The Acolyte? The Star Wars show that premiered back in June, and proceeded to inflict irreparable nerve damage on everyone who watched it before draining their bank s, killing their families, and running the economy into the ground as it orchestrated the global takeover of a totalitarian regime that promised only despair?

The Acolyte didn’t actually do any of that, but you’d be forgiven for thinking that it did considering how severely it was lambasted by audiences and swiftly canceled by Disney.

The cancelation was no surprise to Amandla Stenberg, who starred in the show and condemned the bigotry aimed at The Acolyte. Like clockwork, the usual suspects pounced on them for this, so in stepped the world’s leading expert on navigating hatred from the Star Wars fandom.

Indeed, Ahmed Best—the man who shouldered the role of the infamous Jar Jar Binks back during the prequel trilogy (and who he’s voiced in a handful of projects since)—took to Instagram with a post of his own shortly after Stenberg posted their Instagram story, stating “I will always stand in solidarity for artists who give 110% to their work and art. Keep shining queen.”

It’s a class act from Best, whose Star Wars roles also include Jedi Master Kelleran Beq in The Mandalorian, and who knows a thing or two about being subjected to nonsensical outrage solely for participating in a Star Wars project in a way that someone didn’t like.

Was The Acolyte a good show? No, not really. It started out fine, the action sequences were genuinely excellent, and you could tell it had a lot of love for the IP, but the writing only seemed to get worse as time went on, and anyone who’s anyone knows that a shoddy script can sink the mileage of any show or film in one fell swoop.

Was Jar Jar Binks a good character? No, not at all. He was teeth-grindingly annoying and narratively useless aside from his role in giving Palpatine such potent political power. His presence was a net negative, without a doubt.

But most importantly, does it make any sense to subject actors (who largely have nothing to do with the creation of the actual material) to relentless abuse just because they happened to be in a piece of Star Wars media that’s not precisely the Star Wars media that you want that piece of Star Wars media to be (up to and including the Star Wars media that just isn’t very good)?

All I’m saying is that if you think Osha and Mae’s presence ruin the character of Anakin Skywalker, then Anakin Skywalker probably wasn’t that good of a character to begin with (he is, but I’m just making a point). The Acolyte could have only ever ruined Star Wars if you didn’t think highly of Star Wars to begin with. Go to therapy.

The Acolyte getting cancelled hot on the heels of its debut season, a first for the juggernaut Star Wars franchise, was somehow both an unexpected twist and something we all saw coming. That’s demonstrated by the reactions of two of its stars to the sad news. While Lee Jung-jae has said he was “quite surprised” to hear it had been axed, series lead Amandla Stenberg has a very different take on it.

Tragically, the biggest talking point surrounding The Acolyte wasn’t anything to do with the show’s quality, but rather all the hate it received from certain “fans,” who seemed to have a problem with its decision to have a woman of color for a protagonist (regardless of the fact this has already happened, in Ahsoka). Because of this, Stenberg — who had a dual role as Force-sensitive twins Mae and Osha — has itted the cancellation was “not a huge shock.”

Amandla Stenberg breaks her silence on The Acolyte ending after one season

The actress broke her silence on the news by sharing a “candid” response in a series of videos posted to her Instagram stories. In these, Stenberg stated, “I’m gonna be transparent and say that it’s not a huge shock for me,” regarding The Acolyte‘s premature ending. She then named exactly what she thought had doomed it to the streaming Sarlaac Pit:

“There has been a rampage of vitriol that we have faced since the show was even announced,” she said. “A rampage of, I would say, hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred and hateful language towards us.”

Stenberg went on to stress that she believes she has already “moved through those feelings” thanks to the previous times she has challenged the trolls head on through social media. Don’t forget, the actress once shared an original song she wrote and performed which specifically skewered the haters for their personal and racist attacks. She also explained that she felt she had to do this to “honor my value system.”

On a more positive note, Stenberg emphasized that the outside negativity did not affect her experience of making the series and of being a part of the wider Star Wars universe, nor did it impact on her appreciation for the actual Acolyte fans out there (they are out there, and they are ionate).

