Star Wars fans launch petition to save The Acolyte with thousands of signatures

Christopher Baggett
Dafne Keen, Lee Jung-jae, and Charlie Barnett in The Acolyte

Fans were stunned when Disney canceled The Acolyte, and now they’re rallying to save the Star Wars series with a new online petition.

After a tepid response, Disney canceled action-mystery Star Wars: The Acolyte after one season. It’s become fairly controversial in its cancelation, with fans concerned about both unaddressed plotlines and the potential of it becoming lost media.

Now, they’re rallying to save the show with a Change.org petition urging Disney to redeem it.

The petition, which, as of this writing, is at just over 5,600 of its 7,500 signature goal, calls for fans to support The Acolyte, as it was an unusually inclusive entry in the Star Wars franchise.

Manny Jacinto and Amandla Stenberg in The Acolyte
Star Wars fans are rallying on Change.org to revive The Acolyte for a second season

“The Acolyte opened the doors for so many Star Wars fans, new and old, to feel seen,” the petition reads. “To feel welcomed and accepted by an IP and fandom that hadn’t previously been so for anyone who didn’t check off certain boxes.

“Not only that, but The Acolyte became a beacon for representation that many fans have felt was lacking in the Star Wars universe for decades.”

It’s a brilliant counterpoint to most of The Acolyte’s most vocal opponents, who levied heavy criticism against the show’s LGBTQ+ representation and female leads and cited a “woke” agenda for why the show was a failure. However, the hard data says it is as simple as The Acolyte underperforming against a massive budget.

While the premiere blew up with a peak of 11.1 million viewers, it quickly nosedived to become Disney+’s lowest-rated Star Wars series. The Acolyte couldn’t maintain the momentum to justify a second season, especially after a reported $180 million budget on the first season alone.

All eight episodes of The Acolyte are now available on Disney Plus. You can also catch up with how the show “wokebaited” its fans, all members of the Jedi Order featured, and new TV shows streaming this month.

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