‘The Acolyte’ Composer Responds to Fan Backlash: “Our show is honoring the things that are important about Star Wars”

‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ premiered three weeks ago amidst controversy surrounding its premise and statements from cast and creators. Since its debut, the show has become a focal point of both critical acclaim and intense fan criticism, exemplifying extremes of review-bombing and review-boosting.

While critics have awarded it an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score stands at a low 14%. The declining streaming numbers indicate that fan dissatisfaction goes beyond mere review-bombing.

Following significant backlash against the show, several cast members have begun responding to criticism and personal attacks. Regardless of opinions about the show or individual performances, it’s important to remember that attacking people over a corporate Disney product is never acceptable. Responses have varied widely, from memes and jokes to alarming instances such as death threats directed at Wookiepedia editors who altered Mundi’s birthdate after Episode 4 aired.

Lead actor Amandla Stenberg recently released a song titled “Discourse,” addressing the racist attacks she has faced since the show began airing. Meanwhile, Claire Kiechel, one of the show’s writers, locked down her social media profiles following attempts to engage with fans who were attacking her over decisions like Kelnacca’s death and the inclusion of pronouns in the show.

Now, ‘The Acolyte’ composer Michael Abels has also weighed in. While he appreciates the passion fans have for Star Wars, he finds it puzzling that some would focus intensely on minor details like Mundi’s age.

I have been reading, and I’m going to continue reading, because it’s really important for me to know about the reaction. Jordan Peele movies have a huge fan base, and people dissect every aspect of the trailers when they come out. It’s remarkable. Also, not everybody likes Jordan Peele movies, and they have a lot to say about that. So, that’s not new to me.

What is new is the level of passion about this. I have been a Star Wars fan all my life, but not compared to some people. I really am a newbie compared to some people and how deeply they’re into it, and I have a very mixed reaction. I do love that people are so passionate about it and feel like it’s so personal to them; what Star Wars means to them. I would be a composer without Star Wars, but my life is forever blessed because of the music from Star Wars, and that’s really personal to me. I have to respect that other people have other things about Star Wars that are as personal to them as the music is to me.

I can’t say that I agree with some of the things that they choose to be passionate about, like the age of characters. I don’t think that’s quite as important to me as the things I care about. It’s just not what makes Star Wars to me. But I think that our show is honoring the things that are important about Star Wars for a lot of people, and I love that the show is reaching those people who can appreciate what we’ve done for Star Wars.

The complexity of Star Wars fandom extends beyond just delivering a positive message and featuring Jedi and Sith. With decades of established canon (and personal headcanon, unfortunately), some fans have been particularly sensitive to changes in canon, overshadowing any other perceived “woke” elements the show may have attempted (or failed) to portray.

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