“It has been an incredible honor and dream for me to be in this universe,” Stenberg stressed, before addressing her fans: “I just wanna let those people know out there who ed us vocally, in the face of all the vitriol that we received and the targeted attacks we received, I would say, from the alt-right, that you were deeply loved and appreciated, and it made this job all the worthwhile for me.”

When Disney struck The Acolyte down with a lightsaber earlier this month, many blasted the decision as a sign that the studio was kowtowing to the haters and elevating their level of importance. Officially, however, the swift cancellation is believed to be due to the show’s poor Nielsen Ratings performance — it only appeared in the weekly top 10 for its pilot and final episodes. Of course, how much the negativity and the review-bombing impacted the viewing figures is hard to accurately determine.

What is easy to determine is that Disney was foolish to throw away such a talented and ionate star as Amandla Stenberg in this way, as it’s hard to see how she could return in any of Lucasfilm’s (much safer, more Mandalorian-ified) projects. It’s enough to turn anyone to the dark side.

Streaming culture has become the Wild West and unfortunately, the most deserving often loses. Most recent on the chopping block is fan favorite Star Wars property, The Acolyte.

Though the series inspired a heavy amount of discourse, all Star Wars series need to be graded on a curve. The fandom surrounding the sci-fi franchise is without a doubt one of the most vitriolic and toxic places to live in. Let’s not forget that Moses Ingram of Obi-Wan fame and John Boyega were the subjects of hateful racism. Even though The Acolyte got some of the same treatment, the series seemed to be doing well. It had one of the highest numbers for a Star Wars premiere, and introduced new characters in a somewhat unfamiliar world.

True to her word, showrunner Leslye Headland had been trying to accomplish something different. Star Wars often falls into the trap of rehashing Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) heroic journey, when it could be telling more interesting tales. Headland went to task by introducing the inverse of the hero’s story. Instead, she shined a light on the hypocrisy of the Jedi Order, and how it can turn some of the best of us to the Dark Side. Despite a captivating story, and showing the first live-action glance of the infamous Dark Plagueis the Wise, fans will get no satisfaction. Many took to X to express their disappointment.

Plagueis was only a shadowy figure in one brief moment of the series, but it was implied he’d show back up if the series got a season 2. The Stranger (Manny Jacinto) had to learn his craft from somewhere, and adding to the lore of the Sith was an intriguing prospect. This was a point that many fans couldn’t let go of. Mourning what could have been continues to unfold on social media.

The subtext of many of these posts clearly implies that the fan hate was the reason that The Acolyte isn’t getting its time in the sun. Even those who weren’t avid fans of some of the show’s choices couldn’t believe that the series would get cancelled after introducing such a highly anticipated character. Viewers have been waiting to see Darth Plagueis since Palpatine’s (Ian McDiarmid) meme-able speech to Anakin (Hayden Christensen) in The Revenge of the Sith. And now it appears that fans will never really see the tale of Darth Plagueis the Wise for themselves. This cancellation is just another example of how anything original is cast aside while studios are only interested in recycling the same thing over and over. We can only hope that the end of The Acolyte is the wake-up call that the industry needs to break out of this content plateau.

The success of The Acolyte’s finale has shone a light on Sith culture more than ever. Though the series had a shaky start, Osha’s (Amandla Stenberg) acceptance of the Dark Side has put a human face on the faction of Star Wars lore.

The last episode of season 1 also had the surprising benefit of seeing a famous Sith Lord who has been often referred to in the past 20 years but never seen. Darth Plagueis the Wise, infamously introduced in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is briefly shown lurking around Osha and The Stranger (Manny Jacinto). But while famous with fans, is he the most powerful Sith Lord in the history of Star Wars? In the face of the well-known Rogues Gallery of Sith Lords, it’s a hard title to win.

Is Plagueis the most powerful Sith Lord?

Out of all the Sith Lords — both canon and not — there are three that come to mind. Revan, Bane, and Plagueis arguably have boasted the most contributions to Sith culture. Be it through combat prowess, knowledge of the Force, or legacy, each of these Dark Force s has their own claim to fame, and that is the issue with trying to find the most powerful Sith. At least with this trio, they are all so different. Each has their own unique story and skill sets and it’s almost impossible to find a clear winner. In fact, it is easier to find a clear loser.

