‘I Know I’m Very Proud’: The Acolyte’s Dafne Keen Shares How She Reacted When Her Star Wars Series Was Cancelled

Although lately I’ve been waiting to hear about if Star Wars: Skeleton Crew will return for Season 2, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t also still thinking about The Acolyte being cancelled after just one season. The cancellation came just a month after the series finale aired, and unlike fellow Disney+ Star Wars shows The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi, the goal had been to give it a multi-season run. Daphne Keen, who played Jecki Lon on The Acolyte, has now shared how she reacted upon learning that the High Republic-set series would be a one-and-done affair.

Last summer was a big one for Keen, because in addition to joining a galaxy far, far away, she also reprised Laura, a.k.a. X-23, in Deadpool & Wolverine. Alas, while the 34th of the Marvel movies in order quickly became a critical and commercial success, The Acolyte’s time came and went. The actress admitted that the series, which can still be streamed with a Disney+ subscription, being cancelled was difficult for her, though she’s ultimately pleased with what she and the rest of the cast and crew created together. As Keen told ScreenRant:

While Disney and Lucasfilm have never given an official reason for why The Acolyte was cancelled, it was reported that the decision stemmed from low viewership numbers and going over budget. However, as Dafne Keen alluded to, the series was hit with a lot of racist backlash, with lead actress Amandla Stenberg receiving the brunt of it. Stenberg, who played Osha and Mae, even admitted a little over a week after the cancellation that this move “was not a huge shock” for her. Jodie Turner-Smith, who played Mother Aniseya, said that Disney not coming to the defense of The Acolyte’s talent was “really unfair.”

But looking back on her experience, Keen is thankful she was able to appear in the Star Wars universe, even though it was just for a short time. After all, even if The Acolyte had been renewed, the Logan alum wouldn’t have been around for it. Jecki Lon was among the many Jedi killed by Manny Jacinto’s The Stranger, the Sith Lord who served as the show’s main antagonist. Oh, and that’s another reason to be disappointed about The Acolyte being cancelled: we’ll never learn about his connection to Darth Plagueis, who cameoed in the finale.

It’s like Dafne Keen said, though: she got to play a Jedi, which knocked an entry off her bucket list. If she ever reveals something else she’s crossed off that list, we’ll let you know. For now, remember that Andor Season 2 is next on the upcoming Star Wars TV shows slate, premiering on April 22.