you put it.

 

[MadDevil]

Is it lazy when it’s the truth? When media becomes more about spreading agenda than about creating original, compelling content, inevitably the entertainment value of the product will suffer. It’s not art; it’s propaganda.

What agenda was The Acolyte spreading exactly?

 

[PeteWorrell]

I'm blaming it on wokeness based on the comments of the creators themselves as to their motivations and objectives for creating the show. Hence, entertainment was 1A or 1B - "message" was first or a co-equal prime consideration. A good writer doesn't have to proclaim THIS BOOK IS ABOUT X,Y,Z - he or she tells a story and if it has a theme or a moral that is secondary to the story not the prime consideration. Crime and Punishment is so interesting because the story and characters are interesting, the morality is secondary to the entertainment, and yet, at the end, you can also see and think about the message or, just enjoy the entertainment.

It was the other way around, according to the creators own words, for this show. That's one of the reasons it sucked. Also, with I'm sure its diversity club, its hiring objectives, its craft regulations and inclusions it wasted a HUGE budget and felt small.


Tell a good story, get the best people. Not rocket science but corporate Disney seems to have to relearn this very simple idea.

One of the good things of hiring diversity, was the casting of Lee Jung-jae in the role of Sol. He was one of the few brights spots of the show and did what he could with the material he was given.

What's sad, is how he does not even speak English fluently but was more convincing and acted circles around so many actors that actually spoke the language.

 

[Shockmaster]

The Acolyte merchandise disappears from Disney store, adding to cancellation woes | The Express Tribune

 

[The Crypto Guy]

You know, people would take you more seriously if you stopped using "woke" as a copout for explaining why the writing sucks.

It absolutely does, no one here is going to disagree but this is such a lame argument at this point.

You can pretend that term doesn't exist all you want, but that doesn’t mean it’s actually true.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

You can pretend that term doesn't exist all you want, but that doesn’t mean it’s actually true.

But can you explain what you mean by "woke" in this sense? Honest question. I look at the story that was told and there's nothing I see there that jumps out as "woke" (at least in what is my understanding about how and why that term is used).

Cards on the table, when I see a racially and gender diverse creator and cast and I see people complaining about "woke" I assume that that is the big issue. If it is, say it and we can all have that uncomfortable discussion.

But as to the story, I genuinely do not see the "woke."

 

[Scandale du Jour]

They didn't tell a good story, but a large reason for that was the focus on ideology over quality. They were more concerned with using Star Wars to represent their beliefs than telling a good Star Wars story. The whole thing was, primarily, an analogy for minorities and women (of which Headland is both) being oppressed by patriarchal society. The witches and Qimir wanted to openly be who they are and practice their brand of the Force, but were denied by the Jedi who saw them as a threat and abused their power and authority to keep them down. To that end, the former were portrayed sympathetically, no matter what bad things they did, and the latter were portrayed critically, no matter how much they (especially Sol) tried to do the right thing. The result was a story that didn't make sense or feel like Star Wars and characters that were hard to understand and care for, among other things. There was more to the show being bad than that, but that was a fundamental reason.

You realize the original Star Wars was "woke as f***" for its time, right?

 

[PenguinSuitedUp]

Go read about what Lucas said about the Viet-Congs.

Or just look at the way he played with the damsel in distress trope.

There were definitely a lot of social commentary in Star Wars.

I don’t agree. There are plenty of other stories from that time and before that handled the same topics, and in the same ways- making it the backdrop rather than the pre focus of the story.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

I don’t agree. There are plenty of other stories from that time and before that handled the same topics, and in the same ways- making it the backdrop rather than the pre focus of the story.

Orrrrrr....works of art always put forward progressive ideas?

The Acolyte was crap because it was badly written, not because it had an agenda.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Orrrrrr....works of art always put forward progressive ideas?

The Acolyte was crap because it was badly written, not because it had an agenda.

Liked your post but still don't think it was crap. Certainly not compared to the other SW series that came out. Just wait, it will be redeemed in the end, just like Prometheus seemingly was. The Last Jedi is next! The Acolyte in 15 years!

At some point, maybe all the whining will get the nerds what they deserve: Disney benching SW for the next 25 years to reboot it. No more tears!

 

[Rob]

Liked your post but still don't think it was crap. Certainly not compared to the other SW series that came out. Just wait, it will be redeemed in the end, just like Prometheus seemingly was. The Last Jedi is next! The Acolyte in 15 years!

At some point, maybe all the whining will get the nerds what they deserve: Disney benching SW for the next 25 years to reboot it. No more tears!

I hope Disney sells Lucas Film.

 

[MadDevil]

I'll ask again, what agenda was this show pushing? Was it woke because it had a gay witch couple that used magical witch powers to create life? Was it woke because there were only like 2 white named characters? Did the show actually push an agenda or are people applying an agenda because of who the creators/actors are and things they've said in interviews (some of which were talking about projects that had nothing to do with the show)?

If you want to argue the show wasn't well written or directed, I would agree. But I don't think either of those were as much because of "wokeness" . I think it just wasn't well written and/or directed. Say the witch couple was a straight man and straight woman. Does that make the show better? If more of the Jedi were white males, is the show better? What "woke" parts of the show killed it?

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Liked your post but still don't think it was crap. Certainly not compared to the other SW series that came out. Just wait, it will be redeemed in the end, just like Prometheus seemingly was. The Last Jedi is next! The Acolyte in 15 years!

At some point, maybe all the whining will get the nerds what they deserve: Disney benching SW for the next 25 years to reboot it. No more tears!

There was great elements in The Acolyte. I just thought mostly all characters were boring.

To me, it was a very good idea badly executed... not unlike the prequels.

 

[johnjm22]

I think the term "woke" means different things to different people. When it's used pejoratively to describe a piece of media, the implication is that DEI is more important to the shows' creators than telling a good story.

When something is good, you rarely hear people call it woke, whether it's progressive or not.

 

[johnjm22]

At some point, maybe all the whining will get the nerds what they deserve: Disney benching SW for the next 25 years to reboot it. No more tears!

That would be great. Fingers crossed.

The Last Jedi is next!

You're gonna be waiting a long time on that one professor.

 

[Roo Returns]

The problem more than woke is retconning and deconstruction of a character or universe. It's very demeaning to the core audience. The opposite of too much fan service is just as bad.

The main actress was bad, the creator wasn't that creative, and they did stuff just to do stuff. Not a good recipe.

 

[Osprey]

You realize the original Star Wars was "woke as f***" for its time, right?

That's not true. It was arguably pretty conservative because Lucas' goal was to give young people an "honest, wholesome fantasy life" of the kind that his generation had in the 1950s, hoping that it would offer "the romance, the adventure, and the fun that used to be in practically every movie." He was reacting to all of the serious and depressing content that was prevalent in the 1970s and choosing to go against the trend. When he made his previous film, American Graffiti, he even said that current movies make us "more depressed than we were before. So I made a film where, essentially, we can get rid of some of those frustrations, the feeling that everything seems futile." He deliberately left real world problems and frustrations out of that film and seems to have carried that philosophy into Star Wars, a film that was a hopeful escape from reality. Yes, the villains were based on the Nazis and the Ewoks on the Viet-Cong, but fiction has always been inspired by real life. You shouldn't conflate that with being "woke." That's not what the term means. It means awareness of social injustice. Lucas did not use Star Wars as a platform for social injustice. Headland arguably did.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

You're gonna be waiting a long time on that one professor.

Don't be so sure!

‘The Last Jedi’ Is Aging Better After Five Years

It's coming!