Sorry, Plagueis. When it comes to brute strength, the most powerful you are not. That isn’t to say the Munn doesn’t have his attributes. He of course is the main manipulation that brings Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) to the Dark, but this has less to do with outright Force abilities and more to do with his work as a scientist. As Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) tells Anakin in Revenge of the Sith, Plagueis had the power over life and death. It just didn’t work in his favor at the end of it all. Plagueis could manipulate midi-chlorians to stop those he cared about from dying. However, it couldn’t save himself. Ironically, his apprentice murdered him once he had decided he learned everything he could from his master. This ending is one of the less impressive ones, especially compared to Plagueis’ betters.

What about Revan or Bane?

To get to the heart of the Sith MVPs, we need to go back a thousand years or so. That is when Sith Lords did not mess around and had long lives full of twists and turns where they proved their worth. The first to be born was Darth Revan. The character initially appeared in the turn-based video game Knights of the Old Republic.

Revan has a much-ired legacy, specifically because of how many hats he wore. First trained as a Jedi, Revan was immediately spotted as a prodigy. From a young age, he could master almost any Force power that came his way. So much so that the Jedi Council became concerned about how elevated he was. He later proved himself as a more than capable battle commander in the conflict against the Mandalorians where he defeated their leader in one-on-one combat. And that was only his resume with the Jedi.

He would later the Dark Side with his associate, Malak, and prove to be an even more formidable force. And again, his story doesn’t end there. After Malak betrays him, the Jedi rescue Revan only to wipe his memories and train him as a Jedi to destroy Malak. They understand that Revan’s talent cannot be wasted and he is the only one who can defeat his former friend. And again, Revan stands apart because he has even another twist. Later, he starts to regain his memories of the Dark side of his life and goes on a journey to recover what he has lost. This results in him splitting his personas in two — one Light and one Dark. Even in death, his Dark side is so powerful he wills himself back to life for the sole purpose of vengeance. When it comes to Force ability alone, it is hard to count anyone against Revan.

However, as everyone must in the end, Revan succumbs to death. Even so, his legacy is so significant that while redeemed by the Jedi, he remains a hero to many Sith. First and foremost among those who revered him is Bane. Darth Bane is most famous because he is the Sith Lord who implements the Rule of Two. Before his time, the Sith were so bloodthirsty that infighting resulted in the dissolution of the sect. Bane was the sole survivor of the destruction of the Sith and decided that in order for them to survive, there could be no more than two of them. A master and an apprentice. This way they could live in secret and destroy the Jedi from the inside out.

Bane is powerful in his own right, though quite different from Revan. His intelligence and cunning allow him to survive the destruction of his people and his teachings become the instrument that many Sith follow until the time of Palpatine and Vader. But it isn’t a stretch to say that without Revan, there would be no Bane. Bane idolized his predecessor, so much so that he sought Revan’s Holocron to further understand his philosophies. Both Bane and Revan are paramount to Sith culture, but Revan started a chain of events that would continue for thousands of years.

In the realm of television, there are few gaps as wide as the one between Amazon Prime and Disney Plus’  production. Disney is obsessed with appealing to audiences, whereas Amazon seems to delight in pushing boundaries.

But as The Boys heads into its fifth and final season, and The Acolyte wraps its controversial first, it’s impossible not to compare a plot point the wildly different series share. Beyond the sharing of superpowered beings (Jedi are space superheroes, change my mind) both projects have a plot point that hinges on one actor playing two roles. While The Acolyte had eight episodes to find a way to sell the concept, The Boys pulled it off in just 15 minutes.

Obviously, there are going to be spoilers for both series’ final episodes in the paragraphs to come.

Star Wars: The Acolyte, much like every recent Star Wars entry, has been a controversial addition to the collection. From the female director and lady-led cast to the presence of a Black Jedi to a potentially chronology-breaking timeline, fans found plenty to blast. The Boys has had a much better reception despite outcries against a gay subplot, the force-feeding of its narrative satire, and Starlight actress Erin Moriarty’s changed appearance.

