Warning! The Following Contains SPOILERS forThe AcolyteSeason 1, Episode 5, “Night.”
“Difficult to see… always in motion is the future.” Those wise words from Master Yoda are quite apropos, asThe Acolyte’sshowrunner,Leslye Headland,contemplates and discusses a possible second season for the Disney+Star Warsseries. As the show from a galaxy far, far away approaches its final three episodes, Headland was asked about the future, and she claims to have thrown “everything into Season 1.” Headland explained in an interview withEntertainment Weekly:
“I threw everything into Season 1,because who knows what’s going to happen? And thenI’d say there are four to five major mysteries and plot points that have to get hit in Season 2,but until we get a proper pickup, I worry that spending a lot of time in that world — especially being in a period whereI’ve worked so long on this project that honestly I’m exhausted by it coming out —to kind of jump right into like,‘All right, Season 2….’”
The Acolyte
Star Wars series that take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.
Headland continued:
“It will probably be more that I know what needs to happen,and I know what the character development needs to be in order to hit the plot pointsand the character points for a second, third, or fourth season.So, I look forward to working on that, but right now, I haven’t.”
Leslye Headland Explains Her ‘Philosophy on First Seasons’
It’s hard to tell if Leslye Headland’s vision ofStar Wars,which is set 100 years before George Lucas’ prequels, will continue or not.The Acolyte’sTomatometer rating(84%) has been quite strong during the course of Season 1, but the majority of fans have clearly voiced their concerns over the Disney+ series, which, as a result, only holds an audience score of 14% on Rotten Tomatoes.
And even withthe mysterious Sith lord’s identity finally being revealed,does Episode 5’s perceived success necessarily mean the show has turned a corner? “The Stranger’s” lightsaber battle with the Jedi led to a bloody massacre from which only Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) walked away from unscathed, as the Sith emerged victorious. So, what is Headland thinking in terms of storytelling from this point forward? And does her “philosophy on first seasons” necessarily accommodate additional seasons? Headland said during the same interview:
“I’ll tell you my philosophy on first seasons.Something that I’ve noticed is first seasons will end on what should have been the break into act two.It feels like everyone’s really expecting to get a second season, and I don’t feel that’s a good idea.I think you shouldput everything you can into the first season and give the audience a nice resolution that feels satisfying,but enough nods to mysteries that you would want to see a second season.”
The Acolyte Showrunner Addresses Osha & Mae’s Witchy Origin
The Acolyte’s Leslye Headland speaks to Mother Aniseya’s revelation that she created the twins, Osha and Mae.
Headland continues by taking a shot at theObi-Wan KenobiDisney+ series:
“So, it’s a little bit of both.You don’t want to leave it so wrapped up that, like Obi-Wan or a standalone mini-series, that there’s no reason to watch a second season,but I think there’s enough stuff in the last few episodes that you would want to have answered.”
Who would star in Season 2? Will anyone even be alive whenThe Acolytewraps up its first season? Manny Jacinto, who portrays the Sith warrior, may be starring in a one-man show if the series continues along its current path, because his“Stranger” persona wiped out a whole host of Jedi,including key cast members Dafne Keen and Charlie Barnett! Perhaps Headland is telling the truth. Perhaps she did throw everything into Seasons 1, which means none of her characters may be left alive for Season 2.
New episodes ofThe Acolytedrop every Tuesday at 9 p.m. EDT onDisney+.
