If the villain rides off with the hero then the story has two villains now. Star Wars doesn’t have to look far to see this in motion. Anakin turns to the dark side, never getting to know his children, never getting that satisfaction and joy of seeing his own kids grow up. When confronted by his son Luke, he tires his hardest to make Luke join him, but Vader is no father figure to Luke. Vader/Anakins last gasp at morality is sacrificing himself to kill the Emperor, and passing away.
That was intentional. From the beginning, the creator of this show said this would be a story from the perspective of the villains. We don't have to like it, but that was what they were going for.
@@matthewk4912they were going for a murder mystery too. They failed at everything including bad guys PoV. It followed the Jedi Most of the time.... Terrible trash show
@@timbothejedi4146 Yeah, from the first episode we knew who the killer was and that the killer was not Osha. Surprisingly, there were people who didn't think Qimir was the Sith - I called it, but regardless, it was quite the empty reveal. It didn't really mean anything.
@@matthewk4912 Pretty much an issue with execution. That story isn't terrible, and with proper care it could be presented well, but it just didn't happen. Also, I like the darker series like Andor, but we all know the films were soap operas for a reason: bad guys are bad guys, good guys are good guys. Silly fun, with hints of "seriousness" around matters of war and death. I think Disney needs to allow themselves to find that middle line and explore it again, because I can't accept Andor and maybe Mandalorian (first half) to be the only reasonable shows so far.
My favorite piece of media from the entire star wars franchise is Revenge of the Sith, because it explains in story that "lying", "cheating", and "stealing" all lead to being alone, insecure, and unhappy. I find myself constantly returning to it because of its amazing usage of the amazing metaphor of the devil making empty promises and how those promises can lead even the most well-intentioned people to doing "evil". Just amazing.
Don't forget personal and selfish desires. Selfish desire, whether good intention or not, most often leads to a bad outcome not only for the one enacting it, but to those around him/her and even sometimes, beyond that. As we see with anakin turning to the Parkside, leading to the rise of the empire; enslavement and oppression for all. All because a boy was afraid of losing his wife.
@@jamesvan2201this is why I never understood why people like Anakin. He literally murdered children because a creepy old guy mentioned forbidden magic once. He chose one person over the entire galaxy. He's always been arrogant and selfish. No redeeming qualities to his character at all.
I've watched you and your content for almost a decade, but this might be my favorite thing I've seen from you. The way you explain these topics from not just the surface level, but also the core behind the decisions made really sets this apart from many other video essays on this platform. Please make more of these. Whether critical or positive, I love seeing you break things down like this.
I would not want my experiences be one and the same as truth. Mostly because my experiences have had widely different results. If the truth of the world changed that often. I would be terrified.
@theimpossiblethespian6974 For better or worse, the "truth" is somewhat malleable and seems to hinge on perspective, but there's no need to be afraid, my friend. Just live your own best experience.
You hit the nail right on the head, everything you said about storytelling is completely true, a story is so much more than just void truthless entertainment, it is a beautiful gift from God that let's us explore and relate to His creation, and our culture needs to get back on track and return to the truth. Keep making great stories, you really inspire me!
Personally I would welcome another season because even though the overall plot and storyline is garbage I do like the fight sequences at least starting from episode 5 even though it was like cut apart between a chase and a fight scene
All of part I is really just a basic understanding of screenwriting; the understanding of what and how “beats” work in a scene, as well as “if this then what”.
Dang was not expecting you to go that deep with this topic but i think you explained it the best ive seen... id be interested in more content like this from you for sure. This was out of left field but i liked it!
True, my content on this channel will be whatever i feel like making! So it might all be out of left field. which....actually now that I think about it, might be predictable. Does that mean its not out of left field then?
@@matt.mp4Maybe if we begin to expect the unexpected, but how could we ever truly expect the unexpected if it is unexpected. Therefore forever being out of left field.
@@matt.mp4something unpredictable is always going to be unpredictable, so therefore it is predictable? 🤔 (Also, did you see that Lego star wars movie with Darth jar jar?)
I didn’t know I was going to get a mini-sermon from watching a Star Wars video😆 I kept snapping whenever you kept talking about truth because of how important it is spiritually to understand.
Thank you so much for sharing this video! Just watched it today, and as a writer working on a few projects at the moment, this was exactly what I needed to hear. I always appreciate your content, and it's so refreshing to hear someone talk about story while emphasizing truth. God bless ♡
I started watching this because ive been keeping up on the acolyte bs and i sat here feeling like i was having a fever dream like "wait... is that? Noooooo... Matthias?!"
I really love how someone finally broke down and went thru how bad the writing was. I feel Disney already spent way too much money on the acolyte and has already become such a joke to the franchise. There will be no saving it. But I really appreciate this video and your perspective!
What I don't understand is why people think this is unacceptable in its bad writing, but every other Star Wars project has *the same issues* and that's fine. It's a #doublestandard
@@IllisiaAdams I mean you thinking every Star Wars film has the same issue as the acolyte is a fine opinion to have but I wouldn’t exactly call it a “double standard” if the majority of the fans objectively didn’t like it.
I absolutely adore these storytelling exposition videos. I've watched you since some of your first videos you've ever posted on TH-cam, and these videos are some of my top 5 favorite of yours. Expecially when you involve spiritual and biblical aspects into the videos!
Not gonna lie. I don't watch Star Wars but I'm still so excited to watch this! You've been my favorite TH-camr for so many years. I'll support whatever you do! God bless my good dude! ✨😌🙌🏼
I recently fell into the star wars youtuber drama rabbit hole. I have my opinions on the whole saga. However you said "I don't care about that argument" and you're totally right. I should stop caring about that stupid stuff. Thanks. Great video.
Gosh ddddayuuum, Mathias! I am SO happy to see a vid from you again. This has to be the best video explaining why, not only the Acolyte, but so many series, films and comics fail. Thank you so much! I am sharing this with everyone!