As much as I liked The Acolyte, there was something about its presentation that irked me. But until I saw The Boys I couldn’t put into words why I hated seeing the force-created twins onscreen at the same time. The Acolyte centers on Osha and Mae, literally one person spread across two bodies, and the sisters spend the entire series trying to find one another. But when they finally do, it just looks cheap.

Having one actor play two roles isn’t out of left field. Tom Hardy pulls this off magnificently in Legend. and Christian Bale does it with The Prestige, and there are older, smaller-budget projects that have masterfully pulled this off. So why does The Acolyte struggle with pulling of the visual element of one actor playing two parts?

The camera pops awkwardly back and forth between the two, and the only time they are ever seen on camera together outside of combat is from awkward over-the-shoulder shots. Somehow, its worse when they are fighting. When the two are both visible in the frame and engaging in some lovingly crafted choreography, the problem is even more glaring. Every moment seems to emphasize the fact that Amandla Stenberg is, in fact, one person.

On the flip side, The Boys’ Erin Moriarty dominates as two people. Her body language, the shots used, and the incredible choreography combine to make one believable and cohesive scene. The short slugfest is good fun and the directorial choices shine. Both versions of Moriarty are visible at one time, and every blow looks like it connects with Moriarty, rather than an digitally-erased stuntperson.

If The Acolyte is going to ask viewers to suspend their disbelief around Osha and Mae for another season, then we need more from them. The directors could study The Boys’ season 5 finale, or they could learn from a Disney classic. If Lindsay Lohan could convincingly play twins in 1998’s The Parent Trap with its measly $15.5 million budget while The Acolyte flounders with a $180 million budget, the House of Mouse is in some serious trouble.

I will be the first to say that The Acolyte is very far from flawless; that is something we should all be capable of acknowledging without foaming at the mouth over the presence of human beings in this show.

Is the dialogue great? No, not really. Are the performances impressive? Here and there, but no, not generally. Is it perfectly able—even genuinely solid—popcorn entertainment (aka the exact identity that the original Star Wars film intended on being)? Yes, absolutely. Now, go get acquainted with reality, maybe pick up a hobby or two, and queue up some Star Wars on Disney Plus (perhaps one of the shows or films you don’t dislike, because that’s a thing you can do) when you’re finished detaching yourself from nonsensical rumors.

Folks, Amandla Stenberg hasn’t been fired from The Acolyte; their recent Instagram post—in which they responded to all the unhinged backlash (which, again, is entirely different from routine criticism, and is very blatant in its bad faith) that they and the show in general have received with a fully choreographed music video—is yesterday’s news, and is a very small, inconsequential drop in the bucket of their career. It certainly had no impact on their Star Wars prospects whatsoever, especially considering how equally fed-up Kathleen Kennedy is with the people whose biggest problem in their lives is a show that they absolutely do not have to watch.

And for those of you who fit that description, I see you; you need an outlet for some nebulous, deep-seated anger, and The Acolyte is just creaky enough that you feel justified in heaping all of it towards this show. Trust me, this will not make you feel better, and if you take the time to look inward and unpack that anger a bit more sincerely, you’re going to end up being a lot less reactive to space lesbians, and having a lot more gratitude for life in general. I believe in you.

Responding to constant negativity from a significant number of crazed Star Wars fans, Amandla Stenberg has released an original song and music video that is guaranteed not to win them over, nor is it designed to.

Stenberg is the star of the new Star Wars series The Acolyte but — before it even premiered — many fans of the franchise decided to not take a liking to the series, and that’s putting it mildly. Some called it horrible while itting that they hadn’t even watched it, which may for its horrid 14% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, as there is no way for the site to determine who actually watched it and who didn’t. A better guide might be the critics approval rating, a respectable 84%, which more likely accurately reflects actual viewers’ score, and reveals the bizarre bias of that so-called “audience.”

The predetermined hate was mostly fueled by some reviewers calling it “too woke.” This stems from a scene where two women are clearly in a relationship — shocking! — and another where the pronouns “they” are used, though it was more of a joke, as the character was referring to an animal.

