On 4th June 2024 the first Episode of a brand new Star Wars TV show hit Disney+. After years and years of fans crying out for something new and away from the main story of the mainline continuity of the Skywalker Saga they finally got what they had been crammering for. A new TV show that was said 100 years before any other Star Wars media, with completely new characters and set during the High Republic of the Star Wars world, a period of time that hasn't had much expanded on it meaning Disney could do whatever they wanted to add to the lore without stepping on any toes. It seemed as though fans got what they had been asking for. Except the first episode of the Acolyte was not very well received. In fact the rest of the series wasn't received well at all to the point that disney recently have announced that the shows second season was going to be cancelled.
The final episode of Star Wars: The Acolyte had a viewership of 335 million minutes streamed, according to Nielsen's streaming charts. This was notably low compared to other Star Wars series, making it one of the least-watched finales for a Star Wars show on Disney+. For context, this figure is just 27.5% of what The Mandalorian Season 3 finale achieved and only 23.2% of the Season 2 finale that featured Luke Skywalker. With this steep decline in viewership it’s no surprise that Disney opted to cancel the show.
What does this mean for the future of Star Wars? Disney's latest attempt to carve out something fresh in the galaxy far, far away was their first real step away from the well-worn path of nostalgia bait. It's a move fans have been clamouring for, yet when it arrived, the show was met with widespread disdain online. But let's be honest—it's not as terrible as the internet would have you believe. It's just... okay. A middling effort, neither spectacular nor disastrous, but unmistakably padded—what could have been a tight three-hour story stretched thin over eight episodes, all in the name of keeping Disney+ subscribers engaged.
The real concern, however, lies in how Disney might interpret this outcome. Instead of concluding that they should avoid diluting small stories across bloated runtimes, they could very well decide that venturing into new territory is a mistake. The safer route, after all, is the proven one: stick to what sells. And unfortunately, that usually means more of the same—more nostalgia, more familiar faces, more recycled plots. Why? Because every time Disney has leaned into nostalgia, it's paid off handsomely.
Just look at The Force Awakens—a near copy of A New Hope that raked in billions. Or The Mandalorian, which has increasingly relied on nostalgia, even resurrecting a CGI Mark Hamill as young Luke Skywalker. The Ahsoka series? Another nostalgia-driven venture. All of these projects have been profitable, reinforcing the idea that sticking to the old formula is a surefire way to keep the cash flowing.
So, instead of pushing the boundaries of the Star Wars universe and exploring new, creative possibilities, Disney is likely to double down on what they know works. The result? A franchise that remains shackled to its past, replaying the same notes rather than composing something truly new.