I have never watched anything by you before, but OH MY WORD! This is beautiful. This could be a sermon I would gladly sit in at my church. Your logical defense of “universal truth” is put in such a simple way that it’s impossible (imo) to argue against. Truly impressive and I will be watching more.
This is a beautifully made video. More people NEED to hear this message. This video perfectly discusses the fundamental issues behind “objective truth”, or as Matt describes it, “experience.” Thanks for making this one.
Im so glad and fulfilled to see that you understand all of this and are here to explain it to us all. Im grateful for you and these videos Matt. You said it best in one line, "we consume stories because it allows us to build mental models to navigate through the world." The sheer and utter truthfulness needed to say this sentence, is what makes you different than all of them, all the disney writers, hollywood writers, and everyone else telling a story!
I thought that "The Acolyte" should be reconned; however, I had to organized points on why. Your analysis speaks perfectly the words that I lacked. I can only speak for myself, but the reason I liked Star Wars so much is that it is a saga of heroes and villains. The heroes are good for all the right reasons and the villains are villains for all the right reasons. I identified with Luke because he was good, honest, and heroic. Luke did not look like myself or sounded like myself, and yet I still I identified with him because, above all, I want what is right and true. Luke wanted to do what was right and true. In the Acolyte, what is right? What is true? The Acolyte isn't an intermedia step to get us to what is right and true. It is stating that this is world in all its grays and shadows and who is to say what is good and what is evil? It all depends on who is wielding power is their message. I completely, without any ambiguity, reject this storytelling. I refuse to give my time to a message of moral ambiguity where truth is a mere suggestion. It does indeed seem to be a story about heroes written by villains. I'm not angry about what Star Wars has become. I'm not even disappointed. I've simply moved on.
Something that confuses me about modern villain writing is the lack of cautionary tales. It’s a fundamental element of some of fiction’s most iconic villains. Whether it’s a cautionary tale of becoming the villain, becoming a worse villain, or facing ultimate defeat, I notice a strange lack of emphasis on these story beats. It’s what made Vader such a compelling villain: a man who loved too much and couldn’t come to terms with the impermanence of mortal life.
@@hoos3014 When Star Wars (which is all the first movie was in the beginning) became a larger story, it was necessary to go beyond the single-dimensional villain.
I like both Star Trek and Star Wars. Did you know that Star Trek was funded/ advocated by Lucille Ball. You know the actress who was in “I Love Lucy” show.
@@F1refly86 yep! I mean if you can move past the laughable sets and costumes the writing is chefs kiss. It pushed boundaries and ides in the 60s. Had the first interracial kiss... just over all amazing for the time and now
I don’t think reconning will do anything the lead actor, the director, and the effort put into the show have completely destroyed any hope for the show. I believe the best thing to do is to remove it from cannon, fire all the writers that worked on this, review all the higher ups at Lucas films that saw this and didn’t do anything, and apologize to the fanbase about all the poor quality shows that have been released in recent years and that they will do better. Even then I have no idea if Star Wars will make a resurgence.
You keep talking like this and I’ll keep myself subbed. You nailed every single point. Truth vs Experience was such a good topic, and somehow weaving the truth of the Bible into your points with verses was awesome!
I totally agree. The Acolyte had some really good Star Wars content in it, but also some really poor decision making. Such as having the Jedi wake up from meditation and kill himself. What??? WHO THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA??
To quote Mr Plinkett, “You may not have noticed it, but your brain did.” I think I and most people who watched the Acolyte subconsciously knew all of this about how the show rejects objective truth to glorify selfishness and evil, but it’s interesting to consciously recognize what I found so repugnant about that show.
👏👏💯 Oh wow, you have perfectly explained what is the deep reason of the problem in the write of LH, the way this show has been written. I felt it but couldn't explain it clearly till now. Thank you.
One of the best videos Matt has ever made. It’s not just about Star Wars, it’s about life and it’s a very important lesson about life. And that it can all be wrapped into a talk about bad Star Wars just makes it easier for people to understand. Great job!
1) the harness exit is irrelevant. How it happens isn't going to change the remainder of the story either way, and would have either be a lousy Deus Ex Machina or a runtime-padding scene. Cinematography, that's it. It's also very possible that she unbuckled and fainted afterwards, only to wake up after. Does it really matter all that much? Happenstance is omnipresent in Star Wars. Had she woken up strapped to her make-shift seat, you'd bitch about how it wasn't made for that use and she'd have flown off, as a 4-point harness isn't that strong. 2) there were over 10 000 Jedi in this era. I'm sure you do not know 9 999 of a specific group of people either, like hockey players, or cadets squadron, etc. Yes, it is dialogue heavy, but not an expo dumb. Investigators do ask questions they know the answer to to assess body language and reaction, trying to figure their tell when lying. In this scene, osha doesn't know what the Jedi are here for, and neither what they do know. An Expo dump would have been characters telling the audience what BOTH know in a contrived context. Take this out of Star Wars and a police drama show would do it the same. Lol your 3 lines scene isn't 'good writing' 🤣 it would make an absolutely wasted scene. A mid-point between the two would have been a clearly better result. 3) the Acolyte did tell a truth - the Jedi aren't the paragon of virtue, and neither are they heroes. They are flawed, egotistical and elitist - Yord is a great example, looking down on non-Jedi like Osha and Qimir, and even lower-rank like Jecki. That's exactly what the Jedi preach - only they have the truth of what the Force is and how it should be used. So do the Sith. Or the Nightsisters. Or any other cult around a mystical power. The Jedi on Earth would be in violation of the Geneva convention. Us, the unwise humans of a 0-level civilisation understand that kids shouldn t be sent into armed forces as MPs. In reality, the villains do walk away 🤣 and looking at actual villains in history did walk away happily on their power, and millions, and surrounded by their people. Isn't that the pure concept of the line Yoda said 'seduced by the Dark Side' ? This show was exactly doing that; portraying a seduction towards the Dark Side. *** There wasn't an agenda pushed, nor was it even established that Kroll and Aneseya were in a intimate relationship. People got mad because of a nose rub ffs. *** All that being said - it should be Retconned. All of it. All of Disney. Reset the clock back to post-ROTJ and skip to ep10-12 with Hamil and Ford (🤞 maybe he'll want to) while you still can. Adapt the NJO series with a throw away line similar to 'You fought in the Clone Wars' about the defeat of Thrawn. And do the Vong war as a passing of the Torch. The years later, recast the OG for the Heir trilogy, but tweaked to include Ahsoka and remove Palpatine's clone (leave him dead!).
