The Acolyte Not Picked Up For Season 2 On Disney+

Star Wars fans heard in the opening episode of Leslye Headland’s dark side-focused story The Acolyte that “an Acolyte kills the dream”. And for fans of that show, it seems the dream is over: according to reports, The Acolyte won’t be receiving a Season 2, and the story of Osha, Mae, and the Stranger ends here. While the show was only ever picked up for a single season (and therefore hasn’t technically been ‘cancelled’), Headland had previously talked of thoughts and plans for a second run – which it appears the powers-that-be have declined to explore.

As reported by Deadline, the streaming numbers on The Acolyte started strong, before declining as the series continued – and while the exact economics of the streaming era mean it’s never quite clear what level of viewership is required for a show to be successful, the results weren’t enough to continue the story. While the end of Season 1 offered some closure on a chapter in The Acolyte’s wider narrative – depicting Osha’s fall to the dark side, closing out the mystery of what happened between the Jedi and the witches of Brendok, and leaving several of its characters, er, at one with the Force – there was plenty of ground to cover moving forward.

Notably, the season finale delivered brief glimpses of [SPOILER ALERT] Sith baddie Darth Plagueis, as well as beloved Jedi hero Yoda – whose impact on the continuing story will now go unresolved. Plus, the true identity of Manny Jacinto’s red lightsaber-wielding Stranger was never revealed, nor his evident history with Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh, nor his plans for Osha going forward. In fact, the set-up for Season 2 – with Mae aiding the Jedi, and Osha now learning under The Stranger – looked set to be a fascinating inversion of the first season’s set-up.

Fans, then, will likely be disappointed by the abrupt end of the story. Stay tuned to find out if The Acolyte continues in any other form – weeks ago now, novels dedicated to Acolyte characters like Yord and Jecki were announced. Perhaps this High Republic story will unfold further on the page, the medium in which that storytelling era originated. Either way, expect much discussion of The Acolyte’s fate for a while to come. Here’s hoping its cancellation won’t become anyone else’s villain origin story.