The Acolyte Season 1 is in the books and available to stream with a Disney+ subscription, and it might go down as one of the most polarizing Star Wars entriesa alongside The Last Jedi. As the discourse continues surrounding this series, and whether it's the best or worst thing ever, showrunner Leslye Headland provided where things stand on her end regarding a renewal update after the Season 1 finale.
The Acolyte's wild Season 1 finale featured big reveals and character returns that some fans have been dying to see, as well as a clear direction for where future episodes could go. So I've been as surprised as anyone to see zero Season 2 news emerging either before or after the same-titled episode, and I was even more surprised to see what the showrunner told EW when asked if she's heard anything about a second season being amongst upcoming Star Wars shows. According to Headland:
Nothing.
It's not exactly a long quote, but its bluntness speaks volumes. Leslye Headland hasn't heard anything about The Acolyte returning for another season, and without Disney giving it an early renewal, fans can likely presume that there hasn't been any active development for storylines and set pieces that would require more pre-production effort.
Granted, we are in peak geek convention season. Star Wars doesn't have any major panels planned for San Diego Comic-Con at this time, so I would be pretty surprised if an announcement arrived then. But D23 is right around the corner in August...
Perhaps it shouldn't be so surprising that Disney is remaining cryptic about the future of The Acolyte, given how split fans were throughout its run. Each week sparked online arguments about whether or not fire can burn in space or if Jedi should be as powerful as they're shown to be in the show, among many other sticking points. Just saying "witches" could spark extremely different reactions, depending on who's listening.
Even as a fan of the series, I was mad to hear a fight with the Wookiee Jedi was nixed, though I ended up getting what I wanted a couple of episodes later. Distanced from the canon even casual fans are familiar with, The High Republic era is meant to give everyone a fresh opening through which to explore Star Wars lore, but would the best course forward be another season of a pricy series that isn't more universally embraced?
It's a question that I'm sure execs at Lucasfilm and Disney have discussed at length many times over. Is its divisive nature something that will ultimately be seen as its unique strength? Early reviews of The Empire Strikes Back were middling, let's not forget, and it is regularly hailed as the best or second-best in the franchise. Perhaps, once the dust settles and knee-jerk reactions fade, audiences will feel the same about The Acolyte.
All that said, I would be surprised if Disney harbors zero intentions to bringingThe Acolyte back for Season 2, given all the finale's major reveals. Osha becoming Qimir's acolyte was certainly something, but would Star Wars cancel the show right after showing Darth Plagueis for the first time in live-action? I don't think that kind of move is made without a follow-up on the way, but that's merely speculation.
For now, The Acolyte remains available to stream on Disney+, and we'll continue to sit tight and wait for updates on the series. I would love to see more of Osha and Mae's journey in the Star Wars universe, especially if it leads to an eventual confrontation with Darth Plagueis!
