Insights From Star Manny Jacinto

A fan-favorite star from The Acolyte has shared their perspective on how the series will age over time. 2024’s The Acolyte holds a 19% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it among the franchise’s lowest, falling below divisive entries like The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. The series was canceled after one season.

During Fan Expo Chicago’s Manny Jacinto panel, hosted by ScreenRant’s Joe Deckelmeier, the Qimir actor gave his thoughts on the show’s future perception. Comparing The Acolyte to the prequels, Jacinto shared his experience growing up with those movies and how younger audiences have helped to shift the perception of them over time.

He adds, referring to The Acolyte, “I do hope that, you know, it finds new life, or it continues to find the love.” When prompted about whether his character could return, he added that he hopes it will continue: “Never say never.” Read the full quote below:

SR: Star Wars is so fascinating to me, right? Because when I was a kid, I remember people not loving the prequels at all. Jar Jar Binks, people hated him. And now we’re seeing this resurgence of this love for the prequels, real big love for Jar Jar Binks and Ahmed Best, and that whole group.

I feel as if Star Wars is one of those franchises that ages really well over time, and it’s really unfortunate that certain projects don’t get to see their full potential realized. And I feel like The Acolyte is one of those type [of] projects, because I feel that given the full story, given time, I think that show would have been incredible. So do you think we’ve seen the last of your character in the Star Wars?

Manny Jacinto: I mean, I hope not. I truly hope not. I would love nothing more [than] to run it back. You make a really great point. I feel like with The Prequels, I mean, I grew up on The Prequels as well, and you know, as a kid, you watch that, and you’re just in awe of it. And then we grow up, and then now we have money…and we have more confidence as well, and we’re able to voice our opinion.

So I do hope that, you know, it finds new life, or it continues to find the love…you know, being out here has been so much love, and I just hope it continues, and we’ll see. Never say never.

Over a year after The Acolyte hit streaming, the Disney+ series is still a subject of controversy among Star Wars fans. There’s a vast range of emotions regarding the show, and its cancellation after one season means there won’t be any additional material to alter these discussions over time.

While many were excited to see the franchise explore the High Republic era, around a century before the events of The Phantom Menace, the show’s poor-to-mixed reviews quickly halted its momentum. Still, there’s a portion of the fanbase that loves the series and wants to see more.

The Star Wars franchise has always been subject to harsh scrutiny, with practically every fan having a serious opinion about every film, show, or era. The prequel trilogy was widely critiqued upon its release, but as the audience pool who grew up with it has grown into adults, the broader opinion has softened toward them.

Manny Jacinto’s comments suggest a hope that The Acolyte could experience the same shift over time. The fact that there are fans who enjoyed the series upon its release suggests that more viewers could come to appreciate its pros over time.

Manny Jacinto as Qimir and Amandla Stenberg as Osha in The Acolyte

I’ll be the first to admit that, personally, The Acolyte wasn’t for me. That said, I’m not one of the fans who detested the show in an unnerving, unhealthy way. I would like to see the show have a future, because if one thing is clear to me, it’s that there is a significant viewer base who genuinely seem to have loved it.

I also grew up watching the Star Wars prequels, and I can recount watching them as a child and being blown away by the visual effects. As a kid, the scope and vibrancy were unbelievable, and it was lost on me that they weren’t “good movies.” I don’t doubt that there will be younger kids who grow up and feel the same about The Acolyte.

As George Lucas shared in 2024, “It is a kids’ movie. It’s always been a kids’ movie.” He was referring to the prequels, but this same logic can be applied to modern projects. There might be a future for The Acolyte, and I can imagine a generation of fans will grow up wishing there had been more than eight episodes.