Summary
Shortly after its premiere,Star Wars: The Acolytebecame the victim of an aggressive review-bombing campaign on sites such as Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic - but this isn’t the first timeStar Warshas seen such a thing happen.The Acolytehas long since been fighting an uphill battle as aStar WarsTV show, in that it has both become the first majorStar Warsproject to be set outside the Skywalker saga and has one of the franchise’s most diverse casts to date. It’s quite different from anything seen inStar Warsbefore, which some do not like.
This type of vitriol and hatred towardsThe Acolyteis, unfortunately, nothing new for the franchise. TheStar Warssequel trilogy has long since been at the center of vehement opposition from many franchise enthusiasts, and a decade or so before then, it was theStar Warsprequel trilogy. These waves of hatred, however, have even more in common than what meets the eye. As it turns out, even review-bombing isn’t a new response, as it also happened about fourteen years ago to a now-beloved project.
When Is The Acolyte Set In The Star Wars Timeline?
The Acolyte will introduce viewers to a whole new part of the Star Wars timeline - but how does this next Disney+ TV show fit with the Skywalker saga?
The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy Was Review-Bombed On Rotten Tomatoes As Well
Revenge of the Sith’s Audience Score Dramatically Dropped In 2011
Long beforeStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithbecame regarded as the best of the threeStar Warsprequel movies, it was also a victim of intense review-bombing. Originally, until as late as 2010, the audience rating ofRevenge of the Sithon Rotten Tomatoessat at a satisfactory 85%. In 2011, however, that percentage dropped to 64% before balancing back out at 65%. Even worse was the total number of votes it had received;it went from a total of 198,824 votes to 32,050,182 votes, creating a whopping 160,000% increase in votes out of nowhere.
At present, this audience score stands at 66% - which is fitting for the movie’s devastating yet memorableOrder 66sequence - but that small increase cannot and does not erase the history of what oddly happened between 2010 and 2011. Even stranger is the fact thatthis happened 5 years after the movie had already come out. It dropped the audience score down to where the other two prequel trilogy movies,Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom MenaceandStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, had originally scored, as if trying to prove some unknown point.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Cast
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith details the fall of the Jedi Order and Anakin Skywalker’s transformation under the influence of Darth Sidious. Released in 2005, the film explores Anakin’s internal conflict and the shifting political landscape, leading to the rise of the Galactic Empire.
The Patterns Are Exactly The Same
But Review-Bombing for The Acolyte Began Before It Even Came Out
The patterns between what happened toRevenge of the Sithand what is currently happening toThe Acolyteare exactly the same. Almost as if this era of theStar Warstimelinehas some kind of curse, these projects are both falling victim to intense review-bombing with no clear motivation.The Acolyteis currently sitting at a 13% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a stark contrast to its critic score of 84%- and makes this the lowest-ratedStar Warsproject in history, somehow even more so than the infamousStar Wars: Holiday Special.
While both these projects, of course, ought to come with a healthy amount of criticism in all aspects, the way some Star Wars audiences are responding to them now just like the way they did fourteen years ago is extremely disheartening.
There are other similar patterns between the two beyond just review-bombing. Members of the cast are being criticized left and right for their acting, and even the most minute details - such asKi-Adi-Mundi’s age- are being blown out of proportion in a way that’s utterly shocking to witness. While both these projects, of course, ought to come with a healthy amount of criticism in all aspects, the way someStar Warsaudiences are responding to them now just like the way they did fourteen years ago is extremely disheartening.
Ki-Adi-Mundi Age “Retcon” Controversy Explained
The apparent retcon of a Star Wars character’s age, Ki-Adi-Mundi, is causing controversy after his appearance in the latest episode of The Acolyte.
It’s Time For The Star Wars Fandom To Grow Up
This Behavior Accomplishes Nothing but Divisiveness Within the Fandom
The most discouraging part about all of this is having to come to terms with the fact thattheStar Warsfandom has not yet learned from our previous mistakes. Everyone should have learned from the renaissance of theStar Warsprequel trilogy that approaching projects with hate leaves nothing except lost opportunities and divisiveness in its wake. Those who grew up with the prequels and were shamed for it really should know better now, and hopefully, those are not the same people who are going afterThe Acolytein such a way.
This wave of vitriol and hatred has done nothing but harm those within and even outside the fandom, and the lesson somehow hasn’t been learned.
There is a stark difference between disliking a project and taking the time to review-bomb it. The beautiful thing about media is that it’s entirely subjective, and people’s preferences vary based on what they find to be the most entertaining or captivating. Criticism is also a normal part of media consumption, as it has and will continue to make positive changes when it’s delivered correctly. This, however, accomplishes nothing - nothing except infighting and deep hurt.Star Warswill not erase an entire project simply because of a bad Rotten Tomatoes score.
In sum, it’s time forStar Warsaudiences to be better, and it’s been that time for many, many years now. From the prequel trilogy to the sequel trilogy and nowThe Acolyte, this wave of vitriol and hatred has done nothing but harm those within and even outside the fandom, and the lesson somehow hasn’t been learned. It is my hope that one day, movies and shows likeThe Acolytecan have varying reviews amongst the fandom while still being accepted as real, true, and valid additions to theStar Warsfranchise.
The Acolyteepisode 5 is now streaming. New episodes release Tuesdays on Disney+.
The Acolyte
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
