Lucasfilm’s 2024 has been a year of both milestones and challenges, with The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew fueling debates across the Star Wars fandom.
Released in June, The Acolyte transported fans to the High Republic’s twilight, offering a fresh take on the galaxy’s eternal conflict between light and dark. Created by Leslye Headland, the series explored the Sith’s resurgence during the Jedi’s Golden Age. Its ambition, however, came with a hefty dose of controversy.
While many applauded the show’s diverse cast and female-led narrative, others lambasted it as “woke,” drawing parallels to the divisive reception of Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII–The Last Jedi (2017). Cultural debates over Disney’s perceived “agenda” overshadowed some of the series’ merits.
Despite the presence of stars like Amandla Stenberg (Osha/Mae Aniseya), Lee Jung-jae (Jedi Master Sol), and Manny Jacinto (Qimir/The Stranger), The Acolyte struggled to hold onto its audience. Ultimately, Disney opted not to pursue a second season.
“So as it relates to Acolyte, we were happy with our performance, but it wasn’t where we needed it to be given the cost structure of that title, quite frankly, to go and make a season two,” Disney’s Alan Bergman told Vulture.
Fans quickly voiced their disapproval, accusing Lucasfilm of caving to online backlash rather than championing the show’s bold storytelling. Cast members like Stenberg and Jodie Turner-Smith (Mother Aniseya) spoke out against the toxic discourse, defending the series’ creative vision.
Lee Jung-jae, who portrayed Jedi Master Sol, reflected on the experience in an interview with Vanity Fair. “My feelings were hurt,” he admitted. “Especially for Leslye Headland—her feelings must have hurt a lot. I can only have faith that racism will end someday, even though it’s going to be hard.”
Interestingly, Jung-jae’s next move might see him entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to scooper MTTSH (via Comic Book Movie), the Squid Game star is in talks for an undisclosed MCU role. While details remain scarce, his global success as Seong Gi-hun/456 makes him a natural fit for Disney’s blockbuster franchises.
Meanwhile, the spotlight has shifted to Skeleton Crew, the latest addition to the Mando-Verse. Created by Jon Watts and Christopher Ford, the series follows four children navigating the galaxy with the enigmatic Jod Na Nawood, played by Jude Law. Colloquially coined “The Goonies in Space,” the show has received positive reviews but faces its own hurdles in viewership.
As Forbes reported, the two-episode premiere of Skeleton Crew failed to break into Luminate’s top 10 streaming list—a disappointing contrast to The Acolyte’s debut, which landed at #7.
Lucasfilm’s theatrical slate is similarly murky. The much-anticipated The Mandalorian and Grogu movie, directed by Jon Favreau, is set for a May 2026 release and seemingly promises to weave Din Djarin and Grogu’s ongoing story into Dave Filoni’s future climactic crossover event. Beyond that, the roadmap remains uncertain.
Rumors swirl about Simon Kinberg’s secret trilogy and Patty Jenkins’ revived Rogue Squadron, hinting at ambitious but unpredictable plans for Star Wars’ cinematic future. Alan Bergman remains optimistic, stating, “We’re looking at a number of additional series that are in development. We’ll see what we decide to do. As I said earlier, they have to be great, and when we’re in the position where we think we have what we want, we’re going to move forward.”
For now, the future of Skeleton Crew and the next steps in the Star Wars saga remain enigmatic.
What are your thoughts on the direction of the Star Wars universe? Share your opinions in the comments below!
Disney has been swinging and missing with every Star Wars effort ever since the Boba Fett series. It’s clear that the folks at Lucas film have lost their way. It may be time to take a long hiatus when it comes to anything related to Star Wars.
The Acolyte wasn’t bold stotytelling. It was bad storytelling. Killing off characters in every episode didn’t give anyone time to get to know the characters to even care. To the other side, I am tired of everything that doesn’t focus on white males as the winner is “woke.” I’ll be glad when it’s ok and good stories feature the rest of us again.
I think Disney is trying to be creative and bring new characters and story lines to the Star Wars world.
I do like the Mandolorian and Grogu a lot and enjoyed watching the Ackolyte series even though it was hard to get into it as it took a while to get to know the characters and there backgrounds.The new Skeleton Crew is enjoyable and seems promising but I think the characters need to be better and not be portrayed as so scared and stupid. I am sure they can read manuals to learn how to fly the ship etc.
Keep up the good work and try to please the old fans that believe that Luk Skywalker would never give up the fight.