Streaming shows can vanish forever without any notice. Westworld, Minx, and The Nevers were all ripped from Max despite being made for the platform, and Disney+ originals like Willow and The Mysterious Benedict Society are now, essentially, lost media.
When The Acolyte was canceled earlier this week, fans worried the Star Wars series would meet the same fate. Those fears were compounded when one fan searched “Acolyte” on the official Disney online store only for it to produce no results, suggesting merchandise was being pulled down in an effort to erase the project from the Star Wars landscape.
Thankfully, that’s not the case. The Acolyte is safe, at least for now. Here’s what happened, and what’s really true.
The Acolyte’s cancellation became public knowledge on Monday, August 19, but it wasn’t until two days later that social media posts started circulating showing that a search for “Acolyte” on the Disney store didn’t turn up any results. That’s not unusual — a search for “Andor” comes up equally empty. Adding fuel to the fire, however, if fans clicked a link to a specific Acolyte product, it led them to a 404 error.
At first blush, it looked like a campaign to erase all memory of the series, but the removal of the merchandise actually predates the show’s cancellation. The Wayback Machine reveals that Acolyte merch stopped appearing in Disney Store searches sometime between July 29 and August 6, weeks before The Acolyte was officially canceled. Furthermore, The Acolyte merchandise that wasn’t exclusive to the Disney store — like Qimir’s mask — has always been available in the official Star Wars store.
While Disney hasn’t responded to Inverse’s request for comment, the situation has since resolved itself, as the Disney store currently lists all previously removed Acolyte apparel as available. All four products are now in stock and can be purchased, implying the hiccup of a few weeks ago was just a glitch or a supply issue. If you need a shirt that says “The Acolyte” on it, now’s your chance.
While this doesn’t confirm The Acolyte is here to stay forever, it does prove the series hasn’t been forgotten just yet. Unlike the previous shows erased from Disney+, The Acolyte is part of a massive franchise. Removing it would delete an important chapter from a huge story, leaving fans confused and frustrated.
For now, The Acolyte is here to stay as a Disney+ series, as source material for future projects, and, like all good Star Wars stories, as inspiration for merchandise available to buy right now. We may not be getting a second season, but we’ll always have the memories... and the merch.
