The Acolyte And 4 Other Scandals That Sent Star Wars Fans into Galaxy-Sized Rage

The history of the biggest franchise in the world, created by George Lucas in 1977, lasts almost 50 years and has gained a colossal fan base.

Of course, where several generations of geeks carefully preserve their love for the great space opera, there is always room for discontent.

1. The Star Wars Holiday Special

In 1978, riding the wave of the unexpected success of A New Hope, CBS aired The Star Wars Holiday Special. The plot follows Han Solo and Chewbacca as they fly to the Wookiee home planet of Kashyyyk, where his family is waiting for him to celebrate Life Day.

The main plot is constantly interrupted by comic interludes: a wild cooking show and commercials for non-existent gadgets. The show featured all the main characters from the original movie: Princess Leia sings to the Star Wars theme song, and Luke Skywalker stares into the camera for several minutes without blinking.

To say that fans were unhappy is to say nothing. The Holiday Special was so bad that after its first and only broadcast, Lucasfilm chose to forget about it forever.

2. Jar Jar Binks

Fans waited 16 years for the premiere of The Phantom Menace, the first film in the prequel trilogy. Theories about what exactly Lucas would show in the new film excited the minds of millions, and when The Phantom Menace finally hit theaters, about half of the audience left disappointed. Some missed the magic of the original trilogy, others were unhappy with the concept of Anakin Skywalker's immaculate conception.

But the most powerful wave of anger was caused by Jar Jar Binks. This clumsy character was created by George Lucas under the influence of the Disney character Goofy and added to the saga for comic effect, which in the original trilogy was the responsibility of the droid C-3PO.

But something went wrong, and Jar Jar's jokes were so disliked by fans that a website was created to collect petitions asking Lucasfilm to kill the character.

3. Walt Disney Deal

In 2012, a landmark deal took place – Lucasfilm was bought by The Walt Disney Company. The total value of the deal was $4.1 billion, of which George Lucas received $2.2 billion in cash.

The storm that followed this incredible news is hard to describe: the fan community split into several camps. The most irreconcilable immediately said that the franchise was dead, some feared the commercialization of Star Wars, and others waited for a new trilogy, citing the fact that Lucas had originally planned to shoot nine films.

Nevertheless, the total box office for the sequels exceeded $4.4 billion, making J. J. Abrams' trilogy the most profitable in the franchise. However, the finale of the Skywalker saga did not earn the love of hardcore fans.

4. Han Solo Shot First

Perhaps one of the most controversial scenes in the history of the franchise, and one that fans still talk about today, took place in A New Hope. Immediately after Han Solo meets Luke and Obi Wan Kenobi, the smuggler is stopped by bounty hunter Greedo, who demands that Solo pay his debt. After a brief skirmish, Han shoots Greedo and leaves.

George Lucas reworked this scene four times. First, to keep Solo's heroism intact, a shot from Greedo's blaster was added, forcing Han to return fire. In the next version, the characters shoot almost at the same time, and then several frames and even a line were added during editing to finally make Greedo a villain in the eyes of the viewers.

But a true Star Wars fan knows for sure that Han shot first.

5. The Acolyte Controversy

The latest and loudest scandal in the fan community at the moment is connected with the new series in the Star Wars universe – The Acolyte. Despite the record number of viewers and relatively positive reviews from critics, The Acolyte has been met with hostility from fans, and with each episode the situation is getting worse.

The essence of dissatisfaction with the new Disney show comes down to disregard for canon and frivolous use of retcons. For example, in The Acolyte it turns out that Anakin Skywalker was not the first person created with the help of the Force. Or in one of the episodes appears a character who was in the prequel trilogy, although previously it was believed that the life expectancy of representatives of his race does not exceed 70 years.

There are many questions about The Acolyte, and no decent answers in sight. Of course, it is difficult to judge the quality of the series before its finale, but it can already be said that the new Disney series is unlikely to become a fan favorite.