Review: The Gayness of The Acolyte and The Unraveling of Fragile Masculinity
Men hate The Acolyte. That is, if one were to believe the deluge of comments on social media posts about Disney+’s newest show set in the Star Wars universe. As of this writing, The Acolyte holds a plummeting 28 percent Audience Rating on Rotten Tomatoes (90 percent with critics, including this one) with over 1,000 users giving feedback within barely a day of its release.
It’s a really odd number of reactions for a show that, if one were to look at the comments on social media posts from men (it’s almost always a man) declaring that it would be a flop or that they would never watch it. For a show that was destined to flop and that many have declared they would never watch, The Acolyte seems to be getting quite a buzz.
Maybe it’s Disney’s fault. Maybe if Disney kept it secret that Leslye Headland, vocal feminist and proud lesbian screenwriter/director behind Netflix’s Russian Doll, was the showrunner, the show wouldn’t get such a beating. Maybe if Headland didn’t say it was ‘the gayest Star Wars’ or if Disney didn’t tell anyone that Abigail Thorn, who plays Eurus, was the first out trans performer in Star Wars, the rabid masses would stay away. Maybe a marketing campaign that just focused on the fact that The Acolyte is the first live-action series set during the High Republic era, about a hundred or so years before the birth of Anakin Skywalker, the internet’s tidal wave of misogyny wouldn’t have crashed into it. Maybe if Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy didn’t say things like how the Internet is tough on the women of Star Wars, whose fan base is male-dominated, The Acolyte would have a smoother ride on social media.
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But why? The Acolyte is absolutely, 100 percent the gayest Star Wars but the funny thing is, you won’t even notice unless you’re actively looking for it. The Acolyte opens with a wuxia-inspired showdown between the mysterious assassin played by Amandla Stenberg, who goes by they/them pronouns, and Carrie-Anne Moss aka The Matrix’s Trinity, in a kung fu movie-style space cantina.
“Attack me with all your strength,” the assassin says, her arm extended in a kung fu pose. “I have no quarrel with you,” Moss’ Master Indara says, before Stenberg opens a can of Star Wars kung fu whoopass on her drinking buddies and forcing the taciturn Jedi Master into the fray. It’s a high-octane series opener that gets the adrenaline running. As Neo would say, “whoa.”
So The Acolyte is pretty gay. But it’s gay in a way that isn’t necessarily on screen. In fact, if you’re expecting a full-on pride parade in space, you’re probably going to be disappointed. It’s the Star Wars ode to Hong Kong wuxia the same way The Mandalorian is a tribute to Westerns, and when Headland teased a Rashomon way of storytelling, it’s a deeper cut than casual Star Wars fans realize because it means Headland was inspired by the same director as George Lucas: Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa, who directed Rashomon, also directed Hidden Fortress, a 1958 adventure about two peasants who agree to escort a man and a woman across enemy lines without knowing the latter is a princess. It’s no accident that Jedi robes look like Japanese yukata and that lightsabers are synonymous with Jedi the same way katanas are with samurai.
That’s why the whole conversation about The Acolyte’s gayness and feminism is disappointing because it distracts from the fact that The Acolyte is Disney+’s best Star Wars series since Andor. The LGBTQ representation absolutely matters, specially to a community and audience that often feels left out and alienated by one of the most toxic fanbases ever. The irony is that the very reason it was important to present The Acolyte as the most inclusive and queer Star Wars story is why it’s being attacked by the most fragile men. Before the show even came out, appropriately during Pride month, press releases and social media marketing posts were swarmed by men criticizing Kennedy or Headland, and every public misstep, such as when Charlie Barnett, the openly gay actor playing newly-anointed Jedi Knight Yord Fandar, made the mistake of saying that Anakin Skywalker blew up the Death Star, was fuel for a very, very angry homophobic fire.
They’ll never admit it, of course. The throng of toxic Star Wars fans who pronounced The Acolyte dead in the water before it even aired will never own up to their bigotry and misogyny. They’ll blame poor storytelling or terrible character arcs, despite the fact that The Acolyte is only two episodes in and it’s already set a unique narrative tone that keeps viewers asking more questions and wanting to know more. I’ve seen four episodes thanks to early screeners and I’m predicting that by episode 3, which features a flashback that shows one of Star Wars’ most mysterious and mystical groups, the collective heads of every homophobic and misogynistic Star Wars fan will explode. Is it gay? Yes, it’s totally gay. Is it pandering? Absolutely not. In fact, two key characters being lesbian is pretty much the only way to tell the story properly.
