The Acolyte was NOT a failure. It was failed. Hear me out.
Hello, friends. I want to talk seriously for a moment as a creator myself and a Star Wars fan who did not like the Acolyte. Specifically, I am here to stand up for the Acolyte despite it not being good in my opinion especially after seeing Mr. Pablo Gunner's rage review video where he shared many words of wisdom that Yoda would be proud of. I suggest watching it first.
The Acolyte itself was not a failure. It was failed by mistakes, taking risks that did not pay off and amateur writing. And to be honest, that's not the worst way a show can fail because in spite of its flaws, it doesn't change the fact that the series itself had many great ideas: a murder mystery, the villain's POV, calling out that not all Jedi are good, showing that there are other force users that fall into the gray area and so on. Plus, those fight scenes were worthy of being in the cinema and the characters you did connect with were great. In the end, I was rooting for Osha. In fact, I still am despite what she did in the end.
More importantly, just because the show was not good in my opinion doesn't mean it cannot be good in anyone's opinion. And beyond that, just because you don't like it doesn't mean you have the right to be mean about it. In fact, that shames the lore of Star Wars more than all the bad works altogether even the ones that had obvious resentment behind the writing (but that's another discussion). The quality of how you react to art is just as important as the quality of the art itself. Yes, I admit that Hollywood's obsession with DEI, representation and inclusion has gone too far and in fact hurts the very groups they're trying to uplift, but you don't solve one problem by creating another.
Also, the amount of badmouthing and hatemongering isn't just embarrassing anymore. It's mean. An artist doesn't deserve to be hung, crucified, sued, grounded or humiliated just because they made a work of art you didn't like. Heck, I believe that the cartoon Daria even addressed this. Kathleen Kennedy, Amandla Stenberg and all these other folks behind Star Wars are people with feelings and lives. Even if they act silly themselves or make bad decisions, they're people. And for many of these people, the Acolyte was their first ever project. Sadly, not everyone's first big project is a hit, but that's ok. What is not ok is beating people down. Now, I myself have given negative criticism on art pieces, BUT I criticize the art not the people and I try to be fair while removing anger from the equation. And I try not to be spiteful because as an artist myself, I've been there and know how it feels. Putting your art out in public is scary and I can tell you from experience that it doesn't get easier. However, it takes courage to do it in general and that within itself is admirable.
In closing, I want to add that I take absolutely no joy in how the Acolyte was not good. I wanted it to be good. I wanted Amandla Stenberg to do good. I even believed that its good points alone made it deserve a second chance with a season 2. I'm sad that this project didn't work out and I'm more sad for Amandla which is why I want her to still have a second chance in general. She has good ideas.
Please, be kind when media fails because kindness and support when people do wrong can inspire other people to be better. I mean, that was the whole point of Luke's struggle with Darth Vader. When everyone gave up on Vader, Luke still believed in him and fought to pull him out of the darkness with his heart, and he did it. Hence his famous line "I am a Jedi like my father before me." Luke was not talking about what his father used to be. It's what he believed he still was which was not only worth fighting for, but living up to as well hence why he showed mercy and support to Vader.
With that all said, let's all strive to be "Jedis" like your fathers, mothers, siblings and friends before us. Stop the hate and show support even when people fall to the dark side.
