I haven’t watched any of this show, and I probably never will (I’ve kind of stopped giving a shit about “new Star Wars” in general), but I think I can say this with confidence: those audience reviews are bullshit. The review bombing is comically obvious. Like, maybe the show has problems, I wouldn’t know, but “30% on Rotten Tomatoes” level of problems? “4.8 on IMDB” level of problems? It really feels like people just want to hate it, for two main reasons:
- “They put a WOMAN… in STAR WARS?! And she’s… BLACK?! WOKE!!! WOKE!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOKE!!!”
- “It’s by DISNEY… and it’s NOT Andor?! It MUST be bad! REVIEW BOMB!!! REVIEW BOOOOOOOOMB!!!”
Like, if these reviews were at all legitimate, wouldn’t Book of Boba (which is probably way worse) get the same level of vitriol? What about Kenobi, which might be one of the worst pieces of live action Star Wars media ever? But of course, Boba and Obi-Wan are male and (mostly) white, and this was before the whole “Andor is the only good Disney Star War” narrative started, so The Acolyte is the one getting turned into some sort of nerd pariah instead. Like I said, it’s bullshit.
Boba is not white, he’s polynesian. Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan (and Ahsoka) were absolutely despised by the same people so you must not have been paying attention. That’s actually probably why this one is already pre-hated, it’s coming off the heels of those other ones.
The reason people highlight Andor is that it was a really well done story, which is unusual compared to the rest. Lots of people also like Rogue One and the Mandalorian seasons 1 and 2. It would be nice if this was another Andor but we should remember that Andor got there on its own merits; most people had zero interest in it due to Disney’s prior reputation, and it became more popular by word of mouth.
The “women/black in Star Wars” thing is such garbage. No one thinks that. Some of the most popular characters in Star Wars are female characters, going all the way back to Leia. Lando and Mace Windu were always popular. Andor is full of diversity as well. The thing is, it’s obvious when it’s part of a DEI initiative or it’s tokenism for its own sake. It’s an aesthetic, you can just tell. The casting decisions don’t line up. For example, Riva in the Obi-Wan show. Awful character, and miscast. Even if she was written better and given less goofy actions and choreography, the actress just doesn’t pull off the intimidation she’s supposed to have. Her presence detracts from Obi-Wan being the main character in his own show. But outside the show in real life, all they can talk about is how badass and empowered she is. Telling, not showing. It’s not a massive stretch to say that diversity requirements were at least partly responsible, call that “woke” or whatever you want.