Once the show aired, the noted non-believers looked for anything to hate on and they succeeded, noting timeline issues and events that that they believe change what happens later, though that’s debatable. Even if you accept the timeline discrepancies as problematic, they still shouldn’t cause the entire series to suffer from poor reviews.

Looking for more reasons to dislike Stenberg herself, who has actually done an outstanding job playing two major roles in the series, raging fans began circulating a video from her 2018 appearance on The Daily Show where she says, “Making white people cry is the goal.”

Any reasonable person who saw it was likely wondering what she was talking about in the clip. Missing from the video is the fact that they were discussing The Hate U Give, based on the YA novel by Angie Thomas. It’s a poignant and racially-charged story whose film adaptation humanizes the characters and, as Amandla explained to Trevor, “Hopefully people will have a sense of empathy because of that. So far, it’s been really successful. We’ve had a lot of white people crying.”

After a laugh from the audience, this led to the “that’s the goal” comment later in the interview.

So, what does a woman who receives such unfettered hatred while starring in a force-sensitive Star Wars role do?

Stenberg, who once praised the Star Wars fandom, decided it was time to put all of her frustration and energy into being creative. So, she wrote a song called “Discourse,” recorded it, made a video, and posted it on Instagram just in time for Juneteenth.

Stenberg’s lyrics actually kick off by noting the viral video of her appearance on The Daily Show: “Trevor asked what I want people to know / I said white people crying was the goal / If they could take one thing, what would it be? / I say empathy, that’s why they’re mad at me.”

The song is filled with many powerful statements that will certainly cause people who exercised their free speech on social media against Stenberg to be outraged.

How the first verse ends will likely be a favorite line of many: “If you rely upon misinformation then that tells me you’re afraid of the truth.”

She’s sure to note the “too woke” mob in her song as well: “‘Woke’ was something we created to speak truth to power / and keep an eye out for you silly racists.”

Another line that won’t win any fans over: “My sis said don’t let it go to my spirit / but I’m sick and fu**ing tired of suppressing my rage / 400 years of taking their bull** it.”

It’s worth noting that Amandla’s method of rapping is extremely calm and almost quiet, saving the power of the song not for her vocals but for the lyrics themselves. The method certainly works.

Most of the video is shot in front of a mural of the fictional character Radio Raheem, who is killed by police officers in Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing. Coincidentally, the film is celebrating its 35th anniversary this month.

Stenberg wraps up her song by answering why she decided to make the song: “If you don’t confront the pain that you live with / It’ll manifest as addictions, diseases, and hate / I’ve seen the infection repression can give you / I’m not gonna be the next one sent to an early grave.”

Reactions are already pouring in from some very angry Star Wars fans. It will certainly be interesting to see how much more attention The Acolyte will receive moving forward especially considering that Stenberg is choosing to listen to the haters and fight fire with fire.

Yet, for every hater there is someone who appreciates the show which, in the case of this reviewer, is extremely good and — unlike other reviewers — I’ve actually watched it.

The following article contains spoilers for The Acolyte.

The Acolyte has many things going for it, but of the biggest is that it’s set during the the High Republic era, a setting fans had never seen before in live action.

But despite an interesting story with strong characters, the series somehow rehashes old territory and regrettably, not very well. Don’t get us wrong. The Acolyte has a strong foundation and is worth the watch. Some elements of the story, however, are hard to look past. And this isn’t a conversation for the nitty gritty fans who have critiques pulled from obscure books and comics. Somehow, many scenes from The Acolyte miss the mark on lore that was present in the original saga films.

Master Indara’s death

If there is one moment that screams disrespect, it is the death of Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss) in the opening sequence. Moss is a genre queen and fan-favorite for her roles in The Matrix and Jessica Jones. And after finally cinching a role in the martial arts-heavy IP Star Wars — and being featured heavily in all the promotional material — she is dispensed with immediately. If that were the only gripe, that would be enough. But the nature of her death adds to the disrespect and doesn’t make sense when it comes to Star Wars lore. 

