Summary

• The Acolyte season 2 has been canceled by Lucasfiilm
• The cancelation was likely driven by viewership, not by the online backlash.
• Some character arcs are set to continue in other mediums.

High Republic Era. The golden age of the Jedi and the Republic, this period is ripe for exploration.

Unfortunately, The Acolyte proved to be something of a lightning rod for the fandom, sparking a vocal online backlash and a review-bombing campaign that often overwhelmed all other conversations. That does not, however, mean the characters from The Acolyte will never be seen again. Here's all we know about The Acolyte season 2, and the future of these heroes and villains.

The Acolyte Season 2 Has Been Canceled

The Acolyte has been officially canceled by Lucasfilm after season 1. Showrunner Leslye Headland suggested she believed any decision would be mae based purely on viewership, and the numbers clearly weren't sufficient. This comes as disappointing news after a number of social media messages from the Star Wars referred to "season one," and a tie-in book did the same.

Some Major Acolyte Plots Were Originally Saved For Season 2

Incredibly, many of the most popular Acolyte plots were originally saved for season 2. The Acolyte's Sith Lord was originally central to season 2, barely seen in the original season 1 scripts after one clash with the Jedi. Manny Jacinto's performance was a gamechanger however, because Headland recognized that he simply had to have a much bigger presence. As she put it:

"I saw Manny’s screen test early on in pre-production, and I just thought, 'There will be riots in the streets if I don’t [go further]. Here we go. I guess I’m rewriting an episode.' "

Everything We Know About The Acolyte Season 2's Story

There's clearly a narrative throughline running from the creation of Osha and Mae in The Acolyte to the Force powers of Darth Plagueis, who learned how to coax the midi-chlorians into creating new life. Given this is the case, it's reasonable to assume The Acolyte season 2 would have continued to move through the Star Wars timeline, establishing the power of the Baneite Sith and revealing more about how they remained hidden while seeking power.

It's unclear which cast and crew would have returned for The Acolyte season 2. The first season was shocking in of willingness to kill off major characters, with Carrie-Anne Moss' Master Indara dying within the opening few minutes. That means many of the cast would have be all-new, although Manny Jacinto's Qimiir and Amandla Stenberg's Osha and Mae seemed safely locked in for a return.

The Acolyte's Characters Will Be Developed Off-Screen

That said, the story of The Acolyte isn't over. Lucasfilm has announced a number of Star Wars: The Acolyte tie-ins and spinoffs, including:

Most of these are prequels to The Acolyte, rather than continuing iits story (the young adult novel is set to star Jecki and Yord, two characters who died in the show). It remains to be seen where The Acolyte's story will continue, but it must be noted comics have recently continued abandoned stories and character arcs from Solo: A Star Wars Story. In Star Wars, nothing is truly gone.