It’s hard to believe that it’s been months since Lucasfilm canceled The Acolyte. The Star Wars series, however divisive, was one of the most exciting franchise offerings in years — and though its first season left a bit to be desired, most seemed to agree that it had plenty of potential otherwise. Not only had it pulled back the curtain on a chapter of Star Wars lore that had never been explored; it was also making great use of material from non-canon Legends. By most (sensible) accounts, it was any Star Wars fan’s dream, and most hoped that future seasons would deliver on the promise of the first.
Unfortunately, it just wasn’t to be. When Deadline revealed the show’s cancellation in August, it cited low viewership as the main reason. That may be part of the reason Lucasfilm chose to pull the plug; though some insiders believe the studio was attempting to placate a vocal, toxic sect of the fandom, viewership has become a major deciding factor in the future of a series. Netflix has canceled its fair share of original projects over low streaming numbers, and its contemporaries have been following that same practice in recent years.
