The Acolyte proved controversial long before it ever released. The Star Wars TV show was subjected to a review-bombing campaign, and the stars suffered a significant amount of abuse on social media.

Speaking to Glamour, Jodie Turner-Smith, who played Force cultist Mother Aniseya, has directly addressed the backlash. She describes how thrilled she was to be working with actors who were utterly committed to the characters - "I’ve never worked with anybody who’s handed me an essay on their character," she recalls of Amandla Stenberg - but the experience soured. "She put so much care and thought and love into that, and it’s disappointing to feel like your studio is not having your back in a very public-facing way," she notes, before continuing:

"They’ve got to stop doing this thing where they don’t say anything when people are getting fucking dog-piled on the internet with racism and bull****. It’s just not fair to not say anything. It’s really unfair. It would just be nice if the people that have all the money were showing their and putting their feet down. Say this is unacceptable: ‘You’re not a fan if you do this.’ Make a really big statement and just see if any money leaves. I bet you it won’t, because people of color, and especially Black people, make up a very large percentage of buying power. They might find that it’s actually more lucrative for them, but everyone’s using ‘woke’ like it’s a dirty word."

What The Acolyte's Cancelation Means For Star Wars

Disney canceled The Acolyte after just a single season, in truth largely because viewership was not sufficient to justify the costs; recent tax returns filed in the United Kingdom revealed the budget ballooned to an eye-watering $230 million. But it's undeniably true that certain portions of the Star Wars fanbase have been encouraged by the cancelation, convinced their approach worked. Disney's silence during the prolonged review-bombing campaign against The Acolyte spoke volumes.

Turner-Smith's comments come shortly after a disturbing report from Variety exploring the issue of toxic fandom, which contained a telling quote from one anonymous marketing executive: "Particularly when it’s a negative, toxic conversation, we don’t even engage. Like with toxic people, you try to not give it too much oxygen.” The problem, though, is that this isn't working; the negative voices are heard loud and clear, and the cast feel subjected to attack and without defense.

There have been moments when the wider Star Wars community seemed to take a stand against these voices. Ewan McGregor responded to racism among the Star Wars fandom when he spoke out in defense of fellow Obi-Wan Kenobi star Moses Ingram, insisting - just as Turner-Smith proposed - that these were not true fans of the franchise. But comments like this are still few and far between.

Our Take On Star Wars' Toxic Fandom Problem

There's a difference between legitimate criticism and a prejudiced attack. The Acolyte was not perfect; it suffered massive pacing problems, and characters weren't given the time to breathe, with flashback episodes disrupting the show's momentum. But it most certainly isn't the worst Star Wars property ever released - there's no way to justify its 18% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes - and the abuse actors suffered was horrendous.

The Star Wars fandom has always been fractured and divisive, but social media has amplified some of the worst voices in the fandom. Studios are clearly struggling to figure out how to react; silence isn't good enough, because it leaves cast and crew exposed. This problem isn't unique to Disney and Lucasfilm, and in truth The Acolyte serves more as a chilling case-study than anything else. Studios desperately need to figure out a better way.

Source: Glamour