Leslye Headland’s The Acolyte has been offering some unique and fresh takes on the galaxy far, far away. Through the episodes, the show repeatedly unveiled the franchise’s most emblematic figure – the Jedi, and forced audiences to question their presumed faith in the Jedi’s morality and righteousness.

A still from The Acolyte | LucasfilmA still from The Acolyte | Lucasfilm, Disney

Meanwhile, as fans deal with The Acolyte’s unprecedented take on the Jedi, netizens gather on social media to defend George Lucas’ Star Wars Prequel Trilogy. Addressing the complex narrative of the Jedi in the prequels, fans defend them by justifying their actions while stating that even though the Jedi weren’t the best, they weren’t entirely evil.

The Acolyte Made Star Wars Enthusiasts Question the Jedi Morality 

With Leslye Headland‘s Disney+ show, The Acolyte, gradually approaching its end, fans have started realizing that it isn’t a typical Star Wars story. The creator’s take on different characters and the narrative is way different from the established lore. While this very aspect has created an uproar among fans, it has also unveiled the nuances of the Jedi, who are often considered the heroes of the universe.

The Acolyte has offered a brutal take on the Jedi by exposing their behavior as it is, without justifying or glorifying any of their actions. Throughout the Star Wars franchise, the Jedi have tricked and taken away children for training. But these actions were always either ignored or glossed over by the universe. However, Leslye Headland took a bold step and shone a light on the dark side of the Jedi.

lee-jung-jae-the-acolyteLee Jung-jae as Jedi Master Sol in The Acolyte | Lucasfilm, Disney

Instead of matching up with the themes of other Star Wars iterations where George Lucas only focused on Jedi’s mortality, while uplifting them to be the pivotal part of the franchise, Leslye Headland took a direction that outraged fans. Criticizing how the Jedi would take away children from their families to train them and teach the Order, The Acolyte also exposed the accepted expulsion of Padawans from the Jedi Order.

 

After Osha was kicked out of the Jedi Order in The Acolyte, fans initially didn’t think much of this, due to the ingrained habit of glorifying this cruelty. This is why Season 1, Episode 6 “Teach/Corrupt” pointed out, this as a cruel practice. First ripping children away from their families, to teach them the Order, and then ripping that away as well, is supposed to leave people hurt and broken and also susceptible to the dark side.

Star Wars Fans Defend the Jedi from George Lucas’ Prequel Trilogy

After Leslye Headland made fans question Jedi morality following The Acolyte episodes, die-hard Star Wars fans were immediately taken to George Lucas’ Prequel Trilogy, where he showed the Jedis’ faults. Realizing that people might soon question the Jedis, fans gathered on social media, in an attempt to defend the Jedi Order from criticism.

Liam Neeson as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace | LucasfilmLiam Neeson as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | Lucasfilm

Discussing how the Jedi Order is thousands of years old and during that time, the lines between good and evil were blurred, fans went on to explore the nuances of the Order and offer their perspectives. Although the Jedi Order has often been portrayed as wholly good and since the Prequels were the ones that criticized it like The Acolyte, fans justified that it was all because the Jedi had become blinded by their hubris.

Explaining how George Lucas created the Jedi to be good and the Sith to be evil, fans stated that the Jedis were just misguided in the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, they were not completely evil. Therefore, fans believe what The Acolyte is trying to portray is just plain wrong.

The Acolyte is available on Disney+.