Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) and her coven of witches from Disney’s ‘The Sidekick’
Episode 3 of the new Disney Star Wars series The Acolyte introduced a new group of Force users to the galaxy, sparking backlash from some fans who accused the series of breaking canon.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series’ favorable critic score stands in stark contrast to its dismal audience score.
What happens in episode 3 of “The Acolyte”?
Episode 3 of The Acolytetitled “Destiny,” explores the story of twin protagonists Osha and Mae (Amandla Stenberg), showing how the two were raised in a cult-like coven of witches on the planet Brendok, before being separated after a Jedi intervention disruptive.
Witches view the Force differently than Jedi, dubbing it “the Thread” and seemingly viewing it as something that cannot be controlled, only pulled in a certain direction.
The idea of different religions inspired by the Force isn’t new to the franchise, but The Acolyte this is the first time that shards Star Wars belief systems were shown in live-action.
In the all-female clan, the question of who fathered the twins gives way to a surprising answer: the Force (or rather, the Thread). Like Anakin Skywalker, the twins appear to be the result of an immaculate conception, carried to term by Mother Koril (Margarita Levieva).
Unlike Anakin, who was canonically created by the unknowable will of the Force, the twins appear to have been the result of some sort of experiment, with Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) claiming credit for their creation.
After the Jedi ask to test the twins’ Force sensitivity, the growing rift between the two children widens, with Osha seeking to join the Jedi and Mae demanding that they both remain in the clan.
While witches lean toward the dark side of the Force, Jedi don’t seem to be on the right side of history; they radiate sinister vibes, politely insisting that they have the Force-given right to remove the twins from their home planet.
They may not force the children to come, but they put pressure on them; Osha is even given a lightsaber, as if the deadly blade were a toy. In a disorienting twist, the entire coven of witches appears to die from a fire that Mae accidentally started.
It is obvious that there is another side to the story, but it is too early to draw conclusions.
What sparked the negative reaction to ‘The Acolyte’ episode 3?
First, there are the “anti-woke” fans and content creators who dislike the show’s diverse cast and LGBTQ themes. affirming that the franchise is “starting its male fan base.”
This segment of the fandom has been stoking culture war grievances since The Last Jediwith melodramatic criticism and frenzied vignettes of “anti-woke” YouTubers being something of a meme at this point.
Aside from repetitive identity fixations, some Star Wars fans accused The Acolyte to break canon and reduce the importance of Anakin Skywalker, as Anakin was meant to be uniquely designed, his creation tied to his destiny as the “Chosen One”, intended to bring “balance” to the universe .
Other Star Wars Fans dislike the way the Jedi have been portrayed, as the series seems to question the moral authority and competence of space monks. However, this nuanced and critical view of the Jedi is far from a new development, having been introduced by George Lucas in the prequel trilogy.
The most important part of being a Star Wars the fan complains, of course, bitterly Star Wars.
The ability to create life using the Force was mentioned in the prequels, when Palpatine tells Anakin that a powerful Sith Lord, Darth Plagueis, learned to do so using Midi-chlorians.
Incidentally, Midi-chlorians – the microbiological and scientific explanation that debunked the Force – proved so incredibly unpopular with fans that Star Wars doesn’t really mention them anymore (amusingly, George Lucas wanted to double down on the concept with his proposed sequel trilogy before Disney bought Star Wars and abandoned his ideas).
Did “The Acolyte” really break “Star Wars” canon?
Maybe? At this point, Star Wars the barrel has been broken so many times it looks like cracked glass.
Many films have carried over plot elements discussed in the previous entry, such as Rey becoming Palaptine’s granddaughter, C-3PO being invented by Anakin, and Boba Fett surviving his grisly death.
Other retcons have proven extremely popular and iconic – Darth Vader being Luke Skywalker’s father was a retcon, as was Leia being Luke’s sister (which explains their uncomfortable kiss scene).
Anakin being a Chosen One who brings “balance” to the Force makes no sense in hindsight; George Lucas seemed to be inspired by the false (but accurate) prophecy of Dunebut all of Anakin and Luke’s decisions become irrelevant by the end of the sequel trilogy – the balance is never truly restored.
In Star Warscanon is just a suggestion.
That being said, many fans enjoy The Acolyteand others reserve judgment for the end of the season.
One of the main reasons why there is so much friction within the Star Wars Fandom is the conflicting expectations between old and new fans.
The series began as a simple space opera, good versus evil, which became increasingly confusing and convoluted over time, as moral ambiguity was introduced, but not explored in depth.
Imagine if the black and white worldview of Narnia the series was clumsily injected with the philosophy of Game Of Thrones halfway through the story, and I could never quite get the tone right – that’s where Star Wars East.
The Acolyte experiences this limited moral ambiguity; fans will soon see if the series can reach the nuanced heights of Andoror collapse in The Book of Boba Fett.