'The Acolyte' stirs controversy yet again with Star Wars' 'canon-breaking' cameo
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'The Acolyte' Episode 4 premiered on Disney+ on June 18, 2024. The action-adventure 'Star Wars' series is on the news for controversies ever since its trailer came out and fans were in for even more disappointment with the fourth episode featuring a cameo that left the fans aghast.
'The Acolyte' is set 100 years before the events of 'Star Wars Episode 1- The Phantom Menace' (1999) and it has events set in the High Republic Era when the Jedi Order was at its peak. With events set in the timeline, the appearance of Ki-Adi-Mundi (Derek Arnold) surprised fans because it seems like an illogical move considering he was born 40 years after the events of 'The Acolyte'.
Fans have been split right down the middle after this cameo. While it has not gone down well with most people, some have defended the move. Here's what the internet has to say.
Internet reacts at Ki-Adi-Mundi's cameo in 'The Acolyte'
The cameo and Ki-Adi-Mundi's appearance in the show made fans express their reaction online. A Reddit user said, "Ki-Adi-Mundi isn’t even alive yet in the timeline. Acolyte is such a failure." Another Reddit user commented, "Do you think maybe they looked up his birthdate, saw it was a smaller number, and assumed that meant he'd be alive during the larger number, failing to realize how the date is being determined in this case?"
A Reddit user said, "Everyone’s response has just been that’s legends birthday not canon. The immediate response is okay so he looks almost the same 100 years later??" Pointing out to his appearance in 'Star Wars Episode 1- The Phantom Menace'. A Reddit user was not happy with Disney altering the cannon saying, "Disney has altered the Canon. Pray they don't alter it any further." Another Reddit user added, "Lmao imagine being a star wars fan in 2024..."
The counter-argument to this was that Ki-Adi-Mundi did not have an age in the canon. A few fans defended his appearance as a Reddit user said, "HE DIDNT HAVE AN AGE IN CANON. They didn’t have anything good to complain about this episode so this is the hill they die on". Another fan added, "Star Wars retconned all EU materials. Mundi's age wasn’t canonical. We still don’t know his age by TPM. 200? 180? 150? And why do people care so much? It’s sad. It’s like Star Wars has become a religion for some."
Did Ki-Adi-Mundi's appearance break the Canon?
Ki-Adi-Mundi did not break the canon as his age wasn't officially recognized by Disney in the Canon. The only sources that claimed Ki-Adi-Mundi's age were a CD-ROM that came out after the release of 'The Phantom Menace' and a trading card that came out in 2013.
Both the sources were not part of Disney's Canon. There were contradictions in the sequels from those sources too as the color of the lightsaber was different.
With Disney not recognizing his age, his appearance in the fourth episode of 'The Acolyte' seems to have more legitimacy.
How to stream 'The Acolyte'?
'The Acolyte' Episodes 1-4 are streaming on Disney+ with new episodes expected to drop every Tuesday. To watch the show, you will need a Disney+ Subscription.
To stream 'The Acolyte', you'll need a subscription to Disney+. The basic membership plan with ads costs $7.99/month while the premium plan (with no ads) comes at $13.99/month or $139.99/year.
'The Acolyte' trailer
'The Acolyte' Episodes 1-4 are streaming on Disney+.
