What The Acolyte’s Lee Jung-Jae Thinks About The Show’s Cancellation

It’s not about good or bad. It’s about spoilers for “The Acolyte”, and who is authorized to use them, so proceed with caution.

There’s been a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices have suddenly risen up against the giant mess that is the streaming landscape and how it’s embodied in the canceled “The Acolyte.” Leslye Headland’s “Star Wars” series is undeniably flawed, with the quality of its writing, direction and even acting varying wildly from installment to installment. But when you look at the bigger picture, it’s arguably the most daring live-action TV series in the franchise since “Andor.” Indeed, Headland’s High Republic adventure expands on the most radical ideas introduced in George Lucas’ “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, further exposing the hubris of the Jedi at the height of their powers and revealing just how little they, or anyone else in a galaxy far, far away, knows about the Force.

Add in wuxia-inspired lightsaber duels, a willingness to kill off its characters in truly shocking ways, an ending peppered with engrossing mysteries and plot threads that beg to be continued, and Manny Jacinto’s arms (and the rest of his body along with them), and you have plenty of reasons to be unhappy with “The Acolyte’s” abrupt and unceremonious conclusion. Even Lee Jung-jae, whose deeply flawed Jedi Master Sol paid with his life for his previous mistakes in the series finale, is sad to learn that the show won’t continue for at least another season.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lee said that he “really liked Leslye’s writing” and that he “thought she was a great writer and director, very talented in storytelling and creating meaningful characters and structures within the story.” So despite his unlikely (but far from impossible — this is “Star Wars,” remember) return, he was “personally very excited” to see what Headland had planned for Season 2.

A flawed but bold “Star Wars” project brings out the dark side of the fandom, only for Disney and Lucasfilm to chart a safer (and cowardly) course rather than continue on the path they’ve been blazing? We’ve been there before, right? The hope is that the studios don’t repeat the mistakes they made after “The Last Jedi” by avoiding more High Republic TV series or live-action movies anytime soon, but that’s probably asking too much at this point. Then again, “the future is always in flux,” as a wise old Jedi observed, and the more “Star Wars” fans voice their support for bolder stuff like “The Acolyte,” the more likely it is to make an impression on the House of Mouse.

Lee, for his part, refuses to give up on the dream of “The Acolyte” story continuing in some form, perhaps even as part of the High Republic publishing initiative. “Honestly, I hope there might be some changes in the future,” he told EW. “Because you never know what’s going to happen. So, on a personal level, I really hope we get to see more of Leslye’s second season.” It would, of course, be very odd if Disney and Lucasfilm made the backstory of Darth Plagueis’ Legends canon once again with the “Acolyte” finale, only to never revisit the Sith Lord or reveal what happened to his student (Jacinto’s “Stranger”), or his new student, Osha (Amandla Stenberg). There’s just too much narrative potential to ignore entirely.

“The Acolyte” is currently available to stream in its entirety on Disney+.