With sad 'The Acolyte' news, remember the light and life of Star Wars books
Plus: Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss arrives in my inbox.
We’ll always have Star Wars books
The Star Wars fandom received some sad, frustrating news this week — The Acolyte would not be getting a second season.
The Acolyte’s cancelation — or a lack of renewal, however you want to word it — has been at the top of entertainment news all week despite direct confirmation or acknowledgment from Lucasfilm or the showrunners. Deadline first reported the news and every major outlet has since shared it and offered their takes on why and the state of the Star Wars fandom.
Fans have been left reeling, even those lukewarm on the show. I don’t want to give the worst of the fandom any more attention, but you can guess how the more menacing, toxic “fans” reacted to the cancelation news.
The Acolyte’s cancelation is disappointing and disheartening. At best (if you can call it that) it points to Disney’s hesitation to pour money and energy into new, original stories without direct ties to another franchise or storyline. In the case of Star Wars, that’s the Skywalker saga. At worst, canceling The Acolyte makes some fans feel like Star Wars is bowing to the loud, toxic, ignorant fandom menace.
No matter if you loved The Acolyte or didn’t care for it at all, there should be appreciation for a Star Wars series that stepped outside of the Skywalker box by presenting a dark, morally ambiguous story set during an era previously only seen in books. The Acolyte poked more holes in the Jedi dogma and self-righteousness, presenting different views of the Force and who polices its use. It deepened and expanded the lore and even brought in a fan-favorite Legends character into canon live-action.
We got freaking Darth Plagueis in a Star Wars show, yet some were still unhappy. I know exactly who needs to hear this — Star Wars isn’t going to directly adapt The Old Republic or the New Jedi Order books or whatever else you think is a “better” story than the ones Disney is telling. It’s time to move on. Your bad faith, rage-baiting, and often racist and sexist arguments are beyond exhausting and are actively eroding the future of the franchise you claim to love so much.
As with anything you have a passion for, it’s important to balance celebrating the positive and speaking out against the negative. It’s just as important to fight to make your voice heard when Star Wars does something you don’t like (like cancel The Acolyte) as it is to celebrate and enjoy new stories. It’s heartening to see so many people express their love for The Acolyte while it was airing and especially now after it’s been canceled. It also feels good to see many of those same people and more sign petitions directly addressing Lucasfilm and calling for a renewal of the series.
As a journalist and historian, it warms my heart to see people exercising their right to free speech for something as seemingly inconsequential as a Star Wars TV show. Keep up that passion! And maybe channel some of that passion into other endeavors that make our world better, too.
My first thought when I heard The Acolyte news was — at least they can’t take The High Republic books away. At least there are still a bunch of new High Republic and other Star Wars books coming out over the next couple of years. At least we’ll always have the books.
If you ask any Star Wars reader, they’ll likely say one of the things they love about the books is their ability to give us the characters and stories we want — especially when the movies and shows disappoint us. Star Wars movies and shows are arguably the foundation of the franchise and the things most people mention when they talk about Star Wars. But the books have been here for over 30 years giving us new perspectives, stories, and expanded lore that the screen stories left out.
Though The Acolyte likely won’t get another season, there are still two tie-in books coming next year — Wayseeker and a young adult novel featuring Jecki and Yord. These books are set before the events of the show, but it’s exciting to get more of the world even if it’s not continuing Mae and Osha’s story. And there’s still hope that Mae, Osha, and Qimir’s stories will continue in another format beyond a live-action TV show.
As my therapist would say — your feelings are valid. It’s okay to feel sad and frustrated and angry and fed up that another Star Wars story isn’t prioritized as much as money-printing projects like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. Those are both excellent shows as well, and I can’t wait to see where they take us next. But we don’t have to live in our sad, frustrated feelings forever. We can be disappointed and channel our righteous anger while also celebrate all the other wonderful Star Wars things we still have — especially the books.
Share your love for The Acolyte — What was your favorite moment or favorite character from the first season? What are you most looking forward to reading in the new books?
Coming soon — Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss
With the 25th anniversary of The Phantom Menace, a new comic series, and two books starring the Jedi Master, this year has been a bit of a Mace Windu renaissance. The final story in 2024’s prequel collection is Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss, which will be released on Oct. 15.
I was supremely excited to get a digital review copy of the Steven Barnes-penned novel in my inbox this week — thanks as always, Random House Worlds! You may remember Barnes’ Clone Wars novel The Cestus Deception, which included the short story The Hive.
The Glass Abyss is set shortly after the events of The Phantom Menace — specifically the aftermath of Qui-Gon Jinn’s death at the hands of a Sith. While Mace and Qui-Gon may not have always agreed or got along, they were fiercely dedicated to serving the Force and helping people. The novel follows Mace as he journeys to a seemingly forgotten Outer Rim planet to help its people — one of Qui-Gon’s final requests directed specifically to Mace.
Before diving into The Glass Abyss, I highly recommend reading The Living Force, Mace Windu — The Twilight Run (comics), and The Phantom Menace novelization.
The next High Republic books
While I’m so excited to have a new Star Wars ARC on my Kindle, I can’t forget about the two High Republic books coming out first. Beware the Nameless by Zoraida Cordova drops on Tuesday, and Tears of the Nameless arrives on Sept. 24.
Unfortunately, I have not yet received review copies from Disney Books. I’m crossing all my fingers and toes they arrive before Tuesday. Say a little prayer to the maker for me. Even if they don’t, I’ll have a full review of Beware the Nameless in next week’s newsletter. And a review of Tears of the Nameless will come closer to its release date.
Beyond those two books, here are the rest of The High Republic reads (and listens) coming out this year.
Young Jedi Adventures: Snowy Mountain Rescue (Little Golden Book): Sept. 3
Young Jedi Adventures: The Harvest Feast (World of Reading 1): Sept. 3
The High Republic Adventures — Echoes of Fear #1: Sept. 4
The Acolyte: Kelnacca #1: Sept. 4
The High Republic Adventures: Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #1: Oct. 9
The High Republic: The Lightsaber Collection: Oct. 29
The High Republic: Tempest Breaker (audio drama): Dec. 3
Well said about The Acolyte. I didn't think it was a perfect show but it certainly showed enough that I thought another season was earned.
I think it is sad that this will probably be erased from Disney Plus. Become one of their tax write offs!