The first season of The Acolyte has now drawn to a close, and to say that this has been quite a saga would be to undersell it.
Indeed, we can talk about how a strong start and intriguing finale ran counter to the show’s lackluster storytelling in the bridging episodes, but could just as easily talk about the influx of hate that’s been pointed at the show from self-proclaimed Star Wars fans. George forbid that a show casts actors who are humans in roles that were written for humans, right?
In any case, the finale has proven that vitriol is not the prevailing sentiment here, because #RenewTheAcolyte is now trending on X, and those who have eagerly tuned in every week are wasting no time elevating that hashtag with all the gumption in the world.
As for whether or not The Acolyte has earned that second season, that might just be the most interesting question of all. It’s clear that this season isn’t the main event of Osha and Mae’s story, and there’s something to be said about kicking off a show with a setup for events that promise to be a lot more interesting in latter seasons; it’s one thing to tell a story chronologically, but it’s quite another to tell one story chiefly for the sake of telling another. Why not start with the story that the writing team will hopefully prove to have been clearly more passionate about? It’s not like introducing prequels later is new territory for Star Wars, after all.
Still, the promise of a more complex dramatic web in a possible second season is one that many would gladly plunge into, and given what strengths The Acolyte has been able to show as a piece of Star Wars media, a second season just might be worth a shot on all fronts.
For now, season one is available to stream in full on Disney Plus.