You’ve heard about first Acolyte, yes. But what about second Acolyte? Okay, that may only work for Hobbits and breakfasts, but we do need a second season of The Acolyte from Star Wars and Disney. Some of you reading this won't make it past that sentence; I realize that. But there is logic and reason to that claim, along with a bit of wishful thinking, and I think you’ll figure out which is which as we go forward.
So here are 3 reasons that we need to have Disney and Lucasfilms push out a second season of The Acolyte as soon as they can.
For me, this is the biggest and most important reason ANY fan of Star Wars should find themselves interested in a second season of The Acolyte. Season Two of this show can continue with the characters and storyline that was started in this first season.
With this story set approximately 100 years before The Phantom Menace, we have a lot of ground to cover. The second season of this show would allow us to see answers to questions raised in the first season and how storylines started here connect to the Skywalker Saga and more.
We had brief cameos from Master Yoda and Sith Master Plagueis. We are introduced to Qimir, who serves a master, but wants his own Acolyte, and it appears that Osha will be that Acolyte. But the sub-stories that lie beneath the surface also require both our attention and answers.
What becomes of Mae? Does she now represent the light half of the Mae/Osha duo? Clearly, she is force-sensitive. Does she pursue the Jedi path now, or does she stay neutral to the force, perhaps even blocking herself off from its power?
Being that was Darth Plagueis hiding in the cave watching Qimir and Osha, will we see more of him in season 2? Since there is the rule of two, who is the man out between Plagueis, Qimir, and now Osha? Will Osha be kept as an apprentice, or will Qimir be killed by his Master to make room for a new apprentice, Osha, to begin with, but leading up to the emergence of Palpatine?
And what happens to Master Rwoh and her coverup of what happened between her former Padawan Qimir and the whole crew of Jedi that he killed? Does she tell Yoda the truth, because she clearly chose to lie to the Senate and place the full blame on Master Sol?
Rwoh has a lot to answer for and see has the eyes of her current apprentice on her. He’s watching her moves and certainly he sees what she’s saying and what she’s doing, to a certain degree. And then we have to consider the rest of those Jedi Knights who went back to Brendock with her. They may not have gone there already believing that Sol was acting alone and was truly responsible for all that transpired on Brendock. Perhaps, Rwoh had talked with them as well to sell her cover up.
Speaking of Brendock, is there truly a vergence in the Force located on that planet? Is the combination of Osha and Darth Plagueis coming together what requires the Force to create the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker, in response to the actions of Mother Aniseya and Koril in the creation of the girls and Plagueis’ pursuit of extended life and creation of life using the force? If there is a true vergence in the force on Brendock, then we have to assume this become part of the coverup, hiding the Sith from the rest of the Jedi and the Senate body.
For me, in addition to seeing storylines from more of a Sith perspective, one of the best parts of this show has been the detail surrounding the fall of the Jedi. When we first see them in The Phantom Menace, they are still at high power, although there was clearly some distrust from the Senate at this point. But there were already large fractures between these two bodies. In the course of approximately 20 years, the Jedi go from a position of great respect and authority to being nearly wiped out of existence.
It’s the how did we get here portion of the story that I appreciate. The Acolyte shows that not only were the Jedi acting out of the lines of provider power, but we also see how they began to get to the point where they were at the end of The Clone Wars. By that time, they were no longer seen as keepers of the peace but as weaponized implements of war used by the Grand Army of the Republic.
The Jedi’s descent into near extinction is an immensely important story in the overall Star Wars story. Their decline due to their own hubris and ignorance is what allows for the need for a chosen one to balance the force, allows the rise of Palpatine, and sets this whole story we love in motion.
Had Master Rwoh not covered up what actually happened on Brendock, had Yoda and the rest of the Jedi during the Clone War era not covered up their inability to detect a Sith Lord in their midst, this would have been a completely different conversation. But the Jedi allowed their pride to get in the way. Yord showed this in season one with his “look at me, I’m a Jedi” attitude. This was a common personality trait. Hubris was the word that Luke used to describe the Jedi, and it is entirely accurate.
The development of this story is crucial and pivotal to all future Star Wars stories. Even though it’s 47 years after the release of George Lucas’s original tale, we are watching some of the foundational tales of Star Wars, the Jedi and the Sith, unfolding before our eyes.
Trust me, I am all for more stories away from the Skywalker name, but some stories are required to move us closer to the Skywalker Saga. The story of The Acolyte is that story. This show will pave the groundwork leading up to the prequel era and build the reason for the Skywalkers to exist.
For those of you who so severely disliked The Acolyte, if you're still reading this, you have to realize the events before The Phantom Menace are what allowed Anakin to exist. We need to meet Plagueis. We need to see how he pursues unlimited power, the creation and extension of life, and how he works against the will of the Force. We need to see the Force’s response. All of this is crucial to the Star Wars story.
We need to see the descent of the Jedi. We need to see how Master Yoda, who is seen as the smartest and wisest of all Jedi, allowed all of this to happen. Was he as prideful as the rest? Did he believe that he could sweep this all under the rug with no consequence? Or was he, like he was during the Clone Wars, blind to the rise of the power of the Sith?
Or was this all just the will of the Force because the story needs the Skywalkers?
So, do we need season two of The Acolyte? Absolutely, we do. Despite the calls for the firing of Kathleen Kennedy, Leslye Headland, and anyone else who worked on this show. Despite the false claims that have been levied against the show. Despite the false reviews that were put on the Rotten Tomatoes website and false reviews against anything else with the name “Acolyte” in it. This show is what Star Wars needs right now, and our fandom DESPERATELY needs to come to a point of acceptance of where the universe is and where it is going.
We need season two of The Acolyte, and I hope they back up a Brinks truck to Leslye Headland’s front door to make it happen.
