Summary
Amandla Stenberg has responded toThe Acolytediscourse with a new music video she’s shared on social media. It’s been a long time since theStar Warsfandom has felt quite so divided, with abacklash againstThe Acolytethat’s involved everything from review-bombing on Rotten Tomatoes to death threats against Wookipedia editors. Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy and showrunner Leslye Headland have made an open stand against racism and sexism, which they point to as a motivation for many online trolls.
The Acolytestar Amandla Stenberg celebrated Juneteenth in style with a social music videothat responds to the “discourse,” as she calls it. Shared onInstagram, it includes a blow-by-blow account of how some trolls found a six-year-old interview surrounding the movieThe Hate U Give, and spliced it into an attack on Stenberg andThe Acolyte.
This is the first direct comment on the backlash fromThe Acolyte’s stars, and it’s remarkably bold.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode Guide - Cast Members, Biggest Takeaways & Easter Eggs
Here’s everything you need to follow along with Star Wars: The Acolyte, from references and trivia to main takeaways from each new episode.
What’s Going On With The Acolyte?
As Stenberg notes, the online “discourse” onThe Acolytehas been very toxic indeed. Quotes from bothLeslye Headlandand Stenberg herself have been ripped out of context and used to attack the show, with the most prominent being a claim Stenberg wanted it to “make white people cry.” This was actually a quote from an interview discussingThe Hate U Give, and the actress' hope was that “white people” would cry with empathy as they understood the nature of racism and police violence.
The online campaign againstThe Acolytehas intensified since the show’s release, with review-bombing onRotten Tomatoes; amusingly, some of these individuals actually managed to review-bomb a 2008 movie and a 2022 fan-film by accident. The latest flashpoint has involved acameo by Jedi Master Ki-Adi Mundi, with some insisting his appearance breaks canon. This escalated in a shocking manner, with editors of the Wookipedia wiki receiving death threats after they edited Ki-Adi-Mundi’s page to reflect his cameo.
There is undeniably a strong degree of racism and sexism inThe Acolyte’s backlash.Both femaleStar Warsfans and fans of color have reported horrific messages, often via DM, with many describing death threats and abhorrent language. Stenberg is clearly choosing to call this out rather than bow beneath the pressure, and her decision is commendable. “To those who are flooding me with intolerable racism,” she writes, “u got 72 hours to respond, and I expect choreo!”
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