This was amazing to watch. So well articulated and broken down in such an intricate and detailed way. I think everyone who has any sort of opinion on the acolyte should watch this because it explains the short comings of the show, but also the WHY behind those shortcomings with an unbiased perspective. And it offers a solution fix the mess it has created (not that it can ever be fully fixed LOL). Loved this Matt, thank you! You have a gift for explaining and seeing the inner workings of things. Thanks for sharing it with us!!
Based video. At first, when I saw this on my home page, I was like, wow, even Matthias is talking about it. Then I remembered the old skit he did about having to wait for the new Star Wars movies and how much he loves Star Wars, and it all made sense as to why. Disney is ruining Star Wars, and they absolutely HAVE to turn it around.
i stopped watching this channel when i was about 14 maybe 15 couldnt find it for about 20 minutes just to find out he retired and most the channels like team edge n stuff got shutdown it was a great era respect you changing things up hopefully everything goes well
Not to harp on Matt, he's f***ing smart, but what he failed to notice during the interview between the jedi and Osha is that this was in fact an interrogation. Those initial questions are usually just to set up a baseline, similar to a polygraph test but in this case to ease into the harder stuff. It's been done in police and crime procedural shows for decades. Everything from New york Undercover to all the Law and Order/CSI shows, etc. have had their members use this on suspects, albeit with differing variations of success/failure. It's also often a good way to get more exposition out of the way, like after a bunch of action and hardly any dialogue. I think the writers were trying something similar but failed in the execution. Like trying to hit a baseball with a golf club, sure it sounds cool in theory but in practice....well you get the picture. I do agree they should somehow salvage/retcon some of it, was looking forward to Darth Plaguies/future connecting tissue. And before anyone says anything, yes I totally agree that the writing was terrible.
100% agree. The Acolyte has such great potential, Qimir is interesting with potential to be an amazing villain, it has some amazing fight choreography, and the only thing that let the show down was very bad writing. there's nothing worse than watching characters making stupid decisions because the plot needs them to happen, it's meant to be Star Wars not a bad Horror Movie.
As a fellow life longe Star Wars fan, it's really nice to hear your breakdown of the Acolyte. It drives home a lot of the critiques I've had with the show myself. It would be vary interesting to know your thoughts on some of the other shows and movies, but more importantly, please make a complete breakdown of why Jar Jar is the 7th best character in all of Star Wars
What an excellent assessment of The Acolyte. I enjoyed watching it. I think the point about truth is absolutely spot-on; the whole show is built upon the premise that good and evil don't exist, only what each individual wants, and we're expected to root for the main character's personal experience only because we're told to.
Dang, dude speaking some harsh truth that have needed to be said for a long time! Im a huge star wars fan who has been losing their love for star wars and been needing someone to articulate this for a while!
This all made so much sense. I've felt the same way about a lot of these new Disney shows but wasn't sure how to put it into words. This was very interesting and enjoyable to watch. Thanks Matt!
This morning, I'm thinking about the song: "I Shot The Sheriff. " In this song; the main character insists that he shot the sheriff but he did not shoot the deputy. I think he's saying that he's a monster, but not a complete monster. I emphasize with Qimir and Osha. I feel for their loneliness , their need for belonging and companionship. I'd like to think that they'd shoot the sheriff, but not the deputy. Because at the end of the day, I want them to be happy. If I had picked up true evil vibes from Qimir or Osha, instead of the sadness and hurt I sensed; or if they had harmed someone I really cared about; I might feel differently. I'm sorry: I liked Master Sol a lot. But, when he died all I felt was relief that his pain and guilt hsd ended.
Your point of view and explanation of the issue is 100% on point! There was no moral point. Thank you for this, I felt this but didn't know how to explain how it made me feel.
Holy crap... my world just got rocked my a Star-Wars video and im not mad about it. Im being fr when I say that what little I will retain from this video will really help. Sp happy to see you back Matt
The fact Anakin Skywalker was created by the force and was supposed to be the first one but yet the witch's have Been doing it for ever? So many examples of inconsistencies in this show😡🤬
Yes, Anakin was created by the Force. No where does it say he was the first and only one. The twins were not created by the Force, they were created by their mothers. There is no inconsistency between the show and the general SW canon.
My favorite part is all the illogical decisions the characters make. For example, in the first episode when Osha tells the other prisoners she has faith in the Jedi, but then after the crash landing, the first thing she does is try to escape from them… great logic.
Her other-half/"sister" did exactly the same thing several episodes later when she said she was handing herself in to the Jedi... and then promptly ran away from them 😂
Beautiful. Truth always wins. You said it all so well. In all the other well written movies where the "bad guy wins in the end", they are still the bad guy, and the audience knows it. And it's not glorified. The Acolyte was trying to push an agenda, and that is it. And when you try to push an agenda instead of writing a good story, it fails. Every time.
Retconned to a universe that we should never visit in star wars again. never, ever, no way hosay, never again. Maybe put the Ashoka series there too, and the Boba Fett.
I'm sorry, but although I agree with almost every point you made about the "bad writing"... *Every other Star Wars film and TV show have these same issues* So why can The Acolyte not get away with it when every other addition to the franchise can? Star Wars is *all* full of exposition dumps, cheesy dialogue, plot holes, rectons, characters making bad decisions, etc etc etc. The Acolyte is just par for the course. (I still love all of Star Wars, though)
Because of my final point. I think the other Star Wars are much less of all those things, but my last point all previous Star Wars don't fail at all they have clear a moral engine that drives the story.