A Jedi Master as elevated as Indara would not be so easily defeated. Especially considering how adept she is at her Force abilities, without needing a lightsaber. Any time a Jedi Master is killed in the saga films, it is a climactic scene that uses every bit of the Force necessary. Indara is simply distracted by a barkeep, dying in the most anticlimactic way possible. Though Indara certainly could have been killed by Mae, the way she did left much to be desired.

The Jedi Council in Coruscant

Not much is seen of the Jedi Council in the days of the High Republic beyond a murder investigation, and yet, there is still something off about these scenes. The lack of one of the most powerful Jedi Masters. At the time of his death, Master Yoda (Frank Oz) was 900 years old. 

He and other famous Jedi, such as Yaddle (voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard in Tales of the Jedi), would certainly make an appearance. While it’s true the appearance of such an iconic character around this time would be distracting, it seems just as distracting that he is nowhere to be seen and even not made mention of.

Osha’s arrest

When Master Indara dies, the Jedi Council is quick to point fingers. Of course, they come to the wrong conclusion. They presume, based on a description of the killer, that she is Master Sol’s (Lee Jung-jae) former padawan, Osha (Amandla Stenberg), who washed out of training.

Osha maintains her innocence, but for some reason, the Council doesn’t resort to the most obvious of their powers. Entering minds is a basic Jedi ability and would easily resolve this mix-up. However, the Jedi do not even consider this and instead continue their investigation like any Earth-bound cop would. There are many reasons they would go about the investigation in this manner, but the most obvious one is so the show can increase its tension.

Mae’s subterfuge

With the Jedi Council hot on her trail, Mae (Stenberg) continues her crusade to kill a Jedi Master without a weapon. One of her targets is Master Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman), who has taken The Barash Vow and been suspended in meditation for the past 10 years. Mae ultimately coerces him into suicide, but it is a close call. She narrowly avoids notice by one of the other Jedi at the temple. This choice is an odd one, considering how many Jedi in the past have wielded hyper-sensitive sensing abilities.

Any Jedi should be able to feel that someone else was present. In the original saga, Vader (James Earl Jones) was able to ascertain that Luke (Mark Hamill) was on another ship completely, while Ahsoka (Ashely Eckstein) was so overwhelmed by Vader’s presence in Rebels, that she ed out. These aren’t abilities that are relegated to the most powerful Jedi. Force sensitivity is one of the defining traits of the Jedi, and the one in the temple should have been able to feel someone else there.

Mae’s supposed death

For a sect of monks so connected with the living life force, overlooking the death of a child seems like a pretty big miss. When Osha’s home was set to the torch, Sol presumed that her twin sister Mae had died. Years later, that is proven not to be the case, making many viewers wonder under what circumstances a Jedi would simply assume a child had died. In the coming weeks, answers to these pressing questions in The Acolyte may come to light. Perhaps there is something larger at work, such as the overarching Sith plot. But until the point comes when the grander scheme is revealed, it’s hard to take these Jedi seriously with their lackluster abilities.

One day after The Acolyte premiered on Disney Plus — and after months of the show receiving negative attention from so-called Star Wars purists who hadn’t yet seen it — the series’ star responded to the negative criticism.

Amandla Stenberg, who both stars and co-stars in The Acolyte, as she plays the dual roles of twin sisters, was the most recent focus of the portion of the Star Wars fanbase who all but condemn the saga for now being “too woke.”

Personally, I’m quite the huge Star Wars fan and have written countless articles through the years about the saga but I’m always surprised with the “This isn’t Star Wars” crowd who seem to be more committed to being negative than being receptive. Last night, I watched the two-episode premiere of the series and came away impressed with the excellent presentation of the story, and I’m genuinely excited to see the rest.

Stenberg, who was outstanding in the premiere, appeared on GMA3 to discuss it. She noted that her favorite thing about being in the show is that her 9-year old nephew loves it. He is her biggest fan and, if you watch the series, you’ll likely him in his fandom.

When discussing how actors in Star Wars are generally beloved, or at least used to be, Eva Pilgrim hesitated somewhat while asking, “Were you surprised by the people and all of the stuff that has come your direction" allowfullscreen>

Perhaps Amandla Stenberg will be the one that bridges the gap between Star Wars fans who are fed up with the franchise, and Star Wars fans who love its new direction. She responds with understanding and maturity and keeps things light, as if suggesting that you can’t please everyone, but you can still do the best you possibly can, without negatively responding to the criticism.

