The bestStar WarsTV show has a big element in common with the “worst,” raising the question of why one is hated while the other is not. Before 2019, the argument over what thebest-rankedStar WarsTV showwas would have been limited to animated projects. However, the release ofThe Mandalorianchanged everything, includingupcomingStar Warsmovies.
In the six years since 2019,Star Wars’TV shows have become the focus of the franchise. Although a return to the big screen is on the horizon, none can deny the impact Disney+ has had on a galaxy far, far away. Some TV shows have caused much discourse, both positive and negative, despite sharing some big aspects of production.
Andor Was Universally Praised, Yet The Acolyte Wasn’t
The Polar Opposites Of Star Wars TV
TwoStar WarsTV shows that have caused the biggest discussions for very different reasons areAndorandThe Acolyte. Beginning withAndor, the show is widely considered the bestStar Warshas ever created. In fact, many would even go as far as to argue thatAndoris better than anything ever produced inStar Wars, including the movies.
The reason for this is the sheer quality ofAndor’s writing. By the time ofAndorseason 2’s endingin 2025, the show had received rave reviews, even earning a TV record as only the second show in history to have five consecutive episodes hold a 9.5 rating or higher on IMDb.
This, combined with critical reviews and viewership numbers, proved how belovedAndorwas. Many do not think the show can be topped, with writer and creator Tony Gilroy being a big reason as to why. Beyond Gilroy,the entire writing team ofAndorhas been endlessly praised; the same cannot be said forThe Acolyte.
The Acolytewas enjoyed by critics, albeit with less acclaim. It is where fans are concerned, however, thatThe Acolytehas received immense criticism. The show has its supporters, of course, but it was the subject of review bombing on websites like IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.
Admittedly, the review bombing ofThe Acolytemay mean that these scores are not an accurate representation of its reception. Regardless, even someone like me, who enjoyed the show overall, was disappointed with it. I expected more fromStar Wars’first High Republic erashow, whereas I thinkAndoris one of the best TV series in recent years.
This all just proves that the two shows sit on opposite ends of theStar Warsspectrum.Andoris universally beloved, with many agreeing it transcends the boundaries ofStar WarsTV, whileThe Acolytewas either disappointing or the subject of review bombing. Interestingly, though, both shows had a very similar writing technique.
Andor & The Acolyte Used The Same Writing Technique
By Hiring A Mix Of Writers
The reception to bothAndorandThe Acolytecould not be more different, yet that did not stop them from having a similar rule in the writers' room. During promotion forThe Acolyte, showrunner Leslye Headland insisted that she needed to have someone who knew nothing aboutStar Warsas a writer. Headland explained her reasoning for this:
“I want you to be questioning narrative. I don’t want myself, who’s a lifelong fan, to just be relying on particular references in order to create emotional beats. I want those emotional beats to be earned and checked by someone that isn’t super familiar with it.”
Interestingly,Andortook a similar approach. After the release of season 2, one of the show’s writers, Beau Willimon, mentioned a similar concept. In an interview withThe Playlist(viaStar Wars Holocron), Willimon stated:
“It’s so valuable to have people involved in any Star Wars project who know all of the canon inside and out, but, but also, sometimes that can be a bit distracting and overwhelming. So someone like me, who’s able to not be distracted by some of that stuff, hopefully was value added.”
Evidently, both productions thought it valuable to include non-Star Warsfans in their writers' rooms for the same reason. Having someone unaware of whatStar Warsis at its core adds a new perspective. Willimon and Headland both typify this with their comments, yet this raises the question of why the latter received such backlash for this decision, whereas the former did not.
Leslye Headland Was Criticized Beyond Belief For Using Andor’s Writing Technique
As Evident By Many Online Fan Forums
Before answering this question, it is worth exploring some of the backlash in depth. OneReddit threadfrom a few years beforeThe Acolyte’s release that focused on the interview in which Headland outlined her choice to include a writer unfamiliar withStar Warsproves this.“Thanks, I already hate it"kicks off this thread, with many more criticisms to follow.
