The Acolyte star claps back at Star Wars hate in the most iconic way
Lucasfilm/DisneyThe Acolyte has received an unnecessary amount of hate from Star Wars fans, with one star now clapping back against its “woke” label in a seriously iconic way.
Halfway through the series, The Acolyte continues to push the boundaries of the Star Wars timeline — but it hasn’t been without a wave of criticism from fans.
Dubbed “The Wokelyte” from the first trailer drop, the series has been panned for its different and diverse take on a galaxy far, far, away, following a Jedi murder spree set in 132 BBY.
Now, star Amandla Stenberg — who plays twins Osha and Mae in the show — has fired back at new complaints with a music video recorded, shot, and edited in just 72 hours.
In the video, Stenberg states, “They spinning woke, b**tardize it and appropriate it. Last I recall, woke was something we created, speak truth to power and keeping an eye out for you silly r*cists.
“And now they use it to describe anything they threatened by… it was all about the people recognizing bigotry, the power of community, not fodder for your clickbait.”
While Stenberg was criticized in the media this month for saying that the goal of her 2019 film The Hate U Give was to make “white people cry,” Star Wars fans are seeing their own discourse about The Acolyte in the music video’s message.
“Amandla Stenberg wrote, recorded, shot, and edited a song and music video in just 72 hours as a response to all the disgusting racist hate from Star Wars ‘fans’ and dropped that sh*t on Juneteenth!!! An icon! A legend!” one responded on X/Twitter.
Another agreed, “This is Amandla Stenberg’s reaction to the racism in the Star Wars fandom. Just a reminder that when this happens, ALL #RWRB fans should react like they just did, flooding the timeline with positivity, but also: Don’t let them continue with their hate! Call them out!”
“Amandla Stenberg, if you happen to come across this, I just want to say that you absolutely do not deserve the hatred and bigotry that’s being thrown at you. I love your portrayal of both Mae and Osha in The Acolyte and I can’t wait to see what comes next!” a third weighed in.
The Acolyte currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 84%, but an audience score of just 14%. In our own review, we wrote, “With a committed cast and a dynamic central storyline, a franchise that has recently struggled to hold fan attention is back with a bang, challenging everyone to approach it with fresh eyes.”
Continue to jump into hyperspace with everything we know about the Andor Season 2 release date and Tales of the Jedi Season 2. You can also read our Star Wars The Acolyte explained guide for more specific details.