The Acolyte writer reveals why Episode 4 was so short

While the discourse surrounding Star Wars: The Acolyte has been divisive, fans do seem to agree on one thing: the episodes are all weirdly short, but none more so than Episode 4.

The Acolyte has already confused many fans with its weirdly abrupt endings, which seem to suggest that the episodes have been cut short, a trend that continued in the show’s fourth episode.

Episode 4 ends suddenly with Mae’s mysterious master confronting the Jedi. Just as a fight is about to break out, that all too familiar Star Wars theme kicks in as a wipe rushes us to the credits.

One fan asked series writer Claire Kiechel on Twitter about the episode’s short runtime, and she revealed it had to do with timing constraints for both the fourth and fifth episodes of The Acolyte.

We wrote this one and next weeks together and they kind of had a total ballpark limit for the both. For *reasons* next week’s had to be the longer one so this one had to be kept short (I think it’s the shortest of the 8? Don’t quote me tho)

— “CK” Kiechel (@clairekiechel) June 19, 2024

“We wrote this one and next weeks together and they kind of had a total ballpark limit for the both,” Kiechel explained. “For *reasons* next week’s had to be the longer one so this one had to be kept short.”

Kiechel does assure fans the remaining episodes will not be as short, saying she believes Episode 4 will be the shortest of the run.

The Acolyte’s fourth episode is just shy of half an hour long. This is despite the fact that its biggest action set piece – Wookie Jedi Master Kelnacca fighting the mysterious Sith Master – happens entirely off-screen.

Kiechel, in a now-deleted tweet, did acknowledge the episode previously had that massive fight included, but it was ultimately removed in order to preserve the show’s mystery narrative.

The missing fight and the episode’s abrupt ending are the latest in a series of decisions fans are openly confused by, including the fate of Indara and the surprising prequel cameo, but there’s still a chance for the series to turn around, especially if Episode Five makes good use of its added run time.

New episodes of The Acolyte premiere on Disney+ on Tuesdays. If you’re looking for more Star Wars, read everything we know about Andor Season 2 release date and Tales of the Jedi Season 2, or check out new movies and TV shows streaming this month.