‘The Acolyte’ Star Amandla Stenberg Comments on the True Message of Star Wars: “Spirituality can be corrupted by political systems”
The most recent installment in the Star Wars franchise ‘The Acolyte’ premiered a month ago, and it caused quite a controversy. Even before the premiere, some statements made by the cast and showrunner are considered scandalous to put it mildly, and caused a major fan backlash.
The show did not turn out to be what we expected in my personal opinion, but it certainly did not warrant personal attacks that almost everyone involved in the show got on social media.
Amandla Stenberg, the main star of the show playing the dual roles of twins Mae And Osha found herself a target of criticism more than the other members of the cast. She even published a song to respond to “haters and racists” online. Still, this did not deter her from forming a wholesome opinion on what Star Wars really is.
George Lucas sometimes claimed that Star Wars is all about politics, in his most recent interviews however he claimed that it’s a kids’ movie, but it’s quite obvious that fans are capable of taking the source material and creating a completely new meaning around it. Stenberg decided to combine both politics and spirituality, as she explained on her private social media what the true message of Star Wars is:
I believe the Star Wars universe is really about spiritual force and how different communities, including the community of monks called Jedi, relate to the spiritual force that governs the universe. Star Wars also explores how politics engage with spirituality and how spirituality can be corrupted by political systems and groups trying to enforce particular ideas of how ‘The Force’ should be used.
Stenberg’s answer is likely influenced by the overall themes of ‘The Acolyte.’ Headland warned the fans that the show might flip the table and show Jedi in a bad light, which the latest episode certainly proved. Headland said that Jedi don’t have a monopoly on the force but do have a systemic power through which they can be considered bad guys for dictating how everyone else will use the force.
This is likely what Stenberg referenced in her answer, as politics was truly what corrupted the Jedi, especially during the time of the High Republic as the order fell into disarray due to politicization, corruption, and overall confidence that no new threats could possibly emerge.
The Jedi Order basically became an extended arm of the republic, chasing political goals instead of keeping the balance and peace. What do you think? Do you agree with Stenberg? Let us know in the comments below!
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