Another user then generalizes Headland’s comments, stating,“What kind of fan of cinema are you to avoid one of the most popular franchises of all time?“Another hinted thatStar Warsis wishing to separate its stories from, well,Star Wars:“What is it with Star Wars and hating itself so much that it desperately wants to be something else?”
Many echoed these sentiments, with one user claiming that"I thought things were gonna get better from now on. Boy, was I wrong.“These are only a small handful of replies to the thread, which has almost 100 of the same ilk. Conversely, thisAndorReddit threadhighlights the exact opposite, as the focus is on praising the show for doing exactly the same thing.
Quality Aside, The Reaction To Andor & The Acolyte’s Writing Teams Highlights A Worrying Trend
Specific Filmmakers Face More Backlash Than Others
The answer as to why Headland received criticism for her comments whenAndor’s writers did not is simple, albeit worrying. Many would claim it is becauseThe Acolytesimply wasn’t as good asAndor, and, in one way, they would be correct. After all,AndortranscendedStar Warsand proved what the franchise could achieve on TV, whereasThe Acolytedid not.
There is simply no denying the sheer difference in quality betweenAndorandThe Acolyte. Nevertheless, the above Reddit threads cannot simply be due to quality alone.The Acolytewas not amazing by any means, and was not onAndor’s level, but I think the outright hatred it received has a deeper, darker source.
The disparate reaction between these projects and their almost identical writing technique has nothing to do with either show’s quality.The Acolytewas facing review bombing and negative online discourse before an episode had even been released on Disney+, primarily due to the show’s creative team being made up of women and people of color.
Leslye Headland is also a queer woman, andThe Acolytewas critiqued as being “woke.”
The lead actor ofThe Acolyte, Amandla Stenberg, is openly gay and a very vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ communities. Combined with Stenberg’s racial background, the actor sadly suffered a great deal of online abuse. All of this causedThe Acolyteto be the focus for unsavory types online, leading me back to the aforementionedAndorlink.
Andorreceived no criticism at all for being made by people who knew little aboutStar Wars. In reality, it was the contrary, as the show received praise for doing so.Andor’s quality plays a part in this, but there is no denying that the backlash to similar comments fromThe Acolyte’s team is linked to the latter show’s focus on inclusivity.
The sheer amount of controversies and nitpickingThe Acolytefaced supports this, highlighting a troubling trend in recent years, not limited toStar Wars. Be it stars like Rachel Zegler facing relentless online abuse, a woman-of-color-led Marvel show likeIronheartbeing review bombed, orThe Acolyte’s reception, minorities in creative roles are still facing disgusting levels of pushback.
No opinions about quality should warrant the hatred those involved inThe Acolytereceived…
For instance,ifThe Acolytewere written by a straight white male and focused on male twins as its lead characters, I would wager it would not have received half as much vitriol as it did.
Andor, in a way, proves this. The comment about having non-Star Warswriters was fine for one show, but not for another. The two differ in quality, yes, but no opinions about quality should warrant the hatred those involved inThe Acolytereceived. The fact that one source of this widespread hatred was somethingAndorwas praised for speaks volumes.
Both The Acolyte & Andor Have The Right Idea… And Star Wars Knows It
But There’s Still A Long Way To Go
This brings me to my final point:The AcolyteandAndorare correct in using non-Star Warsfans in their writers' rooms. Moreover, Lucasfilm knows this. Beau Willimon, the aforementionedAndorwriter, has been tapped to co-writeJames Mangold’sDawn of the Jedimovie, proving his worth as aStar Warsscribe despite not having abundant knowledge of the franchise.
Sadly,The Acolyteseason 2 was canceled- likely in light of all the controversies it caused. This suggests there is a way to go, with creators like Headland needing to be trusted more than Lucasfilm wishes to avoid division.
Only this way will the backlash writers may receive for something those of the opposite gender, identity, sexual orientation, or race would not be stopped, not only inStar Wars, but in the cinematic and creative landscape as a whole.