Am I saying that she is the Chosen One? Not really, because there is no such prophecy outside of the saga, but I do believe Stenberg will prove important to the future of Star Wars, and will bring more people on board who will welcome what’s to come.

With the MCU’s Multiverse Saga now in full swing, it has opened the full gates for alternate versions of our favorite characters. This new plot device has been used to great effect in movies like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man: No Way Home and the Disney Plus series What If…?.

However, there’s always room for more variants to enter the fold. And since we have the better part of two whole phases to get through following this thematic thread of alternate dimensions, why not speculate on who they could cast next as variants">Amanda Seyfried, who turned it down thinking the first film would flop, as Cosmo pointed out. Though Seyfried could not have been more wrong, there’s now a good excuse to bring her back to the fold as yet another Gamora variant.

You see, Gamora was developing quite a romantic relationship with Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill for a while there. However, the original Gamora died in the MCU while a variant of her from 2014 was introduced. This 2014 Gamora had no interest in starting a relationship with Peter in Vol. 3 as she was significantly more hardened as Thanos’ former lieutenant and daughter. The solution to giving Peter his overdue happy ending? Bring in a Gamora from another universe, played by Seyfried, who is kinder, gentler, and actually has chemistry with the self-proclaimed Star-Lord. 

It seems like being a part of Star Wars these days is like ing a secret society. Scripts are stored under lock and key, cast shuffle around in cloaks, and until production is finished — no one has any real idea what’s going on.

With each new entry onto Disney Plus or otherwise, the folks tasked with making these stories are sworn to absolute secrecy, and it looks like The Acolyte is no different. This Sith-centric series follows a former Padawan and their Jedi Master as they investigate a series of mysterious crimes. Set in the High Republic era (around 100 years before the Skywalker Saga), our favorite galaxy far, may be in for some serious changes.

One of the series stars, Amandla Stenberg (Bodies Bodies Bodies, My Animal), spoke to ComicBook.com about how tight-lipped everyone has been while working with Lucasfilm.

“What can I say that won’t get me fired? Walking onto set, I’ll just say this, this is vague enough. You know that it must take a lot of technical ability and craftsmanship to make Star Wars, but you have no clue how expansive it is until you’re a part of it.”

There’s no doubt that working on a Star Wars project must be surreal, and when it comes down to the craftsmanship that goes into bringing that galaxy far, far away to life — no expense is spared.

“Whether it’s the puppeteers or the costume designers, or all of the folks from all the different departments who build the sets, you don’t realize how much incredible technology and foresight there is in every element until you’re there.”

Regardless of how secretive things are surrounding this latest entry into the Star Wars mythos, we couldn’t be more excited to see it brought to life sometime this year.

Amandla Stenberg, outstanding 23-year old actress whose breakthrough role was playing Rue in The Hunger Games a decade ago, DM’d New York Times film critic Lena Wilson after her unfavorable review of Stenberg’s new film Bodies Bodies Bodies to suggest that Lena was too busy looking at her breasts.

Amandla reached her conclusion because Wilson wrote in her review that, “the only thing that really set it apart is its place in the A24 hype machine, where it doubles as a 95-minute ment for cleavage and Charli XCX’s latest single.”

Though Stenberg later stated that she is tired of people talking about her chest, it’s worth noting that Lena Wilson never specifically mentioned Stenberg’s chest.

The DM that Wilson received from Amandla specifically reads, “ur review was great, maybe if you had gotten ur eyes off my t**s you could’ve watched the movie!”

Stenberg received some backlash for choosing to DM a film critic who gave her movie a not-so-great review, though others defended her choice. Most comments were of the “Why would she do that">Amandla recently praised the Star Wars fandom.

Acolyte is expected to be released in late 2023 or early 2024, and will take place about a hundred years before the events of Phantom Menace, depicting the reawakening of the Sith.

We look forward to Lena Wilson’s review of it.