Inception revolves around the premise that **self-deception and guilt lead to personal destruction, but self-awareness and letting go lead to redemption**. Cobb's inability to let go of his guilt about his wife’s death traps him in a cycle of failure, but when he faces the truth and accepts the truth, he is able to succeed.
@@matt.mp4 OK but the entire thing is about experience vs truth. Time fluctuations in the levels of the mind vs reality. The reason why he leaves the top spinning is because he doesn't want to know the truth. He's happy with the experience. The fact the ending stays ambiguous is the experience vs truth.
I absolutely love your view on this; I just have one thing to say. What if this "happy ending" that the villains of the story get isn't really the end? What if it's just the beginning? The show ended with the bad guy winning, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the character's story is over. There's still that time gap between the first season of The Acolyte and The Phantom Menace. What I'm saying is maybe they will fail; perhaps this is just the beginning of their downfall.
I get your point. I think broadly speaking when we're talking about story, it's a series of events that start and close with a particular theme and story core. Think of it at a macro scale, similar to a 4 act structure, and you'll see events start and resolve. It doesn't mean more events won't start, but they aren't the close to the events that started. Kinda tricky to think about but a story end is when there is resolution to what initially triggered that particular conflict.
@@matt.mp4except the end of season 1 did resolve the events that started season 1. The story is told nonlinearly. The event that started the story of season 1 is the Jedi slaughtering a bunch of innocent people and kidnapping a child. That inciting incident is resolved in the finale. The truth comes out and the antagonists (the Jedi) lose in the end. It's a mistake to think Qimir is the antagonist of the season. He is a morally corrupt character, but not the antagonist in this season.
Season 1 was obviously not the (planned) end of the story. The showrunner was targeting at least three seasons for the show. Osha and Qimir were NOT going to live happily ever after, with a garden and white picket fence. Folks, this is a prequel, we know the ending. This story is a tragedy; they are doomed. Yes, we see the story from the "Villains'" perspective, which made it interesting and unique from almost everything else in the Star Wars franchise. Finally. Heroes and villains having rising and falling fortunes makes for a good story. It would not have compromised the "moral premise" of the franchise at all to let that story play out. I think the Netflix binge model has ruined people's tolerance for long form storytelling; people need to know the end NOW. I think we're worse off for it.
@@matt.mp4 Linearly speaking, The Acolyte story began on Brendok began with the confrontation between her family and the four Jedi. It was resolved when Osha (the main protagonist) learned the full truth about what happened that night. Knowledge allowed her to unlock the power she already had inside herself. This is a coming-of-age story or a villain origin story, depending on your perspective.
I've been attempting to make short films for 9 years now ,and I've never thought about writing with truth. Thanks for the writing information! You should make more videos about writing.
Ok Matt you don’t have to hide the fact that you like the phantom menace is because of jar jar ok it’s perfectly fine with me 😂
LOL
Don’t expose him like that 😂
I mean, he was supposedly supposed to be a sith lord.😂
Fricken love Jar Jar
@@Kindasortamaybe lol
I don't think Jar jar was as bad as
Some people made it seem
If the villain rides off with the hero then the story has two villains now. Star Wars doesn’t have to look far to see this in motion. Anakin turns to the dark side, never getting to know his children, never getting that satisfaction and joy of seeing his own kids grow up. When confronted by his son Luke, he tires his hardest to make Luke join him, but Vader is no father figure to Luke. Vader/Anakins last gasp at morality is sacrificing himself to kill the Emperor, and passing away.
That was intentional. From the beginning, the creator of this show said this would be a story from the perspective of the villains. We don't have to like it, but that was what they were going for.
@@matthewk4912they were going for a murder mystery too. They failed at everything including bad guys PoV. It followed the Jedi Most of the time.... Terrible trash show
@@timbothejedi4146 Yeah, from the first episode we knew who the killer was and that the killer was not Osha. Surprisingly, there were people who didn't think Qimir was the Sith - I called it, but regardless, it was quite the empty reveal. It didn't really mean anything.
@@matthewk4912 Pretty much an issue with execution. That story isn't terrible, and with proper care it could be presented well, but it just didn't happen.
Also, I like the darker series like Andor, but we all know the films were soap operas for a reason: bad guys are bad guys, good guys are good guys. Silly fun, with hints of "seriousness" around matters of war and death. I think Disney needs to allow themselves to find that middle line and explore it again, because I can't accept Andor and maybe Mandalorian (first half) to be the only reasonable shows so far.
@@matthewk4912 Dude, everybody knew Qimir was the Sith. It was blatantly obvious.
My favorite piece of media from the entire star wars franchise is Revenge of the Sith, because it explains in story that "lying", "cheating", and "stealing" all lead to being alone, insecure, and unhappy. I find myself constantly returning to it because of its amazing usage of the amazing metaphor of the devil making empty promises and how those promises can lead even the most well-intentioned people to doing "evil". Just amazing.
Don't forget personal and selfish desires. Selfish desire, whether good intention or not, most often leads to a bad outcome not only for the one enacting it, but to those around him/her and even sometimes, beyond that. As we see with anakin turning to the Parkside, leading to the rise of the empire; enslavement and oppression for all. All because a boy was afraid of losing his wife.
Sounds like the current state of politics.
@@jamesvan2201this is why I never understood why people like Anakin. He literally murdered children because a creepy old guy mentioned forbidden magic once. He chose one person over the entire galaxy. He's always been arrogant and selfish. No redeeming qualities to his character at all.
So glad to see you're still doing youtube in a calmer more personal manner. Been watching since '13. Keep it up Matthias.
1913? WOW jk jk 😂
What he said^!!
Not a fan of StarWars but I really like understanding the "inner workings" of stories. Great video.
I've watched you and your content for almost a decade, but this might be my favorite thing I've seen from you. The way you explain these topics from not just the surface level, but also the core behind the decisions made really sets this apart from many other video essays on this platform.
