WHAT IS THE ACOLYTE KI-ADI-MUNDI CONTROVERSY ALL ABOUT? EXPLAINED

The Acolyte, the largest Star Wars project of 2024, has faced criticism for its poor audience review scores and a hatred among fans. This is likely due to targeted review bombing and a lack of support for the series, which is primarily a female-led show with a predominantly female cast.

The show's social media presence also reveals a hive of scum and villainy, similar to what one would expect at a cantina in Mos Eisley. The series' lead showrunner, Leslye Headland, has been criticized for its portrayal of women and people of color.

Why are fans mad by Ki-Adi-Mundi's inclusion in The Acolyte?

The Acolyte controversy reached its peak with Episode 4, Day, on Disney+ on June 18, 2024. The episode featured a cameo by Jedi Ki-Adi-Mundi, a cool-looking member of the Jedi Council from prequel films. Most audience members are unaware of Ki-Adi-Mundi, as he has never been an important Star Wars character.

As The Acolyte takes place 100 years before the rise of the Empire, fans were furious at his inclusion. When the fan site Wookiepedia updated Ki-Adi-Mundi's birthday to address this new information, some fans sent death threats and even called for legal action. Fans have used this inclusion to show how the series is breaking canon or showing disrespect for the history of Star Wars when, in reality, it wouldn't crack the biggest retcons in the Star Wars franchise.

Wookipedia, the official Star Wars wiki, updated its page on Ki-Adi-Mundi to reflect the fact he's canonically alive during The Acolyte, 100 years before Star Wars: Episode 1 titled The Phantom Menace. The editors on the site were shocked at the strength of the backlash, with some even receiving death threats.

Fans are upset about the appearance of Ki-Adi-Mundi in The Acolyte, arguing that the show is breaking canon. They argue that Ki-Adi-Mundi is mentioned as a Sith in The Phantom Menace but remains alive during mysterious deaths. However, the series is not yet over, so there is still time to explain this. The series does not suspect Ki-Adi-Mundi is a Sith, and the mysterious red-wielding lightsaber user attacks. Therefore, nothing in the canon is broken.

Ki-Adi-Mundi is used as evidence that the Star Wars canon and history are not cared for, ignoring that every script for The Acolyte is overseen by Dave Filoni, who is passionate about maintaining the Star Wars continuity. Critics want Filoni to take over from Kathleen Kennedy as President of Lucasfilm, as he supposedly understands Star Wars better, except in cases where it doesn't fit their narrative.

Who is Ki-Adi-Mundi?

Ki-Adi-Mundi is a Cerea male member of the Jedi Council, played by Silas Carson, who also plays Viceroy Nute Gunray in the prequels. Ki-Adi-Mundi, along with Yoda and Mace Windu, is the only member of the council to get a speaking role in the prequels.

He is best known for saying, "The Sith have been extinct for over a millennia" in The Phantom Menace and "What about the droid attack on the wookies" in Revenge of the Sith.

Dafne Keen praises The Acolyte creator Leslye Headland for killing off characters

Dafne Keen defends the Star Wars episode Night, which features a 30-minute duel between the Jedi and a dark sider, The Stranger. The episode reveals the villain's identity and reveals that he shouldn't be messed with. The Stranger kills off most Jedi, including Keen's Jecki Lon, proving that creator Leslye Headland isn't afraid to kill her characters.

Keen praises Headland for embracing the concept of killing characters in the series. She cites other directors who are hesitant to do so, or sometimes bring them back to life with cheeky writing tricks. Keen appreciates Headland's backbone as a writer and appreciates his decision to show viewers that The Stranger was a villain instead of denying it.

She said, "There are so many directors in blockbuster sagas that are so scared to kill off their characters, and are so comfortable with bringing characters back to life, and all of these little writer tricks that I think are quite cheeky. And I really like that she was actually killing people."

She continued, "Because if you’re not making it dangerous, then why are we even here? Why are we concerned by the story? Why do we care? Leslye has such a backbone as a writer, to make you fall in love with these characters and then slaughter them all like pigs and be like, 'Yeah, this is our villain. We’re not just saying he’s so big and scary, we’re actually showing you how big and scary he is'."

The Acolyte can be streamed on Disney+.