But this fact will fly over most myopic viewers’ heads because haters will zero in on a casual detail that’s simply part of the story and cry foul, accusing Kennedy and Disney of pushing some nefarious gay agenda. Never mind that there haven’t been any gay characters in Star Wars since it came out in 1977 except for obscure, non-canonical side characters outside of cinema and a pair of minor characters in the sequels. Nearly 50 years’ worth of Star Wars and there hasn’t been a gay major character, and queer-coded Threepio doesn’t count despite Headland calling it.
This is why some Star Wars fans claim The Acolyte is destroying Star Wars. Never mind that the action in The Acolyte is some of the most refreshing and creative we’ve seen, with Master Sol (Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae) blocking blows and blades with an open palm like the kung fu masters of old. One character, Master Torbin (Dean Charles-Chapman), meditates floating and when the Acolyte attempts to strike him down, she’s stopped by a mysterious force field and he continues to sit in the air unbothered. Not only is it extremely cool to see a Jedi Master have a permanent force field up while he meditates in mid-air, it’s actually the first time we get to see an obscure piece of Star Wars lore in action. Master Torbin has taken the Barash Vow, the Jedi equivalent of a silent retreat, a serious commitment to avoiding conflict that some Jedi take when they’ve done something really, really, really bad. Not only is a floating, invincible Jedi a great visual, it’s also a narrative breadcrumb that teases viewers to wonder what terrible thing Torbin could’ve done that pushed him to take the Barash Vow. Headland doesn’t just tell a compelling story, she proves that she knows deep Star Wars lore and isn’t afraid to wield it like a yellow lightsaber.
Set more than 100 years in the past, a longer time ago in a galaxy far away, The Acolyte’s Jedi are more widespread and popular than we’ve ever seen, with temples in various worlds and brandishing a rainbow spectrum of lightsabers. There’s much more to the Star Wars universe than just the Skywalker saga, and it’s truly refreshing to have a brand-new story that has no callbacks or cameos to Star Wars’ first family. It’s the first live-action show that’s completely removed from that era, which gives The Acolyte the freedom to blaze its own trail while having the power to sow story seeds for what we now know as canon. In the third episode, we get a line in passing that is most definitely a hint to the miraculous birth of Anakin Skywalker. It’s huge, but it’s so cleverly hidden in innocuous dialogue that it’ll either pass unnoticed or set off an internet firestorm.
That’s why The Acolyte is so good. It actually uses Star Wars lore in the service of story while laying the groundwork for brand new, potentially retroactive canon. The characters are fresh, with the contrast between the former Jedi Osha, who has left the Jedi Order, and her twin sister Mae, who is on a quest for revenge, is a clever homage to the other popular set of twins in the Star Wars universe: Luke and Leia. Stenberg, who plays both characters, is a charismatic lead who plays Osha’s relationship with her former Master, Sol, and Mae’s relationship with the scoundrel-like Qimir (Manny Jacinto) with equal intensity but differing vibes. Sol’s fondness for his former Padawan is tender and unique because Master Sol emanates such a peaceful mien that’s markedly different from other Jedi we’ve seen. Qimir, on the other hand, is a goofy rascal who gives off Han Solo vibes.
Only Dafne Keen’s Jecki Lon, Master Sol’s new Padawan, hasn’t made her mark in the first two episodes but Keen has hinted at using two lightsabers in combat so it’s something to watch out for. The series ramps up the intensity by the fourth episode, with a story that takes some unexpected turns. Everything about The Acolyte is solid, from its action scenes to the slowly unraveling mystery to building its characters. It doesn’t have the gravitas of Andor, but neither is it as bleak or depressing. The Acolyte is a joyous return to what’s great about Star Wars, sharing much of Ahsoka’s DNA as much as it does The Mandalorian. Osha’s tiny pocket-sized droid companion, Pip, just screams merchandise and Disney might even make bank with a handheld AI companion in Pip form.
The Acolyte has everything cool about Star Wars and then some. With a lesbian showrunner, a largely queer cast, and female twins as the lead characters, it’s the gayest, most feminist Star Wars to date but only if you’re paying attention to those things. Ironically, the ones who pay the most attention to those things are the one who hate them, which makes The Acolyte something of a conundrum.
Despite what some might say, The Acolyte’s gayness and feminism is never in-your-face. It’s just a solid, action-packed story that happens to have women, some of whom happen to be gay. If you’re just focused on the story, the adventure, and the little Easter eggs for Star Wars lore nerds, The Acolyte is guaranteed to entertain. If you’re looking to pick it apart for its representation, you’ll miss out on what promises to be one of the best Star Wars shows Disney+ has ever made.