Please make more of these. Whether critical or positive, I love seeing you break things down like this.
totally agree
“What’s it called… Dora The Explorer” Matthias 2024 (also that def wasn’t one of my childhood shows… 😅)
A video with this title had no business being this good.
Great video Matt 👍
“You don’t have truth. You have experience”
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Experience and truth are one in the same. At least on an individual level.
I would not want my experiences be one and the same as truth. Mostly because my experiences have had widely different results. If the truth of the world changed that often. I would be terrified.
@theimpossiblethespian6974 For better or worse, the "truth" is somewhat malleable and seems to hinge on perspective, but there's no need to be afraid, my friend. Just live your own best experience.
Nah, It should be forgoten.
You hit the nail right on the head, everything you said about storytelling is completely true, a story is so much more than just void truthless entertainment, it is a beautiful gift from God that let's us explore and relate to His creation, and our culture needs to get back on track and return to the truth. Keep making great stories, you really inspire me!
Personally I would welcome another season because even though the overall plot and storyline is garbage I do like the fight sequences at least starting from episode 5 even though it was like cut apart between a chase and a fight scene
This is definitely the most precise and well thought out critique of the acolyte I’ve seen
You're so brave man, thank you for giving voice to us who cannot speak loudly 😭😭
All of part I is really just a basic understanding of screenwriting; the understanding of what and how “beats” work in a scene, as well as “if this then what”.
if this then what is a great tool and the core of cause and effect, acolyte failed there. crazy
He's on-point, definitely. Buuuut all those points also apply to every other Star Wars movie and TV show, let's not kid ourselves...
After hearing you out, you're absolutly right...The acolyte shouldn't be canceled....It shouldn't have existed in the first place.
Dang was not expecting you to go that deep with this topic but i think you explained it the best ive seen... id be interested in more content like this from you for sure. This was out of left field but i liked it!
True, my content on this channel will be whatever i feel like making! So it might all be out of left field. which....actually now that I think about it, might be predictable. Does that mean its not out of left field then?
@@matt.mp4Maybe if we begin to expect the unexpected, but how could we ever truly expect the unexpected if it is unexpected. Therefore forever being out of left field.
@@matt.mp4 I'm down for that. Expectedly unexpected from here on out lol
@@matt.mp4something unpredictable is always going to be unpredictable, so therefore it is predictable? 🤔
(Also, did you see that Lego star wars movie with Darth jar jar?)
I didn’t know I was going to get a mini-sermon from watching a Star Wars video😆 I kept snapping whenever you kept talking about truth because of how important it is spiritually to understand.
The 863 posters on the wall bring back so many memories
Thank you so much for sharing this video! Just watched it today, and as a writer working on a few projects at the moment, this was exactly what I needed to hear.
I always appreciate your content, and it's so refreshing to hear someone talk about story while emphasizing truth.
God bless ♡
I started watching this because ive been keeping up on the acolyte bs and i sat here feeling like i was having a fever dream like "wait... is that? Noooooo... Matthias?!"
Matt, this is the best video you've put out in your whole career. Wish we could have more as wise as you.
I really love how someone finally broke down and went thru how bad the writing was.
I feel Disney already spent way too much money on the acolyte and has already become such a joke to the franchise.
There will be no saving it.
But I really appreciate this video and your perspective!
What I don't understand is why people think this is unacceptable in its bad writing, but every other Star Wars project has *the same issues* and that's fine. It's a #doublestandard
@@IllisiaAdams I mean you thinking every Star Wars film has the same issue as the acolyte is a fine opinion to have but I wouldn’t exactly call it a “double standard” if the majority of the fans objectively didn’t like it.
"Good stories tell the truth"
PREACH
I absolutely adore these storytelling exposition videos.
I've watched you since some of your first videos you've ever posted on TH-cam, and these videos are some of my top 5 favorite of yours.
Expecially when you involve spiritual and biblical aspects into the videos!
Never thought a man talking about statwars would impart so much spiritual wisdom to me. Enjoyed the the talk
Not gonna lie. I don't watch Star Wars but I'm still so excited to watch this! You've been my favorite TH-camr for so many years. I'll support whatever you do! God bless my good dude! ✨😌🙌🏼
Thanks Rae! Appreciate you!
I recently fell into the star wars youtuber drama rabbit hole. I have my opinions on the whole saga. However you said "I don't care about that argument" and you're totally right. I should stop caring about that stupid stuff. Thanks. Great video.
"Let's take," The Acolyte, " AND DO NONE OF THAT" - word taken from TheRussianBadger
Gosh ddddayuuum, Mathias! I am SO happy to see a vid from you again. This has to be the best video explaining why, not only the Acolyte, but so many series, films and comics fail. Thank you so much! I am sharing this with everyone!
If Matt taught a skillshare course on writing Star Wars, this would be it.
I have never watched anything by you before, but OH MY WORD! This is beautiful. This could be a sermon I would gladly sit in at my church. Your logical defense of “universal truth” is put in such a simple way that it’s impossible (imo) to argue against.
Truly impressive and I will be watching more.
This is a beautifully made video. More people NEED to hear this message. This video perfectly discusses the fundamental issues behind “objective truth”, or as Matt describes it, “experience.” Thanks for making this one.
Im so glad and fulfilled to see that you understand all of this and are here to explain it to us all. Im grateful for you and these videos Matt. You said it best in one line, "we consume stories because it allows us to build mental models to navigate through the world." The sheer and utter truthfulness needed to say this sentence, is what makes you different than all of them, all the disney writers, hollywood writers, and everyone else telling a story!
Thank you for sharing with us your greatest subjects, story writings and STAR WARS!!!
I thought that "The Acolyte" should be reconned; however, I had to organized points on why. Your analysis speaks perfectly the words that I lacked. I can only speak for myself, but the reason I liked Star Wars so much is that it is a saga of heroes and villains. The heroes are good for all the right reasons and the villains are villains for all the right reasons. I identified with Luke because he was good, honest, and heroic. Luke did not look like myself or sounded like myself, and yet I still I identified with him because, above all, I want what is right and true. Luke wanted to do what was right and true.
