'The Acolyte' Will Never Be Weirder Than These Star Wars Shows (2024)

While the announcement that Lucasfilm was purchased by Walt Disney Studios in 2012 initially sparked excitement for Star Wars fans everywhere, the last few years have been particularly rough for fans of the galaxy far, far away. It’s not due to a lack of great projects, as Andor, The Last Jedi, and the final season of The Clone Wars have proven how exciting, dynamic, and original the Star Wars franchise can be. The disappointment lies in the community that has emerged; Star Wars fandom has become very toxic, with some outspoken obsessives claiming that the new projects produced by Disney are in some way disrespectful to the original vision that George Lucas had in mind. While the new High Republic era mystery series The Acolyte is the latest project to receive this unjust criticism, it’s worth remembering that Star Wars has always had a shaky relationship with its television spin-offs.

In the aftermath of the release of Return of the Jedi in 1983, the Legends universe that existed prior to 2012 was not yet fully formed. While novels like Splinters of the Mind’s Eye and the run of original Marvel comics existed, there was very little new content available to Star Wars fans interested in seeing the universe expanded. Although it would be years before Lucas would begin work on both the “Special Edition” releases of the original trilogy and the eventual prequel films, Star Wars was still a cash cow that had the potential to reach younger viewers. 1985 saw the debut of the animated shows Droids and Ewoks, which rank among the weirdest stories in the history of Star Wars.

Star Wars: Droids

TV-Y7-FV

Animation

Sci-Fi

Adventure

A pair of well-known droids wander through space and time, serving various new masters and getting caught up in exciting escapades. Throughout their journeys, they often become the unlikely heroes, facing challenges that test their wit and mechanical prowess in a universe filled with conflict and intrigue.

Release Date

September 7, 1985

Cast

Anthony Daniels , Graeme Campbell , Dan Hennessey , Don Francks , Donny Burns , John Stocker , Michael Kirby , Long John Baldry

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

2

What Are ‘Droids’ and ‘Ewoks’ About?

Star Wars had first experimented with television in 1978 when the disastrous The Star Wars Holiday Special aired only once before never being reproduced in any form of physical release. While the holiday-themed spinoff film was derided as one of the biggest disasters in American television history, it did receive some praise for a short animated segment titled “The Story of the Faithful Wookiee,” which featured the debut of Boba Fett. Lucasfilm continued their work with the animation company Nelvana on two new shows that aired on ABC starting in 1985. Droids focused on the exploits of R2-D2 and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) before the events of the original trilogy, and Ewoks centered on the furry residents of Endor before the Rebel Alliance arrived in Return of the Jedi.

Any fans expecting substantial revelations about the Star Wars canon were likely disappointed by Droids. Save for a brief cameo by Fett in one of the earlier episodes, Droids didn’t feature any of the characters from the classic trilogy, and only barely acknowledged the existence of the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire. It quickly became evident that while the two droids were serviceable as supporting characters in a larger story, they didn’t really work as the protagonists of a weekly adventure. C-3PO was overly fussy, ignorant, and didn’t seem to like going on adventures at all; R2-D2’s lines were, of course, gibberish to anyone that didn’t understand droid languages. Unsurprisingly, the show was canceled after only one season.

Ewoks managed to last into a second season, as it was likely aided by the release of the live-action television films Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle For Endor, which featured Warwick Davis reprising his role as Wicket the Ewok from Return of the Jedi. However, Ewoks was clearly aimed at a much younger audience with its childlike animation, which felt much closer in tone to Care Bears or The Smurfs than The Empire Strikes Back. Star Wars has always been made with a children’s audience in mind, but a show like Ewoks was unlikely to have any crossover appeal to more mature viewers.

‘Droids’ and ‘Ewoks’ Played Loose With Star Wars Canon

One of the most beguiling criticisms leveled at The Acolyte is that it somehow “contradicts” the canon of the film franchise with the introduction of miraculous conceptions and Force witches. Even ignoring the fact that retcons are an inherent part of the franchise, nothing in The Acolyte is quite as bizarre as the storylines in Ewoks and Droids. Droids was essentially a Saturday morning cartoon show that featured the droids facing off with all sorts of pirates, smugglers, monsters, and yes, even witches. Similarly, Ewoks delved into some of the mystical aspects of Endor, while also dedicating an absurd amount of time to Ewok melodrama. Neither show is now considered to be canon in the new timeline, but they are both preserved in their entirety in the “Star Wars Vintage” tab on Disney+.

What’s most disappointing about Droids and Ewoks isn’t the blatant disregard for continuity, but that there was very little effort poured into either program. Star Wars eventually proved to be a great universe for animation, as Genndy Tartakovsky’s groundbreaking Clone Wars microseries proved that a change of style was in the franchise’s best interest. Comparatively, Ewoks and Droids felt like cheap knock-offs made to ensure that the Star Wars brand remained in the public consciousness. They have little lasting legacy within the franchise and have been relatively forgotten about by anyone who isn’t a hardcore obsessive.

There’s No Overarching Trait That Defines Star Wars

The Acolyte has done a lot of bold things within the Star Wars franchise, and time will tell whether they are successful. Even if the show doesn’t stick the landing, it's clear that showrunner Leslye Headland has put a lot of effort into reaching interesting conclusions about the legacy of the Jedi Order. Comparatively, Ewoks and Droids show that Star Wars continuity has never been entirely precious. Anyone who is seriously upset about the emergence of space witches should watch Ewoks and Droids to see how truly awful the franchise can get.

Droids is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.

Watch on Disney+