Will it be cancelled or renewed?

Episode 8 of The Acolyte left Star Wars fans with several questions, including whether the Disney+ series will be canceled or renewed.

Lucasfilm’s first-ever live-action High Republic project proved to be one of the most controversial in the franchise, garnering a record-low score on Rotten Tomatoes that failed to improve throughout the series’ eight installments.

However, some events in the eighth episode of the streaming series suggest that Lucasfilm may have other plans for The Acolyte.

Is The Acolyte Season 2 Coming to Disney+?

Episode 8 of The Acolyte left the door open for new stories, not only with its surviving characters but also with the episode’s mind-blowing cameos.

But as of this writing, Lucasfilm and Disney+ have yet to confirm whether the series will be renewed.

Showrunner Leslye Headland confirmed The AcolyteShe herself has an uncertain future speaking with Nerdist, admitting that she has “no idea” about the chances of a season 2.

However, she acknowledged that the second season “conversations” took place :

“I have no idea. Well, I’m not saying I have no idea. I would say there are discussions. And I don’t know when that will happen. I don’t know when that decision will be made.”

Headland also revealed to Collider that she originally pitched The Acolyte as a multi-season show, explaining that she had spoken to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy about “The conflicts that I see happening, especially in the second season:”

“We could do it pretty quickly. We definitely have a timeline. I have a lot of ideas, and again, a lot of it comes from things I told Kathleen[Kennedy]early on, in terms of where I wanted the season to go, and the conflicts that I see happening, particularly in season two. But I’ve been working on this project relentlessly for a very long time, so I’m definitely going to take a well-deserved break before I start writing in the writer’s room.”

The fact that Lucasfilm knew from the start that Headland’s series was to span multiple seasons increases the chances that it will not be canceled.

But despite everything, the greatest threat facing The AcolyteThe future of , outside of secret Sith Lords and story matters, lies in its audiences.

Nielsen ratings for the series’ first two episodes (shared via TVLine) were low compared to previous live-action Star Wars Disney+ series, and Episode 3’s numbers suggested a further decline in viewership.

Low grades, associated with The AcolyteThe poor reception and negative fan reaction gives Disney and Lucasfilm little reason to do anything other than cancel.

(Why is The Acolyte so bad? The 5 biggest factors that hurt the series)

What to expect in season 2 of The Acolyte?

As previously stated, one of the The Acolyte‘s saving graces were his cameos in episode 8.

Warning – The remainder of this article contains spoilers for the season finale of The Acolyte.

In the middle of the episode, Darth Plagueis, the Sith Lord Palpatine spoke to Anakin about Revenge of the Sithmakes a brief but strange appearance on the mysterious planet of Qimir.

Fans have been hoping for a Plagueis rematch since 2005, with many hoping the villain would be the one pulling the strings. The Acolyte due to the show’s point in the timeline.

His appearance suggests that this may be what is happening after all. The problem is that the audience won’t be able to find out unless there is a season 2.

Yet he is not the only heavyweight The Acolyte brought to the final.

Fans were treated to a quick shot of Yoda from behind before the episode’s credits, suggesting that the iconic Jedi master will also be involved in the event of a season 2.

But apart from these two characters, episode 8 of The Acolyte left Mae without her memory and in Jedi custody, Osha training with the Sith-style Qimir and having fallen completely to the dark side, and Vernestra Rwoh involved in a cover-up while now knowing that Qimir is her fallen padawan.

Overall, the most likely and logical decision, both from a numbers and reception perspective, is for Disney and Lucasfilm to cancel The Acolyte and give up on a season 2.

But this doesn’t exactly solve Star Wars’ problems; it makes them worse, especially since these new threads introduced into the Star Wars canon will remain unanswered.

Additionally, leaving the story unfinished could create problems for future stories set in that particular era.

It goes without saying that it will be interesting to see what direction Lucasfilm chooses; but whatever the decision, it’s unlikely to please fans one way or another.

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The Acolyte is now available to stream on Disney+.

Discover other stories on The Acolyte below:

Why The Acolyte Was ‘Canceled’ By Star Wars Fans, Explained

The Acolyte Cinematographer Chris Teague Talks ‘Difficult’ Sith Introduction, High Republic Visuals, Season 2 Outlook, and More (Exclusive)

Explaining the controversy surrounding the age of the Acolyte’s Ki Adi Mundi