In the Acolyte, what is right? What is true? The Acolyte isn't an intermedia step to get us to what is right and true. It is stating that this is world in all its grays and shadows and who is to say what is good and what is evil? It all depends on who is wielding power is their message. I completely, without any ambiguity, reject this storytelling. I refuse to give my time to a message of moral ambiguity where truth is a mere suggestion. It does indeed seem to be a story about heroes written by villains.
I'm not angry about what Star Wars has become. I'm not even disappointed. I've simply moved on.
Well put!
I wasn’t ready for Matthias to go full Charie Day - Pepe Silvia mode, but I’m all here for it 😂
Something that confuses me about modern villain writing is the lack of cautionary tales. It’s a fundamental element of some of fiction’s most iconic villains. Whether it’s a cautionary tale of becoming the villain, becoming a worse villain, or facing ultimate defeat, I notice a strange lack of emphasis on these story beats. It’s what made Vader such a compelling villain: a man who loved too much and couldn’t come to terms with the impermanence of mortal life.
Exactly! I think they want you to believe there is no right and wrong. So they tell stories without them. But they miserably fail
When did we learn that there was more to Vader than just being the face of ultimate evil? At the end of the third movie.
@@hoos3014 When Star Wars (which is all the first movie was in the beginning) became a larger story, it was necessary to go beyond the single-dimensional villain.
I can't wait for Matt next TED talk... "Why is Star Trek better than Star Wars." ❤❤
how dare
(HINT: The original series writing is better than anything Disney can write.)
I like both Star Trek and Star Wars. Did you know that Star Trek was funded/ advocated by Lucille Ball. You know the actress who was in “I Love Lucy” show.
@@F1refly86 yep! I mean if you can move past the laughable sets and costumes the writing is chefs kiss. It pushed boundaries and ides in the 60s. Had the first interracial kiss... just over all amazing for the time and now
I don’t think reconning will do anything the lead actor, the director, and the effort put into the show have completely destroyed any hope for the show. I believe the best thing to do is to remove it from cannon, fire all the writers that worked on this, review all the higher ups at Lucas films that saw this and didn’t do anything, and apologize to the fanbase about all the poor quality shows that have been released in recent years and that they will do better. Even then I have no idea if Star Wars will make a resurgence.
He defines retconning in the sigh in the background at the beginning as when you erase something from canon.
Repeat after me - "Disney Star Wars is not canon." There. We fixed it! :-)
You keep talking like this and I’ll keep myself subbed. You nailed every single point. Truth vs Experience was such a good topic, and somehow weaving the truth of the Bible into your points with verses was awesome!
Ned’s Declassified Star Wars Survival Guide
entire disney saga except for andor must be retconned
No, Rebels (except the thrawn arc) and The Bad Batch were excellent
This is my favorite video you’ve made in a long time. This captivated me.
I love the dissection into writing and philosophy.
This is dope
Personally I feel The Acolyte should be erased from existence.
I totally agree. The Acolyte had some really good Star Wars content in it, but also some really poor decision making. Such as having the Jedi wake up from meditation and kill himself. What??? WHO THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA??
Benn watching for forever Matt and genuinely this “new era” of your content is quickly becoming one of favorite you’ve ever put out!
Thanks! Means a lot
To quote Mr Plinkett, “You may not have noticed it, but your brain did.” I think I and most people who watched the Acolyte subconsciously knew all of this about how the show rejects objective truth to glorify selfishness and evil, but it’s interesting to consciously recognize what I found so repugnant about that show.
13:01
This is the exact reason for the destruction of the sith empire during the Old Republic and even the Galactic Empire. Star Wars truly is poetry
This was a very refreshing video! thank you
I've been watching your content for years now, and this may be my favorite video that you've done. So good!!
👏👏💯 Oh wow, you have perfectly explained what is the deep reason of the problem in the write of LH, the way this show has been written. I felt it but couldn't explain it clearly till now. Thank you.
‘ immediately took a nap’ I’m on the floor 😂😂😂😂
Can we get a Mathias Hottake™ on all the controversial media?
Well worded, thoughtful, and no vitriol.
Well made.
One of the best videos Matt has ever made. It’s not just about Star Wars, it’s about life and it’s a very important lesson about life. And that it can all be wrapped into a talk about bad Star Wars just makes it easier for people to understand. Great job!
1) the harness exit is irrelevant. How it happens isn't going to change the remainder of the story either way, and would have either be a lousy Deus Ex Machina or a runtime-padding scene. Cinematography, that's it.
It's also very possible that she unbuckled and fainted afterwards, only to wake up after. Does it really matter all that much? Happenstance is omnipresent in Star Wars.
Had she woken up strapped to her make-shift seat, you'd bitch about how it wasn't made for that use and she'd have flown off, as a 4-point harness isn't that strong.
2) there were over 10 000 Jedi in this era. I'm sure you do not know 9 999 of a specific group of people either, like hockey players, or cadets squadron, etc.
Yes, it is dialogue heavy, but not an expo dumb. Investigators do ask questions they know the answer to to assess body language and reaction, trying to figure their tell when lying. In this scene, osha doesn't know what the Jedi are here for, and neither what they do know.
An Expo dump would have been characters telling the audience what BOTH know in a contrived context.
Take this out of Star Wars and a police drama show would do it the same.
Lol your 3 lines scene isn't 'good writing' 🤣 it would make an absolutely wasted scene.
A mid-point between the two would have been a clearly better result.
3) the Acolyte did tell a truth - the Jedi aren't the paragon of virtue, and neither are they heroes. They are flawed, egotistical and elitist - Yord is a great example, looking down on non-Jedi like Osha and Qimir, and even lower-rank like Jecki.
That's exactly what the Jedi preach - only they have the truth of what the Force is and how it should be used. So do the Sith. Or the Nightsisters. Or any other cult around a mystical power.
