Star Wars The Acolyte

[manureid]

I am just baffled how something like this can be so poorly written. Hopefully Qmir comes in and at least makes the show go out with a bang, never to be seen again.

 

[KAYNE]

As others have said this was just a huge step back for the show. So much made so little sense.

Were the Jedi put on this 'outpost' as they were not very good Jedi? Were they outcasts and given a simple job of staying out there monitoring this planet not expecting to find anything. This is the only reason I can gather they made so many stupid/ non Jedi type of decisions.

 

[Royces Hart]

As others have said this was just a huge step back for the show. So much made so little sense.

Were the Jedi put on this 'outpost' as they were not very good Jedi? Were they outcasts and given a simple job of staying out there monitoring this planet not expecting to find anything. This is the only reason I can gather they made so many stupid/ non Jedi type of decisions.

I think it’s the Jedi equivalent of being sent to the hardware store to get a left handed screwdriver.

 

[SM]

The reference to the Hyperspace disaster from the books was neat but was just about the only thing I enjoyed this ep.

 

[Forward Press]

Were the Jedi put on this 'outpost' as they were not very good Jedi? Were they outcasts and given a simple job of staying out there monitoring this planet not expecting to find anything. This is the only reason I can gather they made so many stupid/ non Jedi type of decisions.

Thought that was made obvious with that montage at the beginning of the menial tasks all of them were doing.

The need to keep contacting the council for advice - and their constant advice to stay on the planet and not interfere - also is evidence that they were simply an outpost crew.

 

[BlakeyNoFlakey]

Wow, this show just keeps getting worse.

 

[Forward Press]

It was ok. Probably about the same consistency of storytelling as the other episodes. However in this episode you watch it. You think, “hmm interesting”. Then 10 minutes later you think “hmm that made no sense”. Probably most disappointing for me was that I actually considered its sister episode one of the best in the series.

Was pretty dissatisfied with the reasons for the Jedi going to the fortress. Sol’s strange and irrational insistence that the girls needed to be saved and Torbin’s homesick-boredness was a stupidly weak crux for the story to pivot on. If they’d spent a moment providing context and reasoning for both it could have been so much more impactful.

Probably Mother Aniseya remains the more interesting character in the series, aside from Qimir, but her death was just confusing. What was Sol even trying to do there? Was it his intention to kill her? The thing with the bridge was fine but are we to assume all the destruction was due to the fire Mae started? How did it all spread so quickly to wreak such havoc? Is there still more to the story?

I did like the overall themes of the episode and the discussion on the complex nature of it all. Good people trying to do good things without good information. The supposed infallibility of the Jedi again exposed by the nature of humanity. But it was all executed poorly in this episode and like others have said, I’m definitely concerned it’s left too much to wrap up.

I think the running time is a major problem with these episodes. There is no time for the scenes to breathe or build. Everything is chopped together to get the run time down under 40 minutes. If they added a few minutes onto some of the key scenes it would feel a lot less rushed and would allow for more context to be provided and less confusing.

Overall I’ve been keeping a positive mind on this series hoping it was all leading somewhere. But after this episode, and knowing there is only one left, I’m concerned it’s all going to come to disappointing and halting thud.

Yeah this is also pretty much my opinion. Wonder how they'll stick the landing. Not holding out hope.

I am not one of those hung up on pedantic plot points and specifics (refer to the Rule of Cool) but even though I enjoyed the episode overall with the fight scenes, Torbin's and Sol's motivations really needed fleshing out. Maybe a flashback or scenes about Torbin missing home, or Sol with previous attachments to children, instead of just being told in two minutes. The series needed Andor-style storytelling I felt, with defined arcs and enough episode length for the plot to shine and various sub-plots (like the plotting of Vernestra and Qimir's story) to develop. Because there is potential, definitely, in exploring the factors that eventually led to the downfall of the Jedi (arrogance, rigidity to rules, inhumanity, infighting politics etc), the nature of other force users (witches), or even how the Sith kept bubbling away in the background.

As it is, not exactly holding out for a rewatch any time soon. Watchable? Yes. But it's not going to win any awards unless somehow the finale is mind-bendingly brilliant.

 

[Forward Press]

I liked the earlier mention of the best bits of BoBF being - by far - his time with the Tusken Raiders. It sticks in the memory. Not many sticking in my memory from this one so far apart from Qimir taking down the Jedi, and the opening assassination of Indara.

I'm also one of those that find stories set outside of the Skywalkers and Jedi more intriguing. Which is why Andor and Mando are both daylight ahead of the other Disney+ offerings, in my view.

 

[Kellythatsit]

This made no sense to me. It seemed like he tentatively prodded at her, unsure whether she was there or not.

What was she supposed to be doing btw? She'd lost/hidden her physical form but was clearly still in that location?

That was what was most disappointing about it. I thought we were actually seeing some cool new force magic that could possibly have linked to the creation of the twins. But then it just ends as Sol makes the decision to just kill her.

 

[SM]

I liked the earlier mention of the best bits of BoBF being - by far - his time with the Tusken Raiders. It sticks in the memory. Not many sticking in my memory from this one so far apart from Qimir taking down the Jedi, and the opening assassination of Indara.

I'm also one of those that find stories set outside of the Skywalkers and Jedi more intriguing. Which is why Andor and Mando are both daylight ahead of the other Disney+ offerings, in my view.

