A counter-petition to permanently bury the “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte” from the franchise is growing in numbers after fans of the series by showrunner Leslye Headland — who promised it would be infused with LGBTQ themes — started a Change.org petition to get it renewed.
Started on August 22 on <a href="https://www.change.org/p/help-de-canonize-the-acolyte">Change.org</a>, “Star Wars” fans began a petition called “Help De-canonize The Acolyte,&#8221; <a href="https://redstate.com/brandon_morse/2024/09/03/the-drama-around-the-canceled-woke-star-wars-show-the-acolyte-just-got-more-hilarious-n2178858">Red State</a> reported. It came after a <a href="https://www.change.org/p/renew-the-acolyte">petition</a> began calling for signatures to save the female-centric, sith-focused series following reports that Disney+ had canceled the series after one season — amid low ratings and lackluster reviews — as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-cancels-star-wars-series-the-acolyte-season-2">reported</a>. 
“Like so many fans of Star Wars, I found the show ‘The Acolyte’ absolutely frustrating,” a description for the counter-petition read. “For some it might’ve been the abysmal writing, the ever-changing character motivations, or the awkward cinematography and strange jump cuts.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sign the petition!
Help us De-canonize The Acolyte from Star Wars!
Link: <a href="https://t.co/jKhkm5N846">https://t.co/jKhkm5N846</a>
— Flash (@YellowFlashGuy) <a href="https://twitter.com/YellowFlashGuy/status/1830315143881728457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
“The show was completely misdirected,” it added. “For others could be the multiple ways the show breaks canon,  jangles keys of established characters damaging them in the future or the way the show makes the prophecy of the chosen one completely insignificant.”
“Help me show Disney that we want to reset the prequel era back to George&#8217;s original vision that I know so many of us love,” it concluded.
The counter-petition earned “more signatures in its first day,” than the original one to save the series did in its first day. The counter petition currently has more than 16,000 signatures, Red State noted. The renewal petition has more than 65,000 signatures.
Lucasfilm reportedly opted out of having a second season for the series, sources previously told <a href="https://deadline.com/2024/08/the-acolyte-canceled-no-season-2-star-wars-disney-plus-1236044233/">Deadline</a>.  The eight-part series launched on June 4 after scoring numerous glowing headlines that helped it land a strong opening with 4.8 million views in its first day on the streamer with its first two episodes. 
However, it struggled with <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/star_wars_the_acolyte/s01/reviews">luke-warm reviews</a> and poor ratings, falling out of the top 10 by the third week, the outlet noted. The series remained there until the finale, when it finally cracked into the 10th spot, with 335 million minutes, something that is believed to be the lowest ever for a “Star Wars” series finale, the outlet noted.
Before the series aired, Headland announced that the show would be “coded queer.” The showrunner told <a href="https://www.advocate.com/film/2021/7/01/lesbian-leslye-headland-brings-queer-lens-star-wars-franchise">The Advocate in 2021</a> that her goal was “to allow her own personal experiences as a queer woman shine through in the finished product.”
“There’s just no way that me being a queer woman is not going to be reflected in my work. I could try not to do it, but why would I? It just feels like a natural extension of what I do,” she said at the time.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-cancels-star-wars-series-the-acolyte-season-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Disney Cancels ‘Star Wars’ Series ‘The Acolyte’ Season</a>

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Counter Petition To Permanently Bury ‘Star Wars’ ‘Acolyte’ Series Growing After Fans Start One To Renew It

Counter Petition To Permanently Bury 'Star Wars' 'Acolyte' Series Growing After Fans Start One To Renew It

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Disney+ has reportedly canceled the “Star Wars” series “Acolyte&#8221; created by showrunner Leslye Headland — who promised it would be infused with LGBTQ themes — after only one season amid low ratings.
Lucasfilm has opted out of having a second season for the female-centric, Sith-focused series, sources told <a href="https://deadline.com/2024/08/the-acolyte-canceled-no-season-2-star-wars-disney-plus-1236044233/">Deadline</a>.  The eight-part series launched on June 4 after scoring numerous glowing headlines that helped it land a strong opening with 4.8 million views in its first day on the streamer with its first two episodes. 
However, it struggled with <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/star_wars_the_acolyte/s01/reviews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">luke-warm reviews</a> and poor ratings, falling out of the top 10 by the third week, the outlet noted. The series remained there until the finale, when it finally cracked into the 10th spot, with 335 million minutes, something that is believed to be the lowest ever for a “Star Wars” series finale, the outlet noted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
‘The Acolyte’ Canceled: No Season 2 For Disney+’s ‘Star Wars’ Series <a href="https://t.co/s8duAdwV3W">https://t.co/s8duAdwV3W</a>
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) <a href="https://twitter.com/DEADLINE/status/1825672422139236432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yet-another-star-wars-show-wants-to-challenge-the-story-this-is-about-power">director</a> previously talked about how her new series wasn&#8217;t going to be like what fans have seen in shows like “The Mandalorian” or “Andor.” 

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<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/who-is-disneys-new-star-wars-director-the-queen-of-raunch-comedy">Headland</a> said her new series looked “at the Jedi as an institution, as a concept, as an entity that has amassed a lot of power. And that’s good, I’m not saying that’s wrong.”
“I think you’re seeing the Jedi when they are this very, very large institution – a benevolent one – but they are closer to who they are in the ‘Phantom Menace’ than obviously in the Original Trilogy where you feel like they’re almost extinct,” the director added.
“In a weird way, in the ‘Phantom Menace’ and the Prequel Trilogy, the Jedi outnumber the Sith,” Headland continued. “And then in the Original Trilogy, the Empire outnumber the Jedi, which is why a show based on the ‘bad guys’ is interesting to me. In that era, what does the underdog look like? Even if they’re the bad guy.”
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Before the series aired, Headland’s said that her “Star Wars” series would be “coded queer” like the animated children’s movie “Frozen,” as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-acolyte-showrunner-says-shes-so-into-series-being-called-the-gayest-star-wars-calls-r2-d2-a-lesbian">reported</a>.
“When I saw Frozen as a grown a** woman, I cried through the entire movie,” she said at the time. “There was just something about the relationship between the sisters, the like devillainization of the classic kind of fairy tale ‘bad guy,’ you know, the concept of true love being between two sisters and not a heterosexual relationship. It just destroyed me, completely.”
She continued, “And I thought, ‘Gosh, I would love to make something like this, for lack of a better term, Disney.’ Meaning something that like my parents would have allowed me to see when I was younger as a queer person, but I would have been able to understand as a queer person. And I think I would have had a completely different life. And so I really was inspired by it and was like, ‘God, I would love to make a story like this.’”
In 2021, Headland <a href="https://www.advocate.com/film/2021/7/01/lesbian-leslye-headland-brings-queer-lens-star-wars-franchise">spoke to</a> The Advocate about having representation on “The Acolyte” and fully intending “to allow her own personal experiences as a queer woman shine through in the finished product.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-acolyte-showrunner-says-shes-so-into-series-being-called-the-gayest-star-wars-calls-r2-d2-a-lesbian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘The Acolyte’ Showrunner Says She’s ‘So Into’ Series Being Called The ‘Gayest Star Wars,’ Calls R2-D2 A ‘Lesbian’</a>

Disney Cancels ‘Star Wars’ Series ‘The Acolyte’ Season 2

Disney Cancels 'Star Wars' Series 'The Acolyte' Season 2

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Counter Petition To Permanently Bury ‘Star Wars’ ‘Acolyte’ Series Growing After Fans Start One To Renew It

Disney Cancels ‘Star Wars’ Series ‘The Acolyte’ Season 2