The Jedi on Earth would be in violation of the Geneva convention. Us, the unwise humans of a 0-level civilisation understand that kids shouldn t be sent into armed forces as MPs.
In reality, the villains do walk away 🤣 and looking at actual villains in history did walk away happily on their power, and millions, and surrounded by their people.
Isn't that the pure concept of the line Yoda said 'seduced by the Dark Side' ? This show was exactly doing that; portraying a seduction towards the Dark Side.
***
There wasn't an agenda pushed, nor was it even established that Kroll and Aneseya were in a intimate relationship. People got mad because of a nose rub ffs.
***
All that being said - it should be Retconned.
All of it.
All of Disney.
Reset the clock back to post-ROTJ and skip to ep10-12 with Hamil and Ford (🤞 maybe he'll want to) while you still can.
Adapt the NJO series with a throw away line similar to 'You fought in the Clone Wars' about the defeat of Thrawn. And do the Vong war as a passing of the Torch.
The years later, recast the OG for the Heir trilogy, but tweaked to include Ahsoka and remove Palpatine's clone (leave him dead!).
Wow. You nailed it. Thank you. May the Lord of the Force be with you…..
Lord Of The Force?
Lord Of The Force?
@@IllisiaAdams Ask Matt who that is?
This is the BEST breakdown of the Acolyte and the current state of Starwars. Well said, Matt!
Villians writing heros id exactly the feeling the Acolyte transmited to me. I contrast it with Clone Wars which every episode had a teaching.
This was amazing to watch. So well articulated and broken down in such an intricate and detailed way. I think everyone who has any sort of opinion on the acolyte should watch this because it explains the short comings of the show, but also the WHY behind those shortcomings with an unbiased perspective. And it offers a solution fix the mess it has created (not that it can ever be fully fixed LOL). Loved this Matt, thank you! You have a gift for explaining and seeing the inner workings of things. Thanks for sharing it with us!!
Love being able to hear your beliefs and subtle implementation of scripture. It’s humble and honest. Thank you.
Matt you are one of my favorite TH-camrs and you just have such great content and ideas thank you for sharing your work with us
Based video. At first, when I saw this on my home page, I was like, wow, even Matthias is talking about it. Then I remembered the old skit he did about having to wait for the new Star Wars movies and how much he loves Star Wars, and it all made sense as to why. Disney is ruining Star Wars, and they absolutely HAVE to turn it around.
Absolutely loved your breakdown on the the shows faults and the spiritual side of all of this too!! Super dope to see this perspective.
i stopped watching this channel when i was about 14 maybe 15 couldnt find it for about 20 minutes just to find out he retired and most the channels like team edge n stuff got shutdown it was a great era respect you changing things up hopefully everything goes well
Not to harp on Matt, he's f***ing smart, but what he failed to notice during the interview between the jedi and Osha is that this was in fact an interrogation. Those initial questions are usually just to set up a baseline, similar to a polygraph test but in this case to ease into the harder stuff. It's been done in police and crime procedural shows for decades. Everything from New york Undercover to all the Law and Order/CSI shows, etc. have had their members use this on suspects, albeit with differing variations of success/failure. It's also often a good way to get more exposition out of the way, like after a bunch of action and hardly any dialogue. I think the writers were trying something similar but failed in the execution. Like trying to hit a baseball with a golf club, sure it sounds cool in theory but in practice....well you get the picture. I do agree they should somehow salvage/retcon some of it, was looking forward to Darth Plaguies/future connecting tissue. And before anyone says anything, yes I totally agree that the writing was terrible.
I considered that. I love myself some detective shows, I really don't think it was that. If it was, like you said, still poorly done.
100% agree.
The Acolyte has such great potential, Qimir is interesting with potential to be an amazing villain, it has some amazing fight choreography, and the only thing that let the show down was very bad writing.
there's nothing worse than watching characters making stupid decisions because the plot needs them to happen, it's meant to be Star Wars not a bad Horror Movie.
Damn, who knew that Matthias was this smart.
as someone who doesn't watch star wars, i agree with this video
As a fellow life longe Star Wars fan, it's really nice to hear your breakdown of the Acolyte. It drives home a lot of the critiques I've had with the show myself. It would be vary interesting to know your thoughts on some of the other shows and movies, but more importantly, please make a complete breakdown of why Jar Jar is the 7th best character in all of Star Wars
Holy smokes! Part III was more profound, and enlightening, than a majority of modern day sermons.
Very pleased that I heard you out, good sir
What an excellent assessment of The Acolyte. I enjoyed watching it. I think the point about truth is absolutely spot-on; the whole show is built upon the premise that good and evil don't exist, only what each individual wants, and we're expected to root for the main character's personal experience only because we're told to.
when this show was announced I didn't care about it, when the show came out I didn't care about it, when the show ended I wish it never got made
I rolled my eyes at the intro of this video, but as I kept watching I kept nodding and agreeing with everything you said.
I just watch a Star Wars Ted Talk. Hooray
Dang, dude speaking some harsh truth that have needed to be said for a long time! Im a huge star wars fan who has been losing their love for star wars and been needing someone to articulate this for a while!
This all made so much sense. I've felt the same way about a lot of these new Disney shows but wasn't sure how to put it into words. This was very interesting and enjoyable to watch. Thanks Matt!
This morning, I'm thinking about the song: "I Shot The Sheriff. " In this song; the main character insists that he shot the sheriff but he did not shoot the deputy. I think he's saying that he's a monster, but not a complete monster. I emphasize with Qimir and Osha. I feel for their loneliness , their need for belonging and companionship. I'd like to think that they'd shoot the sheriff, but not the deputy. Because at the end of the day, I want them to be happy. If I had picked up true evil vibes from Qimir or Osha, instead of the sadness and hurt I sensed; or if they had harmed someone I really cared about; I might feel differently. I'm sorry: I liked Master Sol a lot. But, when he died all I felt was relief that his pain and guilt hsd ended.