Basically all the scenes that stick in my mind are Qmir scenes - "You look so alike" when he sees Osha in the apothecary, the fight in the jungle, and the scenes on 'Unknown planet'. Easily my favourite SW character in a long time.

 

[skam85]

As others have said this was just a huge step back for the show. So much made so little sense.

Were the Jedi put on this 'outpost' as they were not very good Jedi? Were they outcasts and given a simple job of staying out there monitoring this planet not expecting to find anything. This is the only reason I can gather they made so many stupid/ non Jedi type of decisions.

Bad Batch: Jedi Edition

 

[manureid]

Basically all the scenes that stick in my mind are Qmir scenes - "You look so alike" when he sees Osha in the apothecary, the fight in the jungle, and the scenes on 'Unknown planet'. Easily my favourite SW character in a long time.

Could they just can this whole Acolyte crap and make a show just with him... also, do not use any, not 1, of the writers from this show.

 

[SM]

Could they just can this whole Acolyte crap and make a show just with him... also, do not use any, not 1, of the writers from this show.

If he is a compelling and interesting character isn't that a credit to said writers?

 

[manureid]

If he is a compelling and interesting character isn't that a credit to said writers?

One decent character in an otherwise terrible show? Sure.

 

[Kellythatsit]

As others have said this was just a huge step back for the show. So much made so little sense.

Were the Jedi put on this 'outpost' as they were not very good Jedi? Were they outcasts and given a simple job of staying out there monitoring this planet not expecting to find anything. This is the only reason I can gather they made so many stupid/ non Jedi type of decisions.

Haha. This would actually make a lot of sense.

 

[Jatz]

That was what was most disappointing about it. I thought we were actually seeing some cool new force magic that could possibly have linked to the creation of the twins. But then it just ends as Sol makes the decision to just kill her.

Yeah 100%.

Instead we essentially saw nothing. We have no idea what she was doing/trying to achieve and we end up with Sol almost killing her accidentally because he didn't seem sure if she was even there.

I want to like it but there's just too many instances of this kind of thing.

 

[Kellythatsit]

The reference to the Hyperspace disaster from the books was neat but was just about the only thing I enjoyed this ep.

Yep. I liked that too. I’m assuming it was referencing The Great Hyperspace Disaster. The way it was worded made it seem like these things happen all the time. Contextually it kind of felt a bit like calling 9/11 a “building collapse disaster”.

 

[Forward Press]

Yeah 100%.

Instead we essentially saw nothing. We have no idea what she was doing/trying to achieve and we end up with Sol almost killing her accidentally because he didn't seem sure if she was even there.

I want to like it but there's just too many instances of this kind of thing.

There was great potential in there - the idea of a 'vergence' where the force was that strong that one can create beings utilising the force - not just twins, but children who are the same consciousness. And Mother One was behind it all.

But nope, that one has also been apparently shelved too. I mean, I understand why (the surprise aspect, also gives motivation to Mae to kill the Jedi four), but still...

 

[SM]

One decent character in an otherwise terrible show? Sure.

I just mean if they were to do a show about Qmir wouldn't you use the writers who created him?

 

[Brick Loosener]

Thought that was made obvious with that montage at the beginning of the menial tasks all of them were doing.

The need to keep contacting the council for advice - and their constant advice to stay on the planet and not interfere - also is evidence that they were simply an outpost crew.

The menial tasks are looking for evidence of the vergence. That's their mission. That they've been doing for like two months and Torbin needs to be told at the camp fire because the writing is so ****ing terrible.

 

[Ghost Patrol]

Torbin should have taken the blue pill.

 

[Forward Press]

I just mean if they were to do a show about Qmir wouldn't you use the writers who created him?

Reminds me of the cyclical nature of Simmo threads on the WC board - where when the team was good and won flags, it was because of his assistants, and when the team was bad and won spoons, it was because of Simmo.

 

[manureid]

I just mean if they were to do a show about Qmir wouldn't you use the writers who created him?

He has done well to be semi interesting given the crap writing, so creating him is one thing, putting him in a decent story, not so much

 

[FlowersByIrene]

It's a very little thing but some of that "sample collecting" was hilarious. Sol rips out a piece of moss, presses a button on his little box, and then drops it inside and slides the lid shut. Does the box like analyse and then destroy the moss? Is it storing the moss, if so does it just automatically separate and seal the moss or does every bit of moss and lichen he throw in there get mixed together? Also Torbin having a slightly different sample reader in a cylinder shape with a funnel top, but doing the same thing collecting moss and grass. It just kind of ruins the illusion. If you're going to have technology, it should either actually function with some form of logic, or it should be completely unshown so that you can imagine how it functions. Sol throwing a piece of moss into a box was just funny to me.

 

[Brick Loosener]

It's a very little thing but some of that "sample collecting" was hilarious. Sol rips out a piece of moss, presses a button on his little box, and then drops it inside and slides the lid shut. Does the box like analyse and then destroy the moss? Is it storing the moss, if so does it just automatically separate and seal the moss or does every bit of moss and lichen he throw in there get mixed together? Also Torbin having a slightly different sample reader in a cylinder shape with a funnel top, but doing the same thing collecting moss and grass. It just kind of ruins the illusion. If you're going to have technology, it should either actually function with some form of logic, or it should be completely unshown so that you can imagine how it functions. Sol throwing a piece of moss into a box was just funny to me.

Isn't the poison Qimir makes made from some moss from the planet?

Edit - it's leaves from a tree on the planet.