This is great! Interesting, not insulting, and I can see your passion for story! :)
I enjoyed this video a lot. Very well put together!
Great video, Matthias. I really enjoyed this and it was so interesting. I've not actually seen the Acolyte but I wont be rushing to!
Your point of view and explanation of the issue is 100% on point! There was no moral point. Thank you for this, I felt this but didn't know how to explain how it made me feel.
"Hear me out"? Bro everyone already had the same idea😂
Holy crap... my world just got rocked my a Star-Wars video and im not mad about it. Im being fr when I say that what little I will retain from this video will really help. Sp happy to see you back Matt
The title made me scared to watch this video, but I agree with all of his points. Honestly it made me excited for the book he’s writing eventually.
The fact Anakin Skywalker was created by the force and was supposed to be the first one but yet the witch's have Been doing it for ever? So many examples of inconsistencies in this show😡🤬
Yes, Anakin was created by the Force. No where does it say he was the first and only one.
The twins were not created by the Force, they were created by their mothers. There is no inconsistency between the show and the general SW canon.
I really love the new style of video your doing Matt it feels more passionate
I've miss Mathias, but my lord, HE'S BACK
My favorite part is all the illogical decisions the characters make. For example, in the first episode when Osha tells the other prisoners she has faith in the Jedi, but then after the crash landing, the first thing she does is try to escape from them… great logic.
But in all the other Star Wars movies and TV shows all the character decisions make peeeerfect sense, I suppose? 🙄😅
Her other-half/"sister" did exactly the same thing several episodes later when she said she was handing herself in to the Jedi... and then promptly ran away from them 😂
@@IllisiaAdams nope, but this show was full with such decisions
Beautiful. Truth always wins. You said it all so well. In all the other well written movies where the "bad guy wins in the end", they are still the bad guy, and the audience knows it. And it's not glorified. The Acolyte was trying to push an agenda, and that is it. And when you try to push an agenda instead of writing a good story, it fails. Every time.
Retconned to a universe that we should never visit in star wars again. never, ever, no way hosay, never again.
Maybe put the Ashoka series there too, and the Boba Fett.
I absolutely love this so much, my friend was telling me about how bad this show was and, this paints a perfect picture for why it failed.
I'm sorry, but although I agree with almost every point you made about the "bad writing"... *Every other Star Wars film and TV show have these same issues*
So why can The Acolyte not get away with it when every other addition to the franchise can?
Star Wars is *all* full of exposition dumps, cheesy dialogue, plot holes, rectons, characters making bad decisions, etc etc etc.
The Acolyte is just par for the course.
(I still love all of Star Wars, though)
Because of my final point. I think the other Star Wars are much less of all those things, but my last point all previous Star Wars don't fail at all they have clear a moral engine that drives the story.
I really wanna see a Rated R Starwars film or show, possibly following Star-Killer
Truth is better than experience so a movie will do well? Ok, neat. Inception would like a word. :D
Inception revolves around the premise that **self-deception and guilt lead to personal destruction, but self-awareness and letting go lead to redemption**. Cobb's inability to let go of his guilt about his wife’s death traps him in a cycle of failure, but when he faces the truth and accepts the truth, he is able to succeed.
@@matt.mp4 OK but the entire thing is about experience vs truth. Time fluctuations in the levels of the mind vs reality. The reason why he leaves the top spinning is because he doesn't want to know the truth. He's happy with the experience. The fact the ending stays ambiguous is the experience vs truth.
Great point! I think we're conflating moral premise with story premise though.
I absolutely love your view on this; I just have one thing to say. What if this "happy ending" that the villains of the story get isn't really the end? What if it's just the beginning? The show ended with the bad guy winning, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the character's story is over. There's still that time gap between the first season of The Acolyte and The Phantom Menace. What I'm saying is maybe they will fail; perhaps this is just the beginning of their downfall.
I get your point. I think broadly speaking when we're talking about story, it's a series of events that start and close with a particular theme and story core. Think of it at a macro scale, similar to a 4 act structure, and you'll see events start and resolve. It doesn't mean more events won't start, but they aren't the close to the events that started. Kinda tricky to think about but a story end is when there is resolution to what initially triggered that particular conflict.
@@matt.mp4 It definitely makes sense when you think of it as its own story and not a part of a bigger one.
@@matt.mp4except the end of season 1 did resolve the events that started season 1. The story is told nonlinearly. The event that started the story of season 1 is the Jedi slaughtering a bunch of innocent people and kidnapping a child. That inciting incident is resolved in the finale. The truth comes out and the antagonists (the Jedi) lose in the end. It's a mistake to think Qimir is the antagonist of the season. He is a morally corrupt character, but not the antagonist in this season.
Season 1 was obviously not the (planned) end of the story. The showrunner was targeting at least three seasons for the show.
Osha and Qimir were NOT going to live happily ever after, with a garden and white picket fence. Folks, this is a prequel, we know the ending. This story is a tragedy; they are doomed.
Yes, we see the story from the "Villains'" perspective, which made it interesting and unique from almost everything else in the Star Wars franchise. Finally.
Heroes and villains having rising and falling fortunes makes for a good story. It would not have compromised the "moral premise" of the franchise at all to let that story play out. I think the Netflix binge model has ruined people's tolerance for long form storytelling; people need to know the end NOW. I think we're worse off for it.
@@matt.mp4 Linearly speaking, The Acolyte story began on Brendok began with the confrontation between her family and the four Jedi. It was resolved when Osha (the main protagonist) learned the full truth about what happened that night. Knowledge allowed her to unlock the power she already had inside herself.
This is a coming-of-age story or a villain origin story, depending on your perspective.
I've been attempting to make short films for 9 years now ,and I've never thought about writing with truth. Thanks for the writing information! You should make more videos about writing.
If it was written correctly then there’s nothing wrong with the bad guy getting away… in the first season at least .
Wow. I like this side of you. I am impressed.
Used to watch you a long time ago. But this is way better than what came before. Subscribed!